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Apple Developing Thinner Face ID for iPhone Air 2, Report Suggests

The reason why Face ID is not appropriate on Macs is Apple didn’t put it there. Otherwise the points about Touch ID being better applies on iPhones/iPads too, yet the hardcore fans say Touch ID is a horrible experience on iPhones/iPads. The bias is so obvious.

And I’m speaking from the side that prefers Touch ID.
 
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Anaxarxes said:
The good reason is cost. The additional cost for a certain minority is not how you develop a product for masses.

A great portion of people use their laptops connected to a monitor, lids closed. Why FaceID?

Why FaceID when you can literally touch the TouchID on the kepboard? How it is so much better?

If not better then TouchID, why is it needed?
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I already responded to all these questions. And “cost” is a pretty poor excuse for a computer that starts at $2000 (and the new models will surely start significantly higher than that) and has ~30% profit margin, especially when the parts cost, at most, $50.
 
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speaking about face ID, "hide with faceID" is too weak. please can we get a fully separate partition option? like private space so that apps run in a separate partition / user space with fully separate storage etc? thank you
 
Hajj.david said:
Having face id on a mac is a terrible idea. You HAVE to push a button or something to consent to the face id so it wont just randomly pop up and authenticate something like admin permission or to buy something. On your phone or on your vision pro or even your ipad you double tap the button to activate it.

With a computer pushing the power button would be stupid and unintuitive, so you might as well use the keyboard for touch id so its a deliberate button push and wont just randomly unlock your computer because you exist near your computer.
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For this reason I have two keyboards on my desk: Apple Magic keyboard is there for offering the fingerprint reader... Would be better to have my display handle ID for me.

Even Apple Watch with a fingerprint reader would solve the issue (authenticating for my Mac).
 
a marketing employee for Apple argued that Touch ID is more convenient, since the button is near your hands. Of course, that does not rule out the possibility of Apple adding Face ID to a Mac in the future.
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How is Touch ID “more convenient” than the authorized user simply being in front of the phone they’re using? Passive authentication where the phone routinely checks who is using it without their intervention will always be more convenient and more secure than requiring the user to actively authenticate.

I understand that the iPhone Ultra might not have Face ID because you’d need to have it on each side but I’d be ok with Face ID being on the internal screen while authenticating for the exterior screen would be on the unlock button since you’d be more likely to be pulling it out of your pocket and unlocking it than actively using the small screen for longer periods.
 
jarman92 said:
I'm hardly an expert, but it's wild to me that Apple and other phone manufacturers haven't taken advantage of the periscope/prism lens tech to reduce the depth of every optical component. Seems like it's a no-brainer, particularly to get Face ID into a Mac and/or thinner iPhone.
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This
 
bbates123 said:
And THE phone for those looking for thinner/lighter alternatives to the existing lineup who can live with some of the compromises (like the external speakers that I never use).
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Totally (tho some here would argue "bring back the mini!").

I think the issue of paying $200 more for thinner/lighter and less capability that was ultimately its biggest hurdle.
Again, when I held one in-hand, I was floored - it's really cool! It's the form-factor I want, but lacks any of the "Pro" features I am now used over all fo the years. Thus, 17 PM it is. 🙂
 
Can we stop beating a dead horse regarding the iPhone Air. Either one lives with the compromises or not. Adding a kitchen sink is not going to convince those who it appeals to not buy it or those who are not interested in the kitchen sink to buy it.

Let’s not fool ourselves thinking of it only had this and that it would be perfect and sell. Didn’t know there were Apple employees here on MR?
 
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jarman92 said:
I already responded to all these questions. And “cost” is a pretty poor excuse for a computer that starts at $2000 (and the new models will surely start significantly higher than that) and has ~30% profit margin, especially when the parts cost, at most, $50.
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8GB of memory costs less than $50 and Apple was too cheap to upgrade the base Mac memory from 8GB to 16GB for the longest time.
 
lazyrighteye said:
This statement nails it:

iPhone Air, while an impressive design feat, has led to too many hardware compromises, especially given the $999 price tag.

iPhones Air's biggest problem was/is iPhone 17. The bang-for-buck of the 17 was/is ridiculous. Even with a wide-angle lens and better battery, a $1,000 iPhone Air 2 might still be mission impossible when users have an "almost Pro-level experience" in an iPhone 18 for $200 less than iPhone Air.

