Apple's AuthenTec Acquisition Left Nexus 6 Without a Fingerprint Sensor

[inkswamp]

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

The article says it's a big problem because Touch ID doesn't work consistently. That hasn't been my experience. I think Touch ID fails maybe once out of every 100 times I use it. A simple lift and drop of my finger fixes it. I can understand the complaint but I'm not sure I understand how this is an example of Apple "lagging behind."

 

[Chatter]

The article says it's a big problem because Touch ID doesn't work consistently. That hasn't been my experience. I think Touch ID fails maybe once out of every 100 times I use it. A simple lift and drop of my finger fixes it. I can understand the complaint but I'm not sure I understand how this is an example of Apple "lagging behind."

He is using an article from 2013 to show you how "behind" Apple is.

 

[wilhelmer]

OK - behind whom?

Behind themselves - the quality of their software is lagging behind the quality of their hardware.

 

[StyxMaker]

Why does MacRumors keep using words meant to provoke?

Apple BOUGHT a company, not POACHED it. Poaching is a term generally used for illegal activities like illegal hunting, killing or capturing of wild animals.

The Telegraph article linked makes no mention of poaching - it uses the word BOUGHT.

Way to go, MacRumors.... keep showing your anti-Apple bias.

When I read it I had an image of Apple lowering AuthenTech into a huge cauldron of boiling water.

 

[rdlink]

Way to go, Apple! Steal the technology BEFORE the other guy has it. Score one for them.

 

[tillsbury]

How's that going to work when your phone is in a case?

 

[gotluck]

Way to go, Apple! Steal the technology BEFORE the other guy has it. Score one for them.

moto atrix had an authentec sensor
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/Handsets/50317.php

 

[B4U]

About as odd as the sticky lollipop leaning against the new phone.

It shouldn't get sticky until you have licked it...

 

[KPandian1]

Pay to use a technology - then the field levels.

This kind of whining is "NOT" by Motorola - just our friendly rumors site!

IBM Laptop computers in 2001/2 had finger print unlocking - how relevant is that in the "poaching" head-line here.

Meanwhile, no Windows based laptop has been willing to pay Apple a royalty to use the MagSafe, now version two, on their laptops and even desktops and tablets! That would be a very friendly feature to all computers, and a license bought in bulk, with the price passed on to the consumer, will still be a sweet integration.

Apple has no problem sourcing video cards from AMD, NVidia, etc., so MSFT should have no issue making their consumers have these experiences.

May be we will see a MagSafe version of the Lightning AND thunder-bolt connections, soon. That will mean a straight forward drop in dock for even the iPhones of the future for both charging and full 8-pin connection.

Hey Tim, will you acknowledge my idea if you ever use it.

I want all Apple products to have some version of the MagSafe contact in all their repertoire!

Trying to be positive and progressive with ALL those available functioning tech-bits.

 

[dec.]

moto atrix had an authentec sensor
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/Handsets/50317.php

True, and almost everyone forgot that - including Motorola it seems -

http://www.forbes.com/sites/andygreenberg/2013/09/11/motorola-bashes-apples-iphone-fingerprint-reader-forgets-it-sold-one-first/

On topic - I wonder in how far the purchase of Authentec had a benefit on the advanced integration of the reader into the home button as opposed to the inconvenient swipe readers that were used in the Atrix for example.

 

[entropys]

The Nexus 6 "dimple" is the same as Motorola's other dimples.

What information do they have that proves that is where the sensor would be?

Exactly. They might have thought about putting a sensor in, wondered " where can we put it? I know, on the back where the Motorola dimple is. Eventually it could go on the same spot in other dimpled models!" Before discovering that the best option for the actual sensor was not as good as the 5s. The dimple existed before thoughts about fingerprint sensors.

 

[daijholt]

Competitors will downplay it no end, but buying the leader in fingerprint technology was the smartest move Apple has ever made. Not only did they secure the best tech for their devices, they secured it for apple pay. No matter what competitors come out with to rival Apple pay, it won't be nearly as seamless until another company can match authentic's advances in the technology, not to mention Apple's own evolution of it.

I kid you not, my company has fingerprint sensors for employees to log and out everyday, and they're not even nearly as reliable as TouchID on my iPhone 6. You get an idea of how impressive it is when you have something to compare it to everyday.

 

[MacModMachine]

Competitors will downplay it no end, but buying the leader in fingerprint technology was the smartest move Apple has ever made. Not only did they secure the best tech for their devices, they secured it for apple pay. No matter what competitors come out with to rival Apple pay, it won't be nearly as seamless until another company can match authentic's advances in the technology, not to mention Apple's own evolution of it.

I kid you not, my company has fingerprint sensors for employees to log and out everyday, and they're not even nearly as reliable as TouchID on my iPhone 6. You get an idea of how impressive it is when you have something to compare it to everyday.

the difference is the fingerprint readers that are used commercially are much more accurate than the crap apple dumps into the phones.

that phone sensor only looks for a few matching resemblances in a fingerprint where commercial ones look for exact matches in several patterns.

 

[Michael Goff]

Why does MacRumors keep using words meant to provoke?

Apple BOUGHT a company, not POACHED it. Poaching is a term generally used for illegal activities like illegal hunting, killing or capturing of wild animals.

The Telegraph article linked makes no mention of poaching - it uses the word BOUGHT.

Way to go, MacRumors.... keep showing your anti-Apple bias.

Are you serious?

 

[TimelessOne]

This kind of whining is "NOT" by Motorola - just our friendly rumors site!

