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Apple is Struggling to Integrate Touch ID Under the iPhone 8's Display

Pretty sure Samsung will beat them to market on this one (likely S9). Since Samsung is the one actually engineering and building the components, and Apple just "arranges" them.

BTW, The S8 buttonless home button feels really nice, way better that Craptic Touch™ on the iPhone.
 
Actually, IMHO, I think the back side is the perfect place for the Touch-ID sensor, I'd even prefer that it be back there. The perfect spot is where the Apple logo currently resides. My index finger lands there perfectly every time I'm using my phone, and since my finger is already there, it would actually be more convenient than having the sensor at the current location on the home button (or integrated into the screen).

Since Apple places the camera on the back corner of the phone, having the ID sensor on the back in the middle would not interfere with the camera lens. The Apple logo can be moved anywhere since it's not important to any actual functions. I think integrating the sensor into the screen is a waste of engineering effort.

Apple should also name this phone "iPhone Edition" and not bring out version "8" this year, that way they can "divorce" Shamesung from co-opting the iPhone naming scheme. (7s vs s7, 8s vs s8, etc.)
 
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1Zach1 said:
Wouldn't Apple really be pushing a production timeline to not already have a finalized and functioning design and implementation plan in place?
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That's what I was thinking as well.
This is all BS if you ask me!
 
This article doesn't mention the time frame for when the analyst's research note was written. Was it last week? Last month? Last year? We've heard rumors about Apple incorporating the Touch ID under the screen for awhile now, so I'm feeling ambivalent about this.
 
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timborama said:
Pretty sure Samsung will beat them to market on this one (likely S9). Since Samsung is the one actually engineering and building the components, and Apple just "arranges" them.

BTW, The S8 buttonless home button feels really nice, way better that Craptic Touch™ on the iPhone.
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You keep thinking that ;) by the way enjoy smudging your camera lense because of the stupid place they have put the fingerprint reader, right next to the camera :rolleyes:
 
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Erm The problem I have with all these analysts is that in order to justify their existence and their huge wages they have to keep moaning about how this can not be done or this will be late etc. Then they are (more often that not) proven wrong so they just change their stance a little and keep complaining.
I doubt that the 'iPhone 8' will be delayed. I doubt that Apple would have decided to move touch id to underneath the front display unless they knew or were certain that they could do it in large enough numbers.
After all they have held a patent for this for a while now and I doubt that they would only just have started to experiment to see if they could do it.
I mean, when the WSJ rumoured that Apple were going to release two iPhones in different sizes (iPhone 6 and 6+) the analysts shouted NO! they all said it would not happen and cited 'supply chain' sources etc. They said that because there was a lack of evidence from parts leak that it was even more proof. Well where are they now? Are they still sticking to that claim? let us not forget about touch id and how these same analysts cited 'sources' that stated it was impossible to implement finger print scanner on the iPhone.
Well what is touch id then? Scotch Mist?
 
zorinlynx said:
What's wrong with the current Touch ID design? It works so well that I can't think of any reason to mess with it.
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Lol, not sure if serious???

Are you seriously the one & only person on this site unaware of the "edge to edge" screen rumor???

Bizarre. That seems as "known" as the Note 7 fires... like I literally cannot wrap my head around your confusion.
If you seriously did just crawl from under a rock, where you've been hiding for the better part of a year - and your 1st action, upon waking from your coma or whatever, was to stumble to MacRumors in a stupor to pose your question, in genuine confusion.... fine; I'll answer:
"Well, you see sir- the goal w/ this iPhone is to have nothing but simply a screen on the face of the phone. The challenge is in the fact that the TouchID, which works so well, is a part of the enormous bezel that they are working to eliminate. Thus, integration of a system that works as well as current TouchID, but lives beneath the screen, becomes necessary".

I hope that clears things up for you!
 
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im confused.