That said, iPhone Air was the most impressive of all of last September's upgrades - with regard to in-hand feel and overall aesthetic. It felt/looked the most "new." Reminded me of the "wow" I felt when we first saw that 2007 iPhone. I said "almost!"
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Everyone is an expert on what Air's biggest problem is/was - while ignoring that the problems described may not be an issue for Air's target audience. For example, the above describes Air's biggest problem as the iPhone 17 - because of its "bang for the buck". But why would someone who wants the lightest, thinnest phone possible - the only reason to want one - be swayed by a cheaper phone, when it doesn't solve that basic desire?

As mentioned in another comment, my wife and I both bought Airs - exactly because it was the thinnest and lightest. I wasn't even looking at the iPhone 17. If the iPhone Air hadn't come out, we would have just gotten another Pro Max.
 
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Why no Touch ID on the iPhone air? It would solve all the problems. Also apple should make iPhone configurable like the MacBook pros. Everybody has such a specific use case. For example make the iPhone air with two options: 1x camera and optical zoom or 1x camera and UW . Why not let the customer configure their own iPhone? It’s such a huge scale product you won’t be able to please everybody.
 
twolf2919 said:
Everyone is an expert on what Air's biggest problem is/was - while ignoring that the problems described may not be an issue for Air's target audience. For example, the above describes Air's biggest problem as the iPhone 17 - because of its "bang for the buck". But why would someone who wants the lightest, thinnest phone possible - the only reason to want one - be swayed by a cheaper phone, when it doesn't solve that basic desire?

As mentioned in another comment, my wife and I both bought Airs - exactly because it was the thinnest and lightest. I wasn't even looking at the iPhone 17. If the iPhone Air hadn't come out, we would have just gotten another Pro Max.
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Agree. I'm not personally a fan of the iphone Air, but that's ok as I just won't buy one. Meanwhile others like you can. The existence of the Air model in no way negatively impacts those that prefer other models. If not enough buy the Air then Apple will either redesign it or discontinue it as is their prerogative.
 
ipedro said:
How is Touch ID “more convenient” than the authorized user simply being in front of the phone they’re using? Passive authentication where the phone routinely checks who is using it without their intervention will always be more convenient and more secure than requiring the user to actively authenticate.

I understand that the iPhone Ultra might not have Face ID because you’d need to have it on each side but I’d be ok with Face ID being on the internal screen while authenticating for the exterior screen would be on the unlock button since you’d be more likely to be pulling it out of your pocket and unlocking it than actively using the small screen for longer periods.
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Your hands can reach farther than face ID's detection angles are capable of.

Example: it's possible to do the Apple Pay auth dance while your phone is in the pocket.

Example 2: Reach over and unlock your phone that is flat on the nightstand to look at messages instead of needing to make sure your face is in line of sight of the sensor.
 
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subjonas said:
Is the Air supposed to take sales from the Pro?
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That’s what I think Apple was afraid and spent zero effort marketing it. I know a few folks including including me that went from a pro to the Air.

Personally, I am extremely happy with my decision. For me it is my favorite phone out of all the phones I have ever owned.
 
twolf2919 said:
Everyone is an expert on what Air's biggest problem is/was - while ignoring that the problems described may not be an issue for Air's target audience. For example, the above describes Air's biggest problem as the iPhone 17 - because of its "bang for the buck". But why would someone who wants the lightest, thinnest phone possible - the only reason to want one - be swayed by a cheaper phone, when it doesn't solve that basic desire?

As mentioned in another comment, my wife and I both bought Airs - exactly because it was the thinnest and lightest. I wasn't even looking at the iPhone 17. If the iPhone Air hadn't come out, we would have just gotten another Pro Max.
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I wasn't ignoring iPhone Air target audience's needs/preferences because I wasn't commenting about their needs/preferences. Clearly if you prioritize the lightest, thinnest phone possible - from Apple - then iPhone Air is the best option. Obviously.
 
If the next Air can get an extra camera I'd consider an upgrade from my 17. I had an S25 Plus before which was perfect for screen size. The 17 is ok but I do miss the little bit extra screen real-estate and the PM is a non starter for me at 6.9" as that's just too big. 6.5" is the goldilocks screen size for me.
 
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