I just type in my password. It isn’t that hard.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple Executives Address Lack of Face ID and Touchscreens on Macs
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
After tons of iPads bought and after many laptops bought as well, I find that I am ok without a touchscreen MacBook Pro. BUT how about you let me at least use the giant touchpad with an apple pencil ffs? that is all I'm wanting to be able to at least draw and/or write using my touchpad without using my finger but instead your expensive pencils!
I already keep a microfiber cloth on my desk to wipe the screen often. I don't need to be wiping fingerprints twice a day. Its also faster to use key commands to make actions happen vs touching the screen. I tried to love the bigger iPads but I find little to no use in them other than for someone who draws or writes with pen. iPad mini for life as portable pocket computer!
Obviously. The notch is wider than it needs to be for the current webcam array, but the correct size for the Face ID array. Apple doesn’t want to increase the notch size later.
I call BS on the statement ‘Touch ID is more convenient on a laptop since your hands are already on the keyboard.’
Because wouldn’t the same be true for the iPad/iPhone line up, or does no one hold their iPads or iPhones any more???
If they truly believed this statement Face ID would never have existed.
It’s just simply a feature left out for a future iteration, as let’s be honest, they have pretty much thrown everything at these new Macs and there isn’t a great amount which would encourage an upgrade for anyone who has bought one for at least the next 5 years.
Because wouldn’t the same be true for the iPad/iPhone line up, or does no one hold their iPads or iPhones any more???
If they truly believed this statement Face ID would never have existed.
It’s just simply a feature left out for a future iteration, as let’s be honest, they have pretty much thrown everything at these new Macs and there isn’t a great amount which would encourage an upgrade for anyone who has bought one for at least the next 5 years.
This is marketing speak as silly as saying the true cost of a 3.5 trillion expense will be free.
I use an a iPad Pro with keyboard as a computer and FaceID on a computer is bliss. It’s amazing. It’s way better than TouchID. Here is hoping it’s on the next one.
I use an a iPad Pro with keyboard as a computer and FaceID on a computer is bliss. It’s amazing. It’s way better than TouchID. Here is hoping it’s on the next one.
you're right - but at least let the iPad pro's output to a monitor and fully maximize the power (like how Samsung's DeX) is. All that power inside an iPad Pro and it's just another garbage scaled up iOS device. I stopped using my 2021 ipp 12.9 because after getting this 14" I no longer care to use it because it's just still so gimped as computer.
There is a little problem.. I never open the lid at the desk. And when I use the built in screen, it's in various weird angles faceid would never work. That would be a chinid or a chestid.
Everyone continues to ignore the obvious when whining about the lack of Face ID....
The Mac is TOO FAR away from your face to work... I mean, just try an iPad Pro at arms length and you'll see what I mean. You'll be prompted to move it closer.
Perhaps the current technology of FaceID is not (yet) suited to long distance accurate face scanning.
How much worse would it be if the Mac had faceID and you were constantly having to lean in forwards to get close enough a face scan...
Go on... try it at those distances on an iPad Pro.... you'll see why its not suitable.
Touch ID is perfectly fine for now.
The Mac is TOO FAR away from your face to work... I mean, just try an iPad Pro at arms length and you'll see what I mean. You'll be prompted to move it closer.
Perhaps the current technology of FaceID is not (yet) suited to long distance accurate face scanning.
How much worse would it be if the Mac had faceID and you were constantly having to lean in forwards to get close enough a face scan...
Go on... try it at those distances on an iPad Pro.... you'll see why its not suitable.
Touch ID is perfectly fine for now.
TouchID is great if you live in an area with humidity, it’s unreliable though anywhere you might have dry skin. I constantly have to re-setup mine but even then it only works a few weeks.
Phil Schiller said the similar things ABOUT THAT STUPID 5W CHARGING PLUG that comes with all iPhones prior to usb-c chargers. He said it's because our customers love how small and easy to travel with. I was ? so hard my wife thought I was in a seizure.
I love TouchBar. But your statement is very perceptive and well said …people say Apple doesn’t innovate. If you innovate their will be some failures…if you want no failures you want no innovation.
How about when you have the Mac hooked up to an external monitor and keyboard like I am doing now?
My hands are three feet away from the Mac keyboard, but the camera can still see me.
Is this inconceivable to Apple?
My hands are three feet away from the Mac keyboard, but the camera can still see me.
Is this inconceivable to Apple?
I have lots of Apple products but:
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal's Joanna Stern, a pair of Apple executives have addressed what is probably the most contentious and talked about features missing on the Mac - Face ID and touchscreen input.
One of the biggest criticisms of the Mac is the lack of Face ID. Since Face ID's launch on the iPhone X, some have wondered if Apple will ever bring it to the Mac. A report earlier in the year suggested it will happen in the future, but the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros with the notch, and the lack of Face ID, have brought the debate back to the mainstream.
Addressing why the Mac lacks Face ID, Tom Boger, Apple's vice president of iPad and Mac product marketing, told Stern that Touch ID is more convenient on the Mac since users' hands are already on the keyboard.
Touch ID on the upper-right hand corner of the keyboard lets users easily authenticate by just placing their finger on the sensor. Still, Face ID on the Mac would presumably be even easier, as the Mac would unlock once a user looks at the display, similar to Face ID's behavior on the iPhone and iPad.
