Apple Executives Address Lack of Face ID and Touchscreens on Macs

[James Godfrey]

Everyone saying Face ID doesn’t work from arms length, it does, and very well I might add.

Face ID is perfectly possible on the Mac…

A better explanation could have simply have been…

‘Although we would love to bring Face ID to the Mac, at this present time the MacBook Pro’s lid is just to thin to incorporate it’

That would been a fine and acceptable explanation.

 

[davidako]

My problem with the 12” iPad Pro was the screen was so nice I didn’t want to smudge it with my fingers. MBP without the need to touch improves on that.

 

[Felix01]

@“We haven't really felt a reason to change that," John Ternus, Apple's senior vice president of hardware engineering, told me.”

Jerk! How about your paying customers are asking for it?

 

[eoblaed]

FaceID becomes less seamless when you’re talking about using it on a laptop, because it wouldn’t just be looking at the screen to get it to unlock or buy or access whatever you are wanting to do. You would have to touch some key or combination of keys to start the process, then just like on the iPhone and iPad Pro’s, you would then need to hit some key once or twice (twice if it were like the iPhone / iPad Pr) to finish the process.

The only time it might be a seamless single process is opening the screen the first time after it has been in sleep mode.

That's not the experience I currently have with TouchID on my MBP. An authentication situation comes up, all I have to do is reach over and place my finger on the sensor ... there's no other physical interaction required on my part for that authentication. FaceID would be the same as it is on the phone, I imagine. Something that requires me authentication occurs, I see a very brief 'FaceID' style notification which goes away almost instantly, and the thing has been authenticated. No need for having to touch a key/keys to start a TouchID or FaceID process.

 

[wigby]

"more convenient on a laptop since your hands are already on the keyboard"

as if your face is anywhere but in front of the screen when you are using said laptop...

what a dumb excuse - plus if you are right handed your hand is likely on the mouse or trackpad when a Face ID prompt shows up, so it's actually less convenient to lift the hand and use the touch sensor.

Some people don't close their laptop lids so do you really want the laptop constantly scanning for faces trying to unlock the screen? And you would have to push a button anyway using Face ID when making purchases or unlocking something on your laptop just like you have to push a button on iPhone and iPad. There is no clear winner here.

 

[sideshowuniqueuser]

I use Windows Hello face ID on my laptop and it is perfectly useful in all circumstances and not a bit awkward.

Maybe it's little design decisions like this that have propelled MS to the number one richest company in the world.

 

[sideshowuniqueuser]

I'm really glad there's no Face ID. At least with Touch ID, if a criminal wants to steal your laptop, they only need to cut off your finger, but with Face ID, you'd risk getting your head cut off instead. That's why I always use my little finger for Touch ID.

 

[darngooddesign]

@“We haven't really felt a reason to change that," John Ternus, Apple's senior vice president of hardware engineering, told me.”

Jerk! How about your paying customers are asking for it?

Just the iPhone 13’s Face ID components are twice as thick as the entire MBP display assembly so until Apple can eliminated 2/3 of the thickness to allow for glass and metal in either side of the array, or double the thickness of the lid, it’s not coming to the Mac.

 

[wbeasley]

Not including FaceID seems like a missed opportunity and expect it will come sometime...

But touchscreens... I have two Windows laptops and never use it. Makes the screen dirty if you do use it.
Mouse is fine. Windows buttons and menu options still dont work that well for touch.

Some day they might crack it but I have yet to hear anyone at work whinge they can't touch their screen.
First World "Problem"?

 

[Philip_S]

The faceID on phones saves space and lets them shrink the bezel without needing a sensor on the edge or back. On the Mac it doesn’t have that advantage and the positive engagement needed for sudo (equivalent to the double-tap on the lock button) would reduce the convenience benefit of Face ID on the Mac versus Touch ID, especially since it needs to be something that can’t be generated programmatically by the accessibility tools or whatever.

 

[sshambles]

Its literally on the top-right corner.

Thank you Captain ??‍✈️

 

[MiloCody]

Everyone saying Face ID doesn’t work from arms length, it does, and very well I might add.