IBM Laptop computers in 2001/2 had finger print unlocking - how relevant is that in the "poaching" head-line here.

Meanwhile, no Windows based laptop has been willing to pay Apple a royalty to use the MagSafe, now version two, on their laptops and even desktops and tablets! That would be a very friendly feature to all computers, and a license bought in bulk, with the price passed on to the consumer, will still be a sweet integration.

Apple has no problem sourcing video cards from AMD, NVidia, etc., so MSFT should have no issue making their consumers have these experiences.

May be we will see a MagSafe version of the Lightning AND thunder-bolt connections, soon. That will mean a straight forward drop in dock for even the iPhones of the future for both charging and full 8-pin connection.

Hey Tim, will you acknowledge my idea if you ever use it.

I want all Apple products to have some version of the MagSafe contact in all their repertoire!

Trying to be positive and progressive with ALL those available functioning tech-bits.

If you think Apple is really offering mag safe open to others you are deluded. Even if Apple is "offering" they are doing it at such a high cost that they know no one would even consider touching it. It is token offering knowing it is never going to be accepted.

Apple tends to deny others from having access to stuff as they struggle to win on a level playing field so they tend to cheat to make it unlevel.

 

[Swordylove]

Oh my.. fingerprint sensor dimple at the back of the phone... that was MY secret idea! They stole it from my mind!

 

[Keirasplace]

the difference is the fingerprint readers that are used commercially are much more accurate than the crap apple dumps into the phones.

that phone sensor only looks for a few matching resemblances in a fingerprint where commercial ones look for exact matches in several patterns.

I've actually used those... Actually even ones that scan the whole hand, and that's patently not true. You don't get 100% recognition AT ALL.

----------

If you think Apple is really offering mag safe open to others you are deluded. Even if Apple is "offering" they are doing it at such a high cost that they know no one would even consider touching it. It is token offering knowing it is never going to be accepted.

Apple tends to deny others from having access to stuff as they struggle to win on a level playing field so they tend to cheat to make it unlevel.

Huh! "cheat" by keeping a tech that offers a substantial USP to themselves... Wow! So, Google should just sell their algorythms to other then, keeping them all is just cheating.

----------

The article says it's a big problem because Touch ID doesn't work consistently. That hasn't been my experience. I think Touch ID fails maybe once out of every 100 times I use it. A simple lift and drop of my finger fixes it. I can understand the complaint but I'm not sure I understand how this is an example of Apple "lagging behind."

This article is also just after the release of the 5S, there were some software bugs initially that limited recognition and made the system forget prints in some cases (not everyone though). This was solved later on in IOS 7. Also, there were improvements made seemingly in the Iphone 6 + IOS 8 combination too.

Those things put together means this article is hopelessly out of date.

 

[ActionableMango]

but due to Apple's poaching of "the best supplier" for the technology and other suppliers not meeting quality expectations, Motorola decided to remove the feature before launch.

After trying to use the Samsung Galaxy Edge's fingerprint sensor, I assure you all that Samsung has no qualms using a fingerprint sensor supplier that does not meet quality expectations.

 

[TimelessOne]

Huh! "cheat" by keeping a tech that offers a substantial USP to themselves... Wow! So, Google should just sell their algorythms to other then, keeping them all is just cheating.

Examples of Apple "cheating" buying a supplier that sells to everyone the parts then taking them off the table for everyone forcing them to scramble to find new one if possible.
Total sells of the parts might even drop. They just want to remove it from others.

I would not of been surprised if they got ARM in hopes of cutting that tech off from others.
One thing to invent new item. It is another to take away an item or offer token that everyone can have it (just pay our overly prices fees)

 

[jont-fu]

Apple did a similar thing with the acquisition of C3 Technologies. Nokia was using their 3D mapping technology in Here maps already when Apple bought C3 and rebranded their technology as flyover in Apple Maps. Just a few months ago the 3D maps were removed from Nokia Here, as they were not getting any new mapping data and the old data was slowly becoming outdated.

 

[ipedro]

Apple should buy that company who manufacturs their A8 chip so that Samsung can't cop... oh wait.

 

[chocolaterabbit]

Examples of Apple "cheating" buying a supplier that sells to everyone the parts then taking them off the table for everyone forcing them to scramble to find new one if possible.
Total sells of the parts might even drop. They just want to remove it from others.

Newsflash: If you think this is cheating, then everyone cheats. A company does deciding who they want to supply to is not "cheating."

I would not of been surprised if they got ARM in hopes of cutting that tech off from others.

You know that ARM was founded by Apple right?

----------

Behind themselves - the quality of their software is lagging behind the quality of their hardware.

Making a security decision is not "lagging behind."

 

[SirCheese]

You know that ARM was founded by Apple right?

No...it wasn't.

Founding

The company was founded in November 1990 as Advanced RISC Machines Ltd and structured as a joint venture between Acorn Computers, Apple Computer (now Apple Inc.) and VLSI Technology.[22][23][24]

 

[Tech198]

oh... too bad..

Motorola and Apple, head to head in a ring.

They don't want to settle for second best ? Other phones have Touch ID... Crappy compared to Apple, but at least they did it.

 

[Glideslope]

Why does MacRumors keep using words meant to provoke?

Apple BOUGHT a company, not POACHED it. Poaching is a term generally used for illegal activities like illegal hunting, killing or capturing of wild animals.

The Telegraph article linked makes no mention of poaching - it uses the word BOUGHT.

Way to go, MacRumors.... keep showing your anti-Apple bias.

Precisely. Come on Arn. Let's get it together, eh?