Another hot topic of debate surrounding the Mac has been touchscreen capabilities. The notion has been that if Macs were to gain touch input, it would cannibalize iPad sales. John Ternus, Apple's senior vice president of hardware engineering, seemingly agrees and said that it's not something Apple has felt the need to do.
Ternus and Boger also addressed more specific questions about the newly launched 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros and Apple silicon in general. Recent MacBooks feature non-user upgradeable RAM, so the amount of RAM can't be upgraded down the line if a user finds they need extra memory than what shipped with the computer.
Both executives say that Apple silicon's "unified memory architecture" enables higher performance on Macs with Apple silicon, suggesting that similar performance levels would not be achievable without UMA.
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.
Speaking generally to the reversal of changes this year, Boger told Stern that Apple is always "listening to its customers," which meant it ultimately needed to undo some of its previous Mac design decisions.
In the full article, Stern also reviews the new MacBook Pros, applauding the return of more ports, full-size function keys, and more.
Article Link: Apple Executives Address Lack of Face ID and Touchscreens on Macs
1. Mac OS should merge in iPad OS because it makes no sense to have such powerful hardware to read emails
2. Mag Safe is gone and then back
3. Butterfly keyboard is gone
4. Still no monitor at reasonable price
5. Years to make Mac Pro is weird for such a big company
6. Why discontinue Time Capsule? Home Pod?
7. Why iCloud limited to 2 Tb?
8. Sorry but face rec. is cool and should work with all machines
I rest my case
Also, what about the common scenario of hooking up the Mac to an external monitor and keyboard like I am now. My hands are three feet away from the Mac keyboard, but my gorgeous face is right in the line of sight of the Mac camera.
You don't understand how faceID works.
There's a dot projector to map your face..... its not a purely camera based thing.
In these instances where their product managers make clarifying statements on the record, Apple likes to keep the answer short and simple and not go into any detail about the other, likely more real reasons. Something I miss about Jobs' presentations. He would often explain why things were or were not in a little more technical detail. And certainly with a lot more passion. These corporate, PR-type responses always make me cringe. They're rarely the whole story and are sometimes misleading.
That said, I don't think it's as simple as, "well your face is always in front of the display so it would be far easier than taking a moment to touch a specific button," as most people here argue. That argument is valid in certain scenarios for sure. I think the best example is instant authentication and unlock when opening the lid. Instant login to websites and apps might be another. What it doesn't address are payment and purchasing confirmations. With FaceID on the iPhone, there is a secondary action that has to occur (double pressing the home button) in order to prevent unintended purchases. In those situations, the Mac would need some sort of secondary action. I think Apple's viewpoint is that secondary authentication step is already there with the TouchID button, so why add another component into the mix (cost, software complexity, etc).
Not saying I necessarily agree with that, but my guess would be that's why they haven't. Or at least one of the reasons. There could be a technical reason, like not being able to fit the components in the lid. Or it could also just be a cost thing. I don't know.
The other thing it could be is Apple might not be ready or also unwilling to offer duel forms of authentication. Something I've been wanting and waiting for going back to the iPhone X. I'm hoping we'll eventually get there. There's always rumors that the iPhone one or two generations from now will add back TouchID. But, those rumors have thus far turned out to not be true. I really think multiple biometric authentication options makes sense from both a convenience perspective and a security perspective (something we know Apple is always happy to tout). But my guess is as of right now, it's either a cost thing, an implementation thing, or both.
But yeah, I'd bet money that some time down the road the reasoning they gave here will magically go away.
That said, I don't think it's as simple as, "well your face is always in front of the display so it would be far easier than taking a moment to touch a specific button," as most people here argue. That argument is valid in certain scenarios for sure. I think the best example is instant authentication and unlock when opening the lid. Instant login to websites and apps might be another. What it doesn't address are payment and purchasing confirmations. With FaceID on the iPhone, there is a secondary action that has to occur (double pressing the home button) in order to prevent unintended purchases. In those situations, the Mac would need some sort of secondary action. I think Apple's viewpoint is that secondary authentication step is already there with the TouchID button, so why add another component into the mix (cost, software complexity, etc).
Not saying I necessarily agree with that, but my guess would be that's why they haven't. Or at least one of the reasons. There could be a technical reason, like not being able to fit the components in the lid. Or it could also just be a cost thing. I don't know.
The other thing it could be is Apple might not be ready or also unwilling to offer duel forms of authentication. Something I've been wanting and waiting for going back to the iPhone X. I'm hoping we'll eventually get there. There's always rumors that the iPhone one or two generations from now will add back TouchID. But, those rumors have thus far turned out to not be true. I really think multiple biometric authentication options makes sense from both a convenience perspective and a security perspective (something we know Apple is always happy to tout). But my guess is as of right now, it's either a cost thing, an implementation thing, or both.
But yeah, I'd bet money that some time down the road the reasoning they gave here will magically go away.
I dont think that’s true. I set my iPhone against my laptop screen and it unlocked from even further than my normal arms length.
Have you not used FaceID yet? It works from arm's length. It works when the phone is sitting flat on the table in front of me. There would be no "bringing" of your face to the screen - it would just instantly work... because your face is always in front of the screen. It would be seamless and awesome.
In what way could it possibly be awkward?