Face ID is perfectly possible on the Mac…

A better explanation could have simply have been…

‘Although we would love to bring Face ID to the Mac, at this present time the MacBook Pro’s lid is just to thin to incorporate it’

That would been a fine and acceptable explanation.

they don't do fine and acceptable.

 

[code-m]

But doesn’t that you still touching the iPad to open it? Why make two ways to get into a device when one works flawlessly. (FaceID is not flawless, in fact, annoying at times).
Just because there’s a notch doesn’t mean FaceID makes sense.

Incorrect I swipe up on the trackpad and takes me to the Home Screen, it’s seamless and fast. Unlike TouchID where I have to reach to unlock.

 

[code-m]

they don't do fine and acceptable.

Not sure what stretch Armstrong limbs the complainers have but hey you don’t see a T-Rex complaining ?

 

[tomtad]

"more convenient on a laptop since your hands are already on the keyboard"

as if your face is anywhere but in front of the screen when you are using said laptop...

what a dumb excuse - plus if you are right handed your hand is likely on the mouse or trackpad when a Face ID prompt shows up, so it's actually less convenient to lift the hand and use the touch sensor.

This.

The real reason is they don't want to added cost of Face ID on Macs which would likely have to be reengineered to fit in the slimmer screens on MacBooks. There's s fingerprint reader on the keyboard and people seem happy enough.

That is the reason.

 

[Lcgiv]

“Touch ID is more convenient on the Mac since users' hands are already on the keyboard.”

And my iPhone just levitates up to point at my face to unlock…

 

[1madman1]

Don't really care about Face ID one way or another. I do *not* want a touchscreen though - on ANY laptop, PC or Mac. They can stay on those iPad toy things.

 

[code-m]

This.

The real reason is they don't want to added cost of Face ID on Macs which would likely have to be reengineered to fit in the slimmer screens on MacBooks. There's s fingerprint reader on the keyboard and people seem happy enough.

That is the reason.

FaceID will arrive sooner rather than later there is no point making up excuses or trying to justify Apple’s present corporate talk. You really believe Apple is going to include that now when it can add it later to encourage a future upgrade or purchase. Not the first time Apple has done this.

 

[Born Again]

It’s simple - sell more MacBooks with faceID. Revolutionary!!!!

 

[darngooddesign]

“Touch ID is more convenient on the Mac since users' hands are already on the keyboard.”

And my iPhone just levitates up to point at my face to unlock…

I mean, do you hold the iPhone the same way you do a MacBook.

 

[psingh01]

They need features to offer in the future beyond just a faster processor.

 

[CosmoCopus]

“Addressing why the Mac lacks Face ID, Tom Boger, Apple's vice president of iPad and Mac product marketing, told Stern that Touch IDis more convenient on the Mac since users' hands are already on the keyboard.”

That excuse sounds like something Jen Psaki would say. lol

 

[sdf]

But the Touch ID is not near where your hands are you always have to move it up right to use it, faceid would be better and give us touch screen we want it

Register your pinky and it's no harder than hitting the delete key, and if you're anything like me you hit delete a lot. That said, I'd love FaceID on my Mac.

 

[germinator]

The only authentication method I want on my computer (and iPhone) is a password. It's the most secure and I can't be forced to login against my will, nor can it be defeated easily. I have no use for FaceID.

I immediately disabled touchscreen on my Windows work laptop.

The notch on the other hand is terrible. A permanent black blob that jumps out at you all the time when playing a video. This is worse than the touchbar, by a mile.

THE NOTCH HAS TO GO. From the MacBook Pro, from the Mac, from the iPhone.

 

[scuac]

The new MacBook Pros brought back many features enjoyed by Mac users that were taken away during the laptop's redesign in 2016. Most notably, Apple has brought back additional ports such as HDMI and MagSafe, removed the Touch Bar, improved the displays, and more.

I just got my 13" Macbook Pro M1, first time ever seeing the infamous touchbar in person, and I am loving it. Honestly cannot for the life of me figure out what people hate so much about, it is super practical with relevant shortcuts for the program you are using. What is it about it that people don't like exactly?