This will be called the iphone 8? but arnt they releasing the 7S at the same time? so what is the "sequel" to the 7S going to be? the 9? as the next phone after the 8 is the 8S...

ive heard the i8/anniversary edition will be 1000 dollars and be in limited supply so it might be 2 months later or longer like the 7 plus was at launch.

apple surely cant bodge this up with the touch id screen, isnt this supposed to be the 10 year anniversary model?

they cant really release it next year and say we have finally got it right a year later...
 
mytdave said:
Actually, IMHO, I think the back side is the perfect place for the Touch-ID sensor, I'd even prefer that it be back there. The perfect spot is where the Apple logo currently resides. My index finger lands there perfectly every time I'm using my phone, and since my finger is already there, it would actually be more convenient than having the sensor at the current location on the home button (or integrated into the screen).
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What about when it's lying on a desk? Or sitting upright in a dock?

The user always has to look at the screen, ergo the most convenient place to have it is facing the user. If you have to turn the device over to switch the phone on or to hit a sensor you cannot see it's a UX failure because it's adding an extra step in the natural user method.

If it is more convenient to have buttons on the back then why not add all of them there? Including all the screen button prompts? The sensor is mostly virtual now anyway so the mechanics are more similar to a virtual button than a real one.

You wouldn't because buttons of any kind, even those that have tactile interfaces, work best when you can see them. The only time a button that's hidden from view works (control sticks, levers etc) is when your hand never moves from the same position for the duration of the activity. That's not the case with a phone that requires constant facing input.
 
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It's like the airpods all over again. If they push this phone onto next year just because apple refuses to outsource this function via a third party, I might just switch over to a Samsung out of spite.

The concept is great, but I'm sure issues will still arise from having the fingerprint ID sensor underneath glass. What happens if the glass gets cracked? How do you get into your phone then?

IMO, do away with the touch ID all together and bring it back to the passcode only, problem solved and gives them time to work out the kinds and come out with a better, more upgraded version in 2018.
 
Dave245 said:
You keep thinking that ;) by the way enjoy smudging your camera lense because of the stupid place they have put the fingerprint reader, right next to the camera :rolleyes:
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I'm sure after a while people will get used to where it is..will see though

Either way I would personally use the iris or facial scanning if I had one
 
I won't doubt Apple but this is truly not very encouraging if they're still "struggling" with such a key element this late in the design process and engineering process.
 
The Game 161 said:
I'm sure after a while people will get used to where it is..will see though

Either way I would personally use the iris or facial scanning if I had one
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I think that's a rumour if the iPhone 8 as well a facial scanning and 3D sensing but we will see. I get what your saying, my reply was more towards the tone of the person I was responding to.
 
Dave245 said:
I think that's a rumour if the iPhone 8 as well a facial scanning and 3D sensing but we will see. I get what your saying, my reply was more towards the tone of the person I was responding to.
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Yeah I know :) sadly on here not everybody can appreciate both brands. Some just like to knock others when it's not needed
 
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hawkeye_a said:
Does anyone *really* care about this? Is there something "bad" about the current implementation of TouchID? And is there something all that great in integrating it into the display?

This "feature" really sounds like a "cool engineering proof-of-concept", with little marketable value. IMHO (ie, with all the effort, time and money spent on this, will average consumers actually be "wowed"?)
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Ummm... really? The benefit is so obvious and widely discussed that I can't believe that you don't actually know it. You're just conveniently ignoring it to make some sort of point. But I'll spell it out. There is no way that Apple can reduce the top or bottom bezel (because they will always be symmetrical) without doing this (or putting touch ID on the back). I'm assuming you've seen the Galaxy S8? I just saw one in person this morning for the first time. It's quite beautiful how large the display is. And the bottom portion of the display also doubles as the home/back buttons (appearance changes on context but you can always press there to achieve desired actions). If Apple is able to integrate the two they would presumably be able to have a 5.8" screen in the same size as the iPhone 7 (which is exactly what the Galaxy S8 is).
 
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Iphone being stubbon, huh? I hope they dont resort to being delayed or recycle the design.
 
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