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's AuthenTec Acquisition Left Nexus 6 Without a Fingerprint Sensor
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I think it's a reasonable compromise if you don't want to make an already large phone even larger or shrink the screen size. That is, if they put it on the front, the phone would likely need to be taller, or the screen shorter.
It seemed possible to me. After all, Motorola did introduce fingerprint scanner in their atrix phone before apple.
Probably they planned to built it in first moto x, which implies that if moto x have a finger print scanner, moto x 2014 would have and the nexus 6 would also follow suite. that's probably the reasoning, rather than design for years
Probably they planned to built it in first moto x, which implies that if moto x have a finger print scanner, moto x 2014 would have and the nexus 6 would also follow suite. that's probably the reasoning, rather than design for years
It would be a decent feature if only it was possible to set an amout of time for "Require Passcode" when using Touch ID. It boggles my mind how a company can create such a great hardware feature and then totally screw it up with one tiny software option. Another example of Apple's software lagging behind.
http://danstillman.com/2013/09/30/touch-id-and-require-passcode-immediately
This might explain why finger print scanners haven't been seen in every phone released since the 5S.
Say what you like about companies copying other companies, but normally when Apple releases something it influences the market.
Say what you like about companies copying other companies, but normally when Apple releases something it influences the market.
Welcome to the internet, paid for by clicks
"To poach" also means to appropriate for one's self, or to attract away from competitors.
Every other company had been sharing Authentec as a source for fingerprint sensors for many years. Such sensors were all the rage on PDAs around 2000. Heck, the world's first retina-screen (312 PPI) smartphone, the 2007 Toshiba G900, had a fingerprint sensor that could be used for unlocking, scrolling and even launching different apps per finger.
Apple, on the other hand, seems to dislike level playing fields. They would rather be the only one with access to the latest and greatest tech.
So they have bought previously shared technology sources, like Authentec, and locked others down with exclusives, as they did with GTAT and LiquidMetal (which Samsung had been using since 2002).
I think such actions could be described as "poaching". But yes, I agree it's a loaded word.
I think that perhaps Apple thought that the current arrangement is the most secure. After all, it doesn't take too long use the TouchID. Even just using the passcode lock on my 4S I set 'Require password' to 'Immediately' so that nobody can pick up my phone and mess with it, but that's just me. I use my phone in part for work, and my employer would not be amused if there was a security breach. People get fired for that kind of thing.
OK - behind whom?
There's no way you'd put a fingerprint sensor on the back of a phone. Who'd want to turn their phone over every time you want to use it? You could fumble for it on the back while still looking at the screen but that seems very unlikely. It might very well be true that Apple's purchase of the company is the reason Nexus doesn't have a fingerprint scanner but saying that dimple on the back of the case is in any way related to that fact is just stupid.
And I have to agree with him. Apple obviously wasn't the first one to introduce these things into their products, but they were the first one to do it right and make the user not have to think about it. I have one on my Dell laptop from years ago, and it is at the very bottom right of the bezel and something you'd probably never notice most of the time because it doesn't stick out at all, and you wouldn't have a need for anything at that side of the screen where it is.
People obviously like the move away from hardware keys in these devices, but doing that has caused this problem in where they don't have a place to put this technology and so they have to look for other ways that don't depend on them.
It's amazing how everyone knew this technology was going to come sooner or later, and now they're in a position where they have to either try and stick it within the screens, or hide it within reach on the back.
No, the majority of people would not have used the feature if it was on the back. A few would try of course, but they'd end up going back to just using a passcode or just waking the phone and swiping sooner or later. It just adds an additional step that is unnecessary.
I think with your use of multiple negatives you are saying the opposite of what you intended.
I was reading that the atrix actually used an authentec fingerprint sensor, not sure if true.
Some people are also saying their authentic equipped windows devices do not have drivers for windows 8.1 because they apparently stopped supporting them after the apple purchase
----------
why would you have to look at it to use it? the index finger naturally goes to the dimple, if you have held a moto phone before
Poaching is a commonplace term for companies hiring valuable employees, assets, away from their competitors. Usually in the context that the employee is already working for said competitor.
This term applies here too. That if two companies are eyeing a merger with the same startup, poaching is taking or denying resources or assets from your competitors.
One word to you: Overreaction
Is there any company that LIKES/wants a "level playing field"? Spoiler alert: the answer is no.
A business model where everyone is equal is not a business model.
A business model where everyone is equal is not a business model.
I knew it! I always thought the dimples on the Moto X, Moto X 2014, and Nexus 6 to be a natural fit for a fingerprint sensor -- something you can rest your index finger on while look at the phone. Great move by Apple!
Some vendors use dimples and other features to encourage people to hold the phone in a way that's less likely to cause the antenna system to detune, which can slow data and cause calls to drop.
It's not stupid. The dimple on the back of the Moto X's and Nexus 6 are very easy to find without looking at it; seriously, you would need to be drunk to miss it. It's not a flush surface; it's a dimple.
maybe not, but once you use it! you wont want to go back to any other thing better than that
. its awesomeAgreed. No business plays on a level playing field. Plenty of other companies buy others out for patents, technology, services.
The irony is that you can be "banned" from Macrumors for a misheard sneeze while posting something. ("what'd you just say to me?")
They like to use prevocational and confrontational phrasing but then police the crap out of the users who do the same. Lead by example MR...
Yeah, I know... it was late.
----------
Could you take a photo of your 6S? I'm very curious to see what it looks like.
No. Tim Cook only gives them out to people who make dumb typos on Macrumors. We're a very exclusive crowd.
----------
That's sort of my point. Once you have it (at least for me) it becomes an very important feature and part of the buying decision. I won't own another phone that doesn't have a fingerprint sensor. Maybe that's why it's downplayed to such a degree in the Android world. They just don't know what it's like. For me, there's no going back. I love it.
I think it's strange that you interpret Apple's strategy for buying companies in terms of denying other companies the use of technologies. You say "[Apple] seems to dislike level playing fields", as if other companies are egalitarian and friendly. Every company wants an advantage; that's business. Not every company has the cash or the foresight to take advantage of opportunities.
But I don't think that's Apple's main goal. Apple likes controlling the hardware mainly so they can optimize it for their own needs, whether that be a need for their devices, or a software need. Buying GTAT was because they needed someone who could produce sapphire to fit their specific needs (turned out GTAT was a sham though!). Chip designer Intrinsity, with their custom design tools, was bought so that Apple could design their own Ax series chips. And I assume that buying Authentec enabled them to integrate with their devices and security mechanism more effectively.
Sure, there's a competitive advantage in locking up valuable technology, but that is a secondary benefit. They have the cash reserves, so they'd be foolish not to. And it's not like Apple is some uniquely disruptive force in the industry on that front.
Last edited: