Same here. Sure if they had the camera somehow hidden within the display that would be great, but for me, I can really only compare the notch to what came before the notch which was a larger bezel that included the camera. When they added the notch I don't see them so much adding a notch as much as adding more display (used for the menu bar).
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Face ID for Mac Remains Distant Despite Years of Rumors
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You know what’s actually not more convenient?
When my fingertips are rough and damaged (change in seasons usually contributes) and the Touch ID sensor can’t get a good read even after multiple tries and finger shifts.
That’s when I particularly miss the seamlessness of Face ID from my iPhone or iPad.
Yeah, you’d need the equivalent of the power button double press on the iPhone/iPad.
Yeah overall I prefer Touch ID for pretty much all devices because of the granular control, among other reasons. I would gladly take a side button sensor on the iPhone, although the island doesn't really bother me. I would also take under screen Touch ID, which would have advantages of its own, but one possible disadvantage being unable to unlock by feel (in pocket before or as I'm lifting up the phone).
These are the reasons why people want Tim pushed out the door. It’s just laziness on Apple’s part.
🥱 Apple could do it tomorrow if they wanted to invest the R and D to do so. The reality is people still buy Macs and there’s unlikely to be an uptick in sales if they did so they don’t invest. It’s lazy and shouldn’t be excused.
And the notch. The reason it’s so large is because it’s essentially the same unit (webcam, LED, microphone) as what was used when MacBooks had a large top bezel. And of course there was no requirement for this to be compact when you had all that space.
When they moved to the current design they just put a cut out around it and of course because it now sits into the screen it’s now oversized. You don’t need to ‘smoosh’ an LED to require that much space around it. And why can’t it be in software anyway?
At the bear minimum Apple should redesign the camera unit to have a thin microphone that sits into the bezel (like an iPhone) and any notch should be the size of a webcam lens. They should have had this from day one really but here we are.
The writing has been on the wall for a couple of years with how the interface has been changing. More spacing around controls, larger click targets, etc.
I prefer the "intention" of Touch ID on Mac. I don't want things like Locked Safari windows unlocking with a glance.
Maybe they can offer both... why remove the Touch ID sensor? Just give users the choice how each app unlocks.
Then I guess move the entire top row of the keyboard next to the touchpad as many of those buttons are used far more often than the touch ID button.
It seems like we have to forget about this. It may be even more complex task than to invent a calculator app for the iPad.
I think it’s because the lid is so thin on a MacBook. A camera requires some depth. Right now, would you prefer the lid of the MacBook to be quite a bit thicker? Also, Gurman did say a year after the initial thought that it appeared that Apple couldn’t make it happen on MacBooks with the current technology. I think we all thought that notch was hideous and therefore a FaceID sensor must be coming, but in reality if they don’t do it to the MacBook and they want MacBooks to be thinner what would the point be? I know the notch is stupid and that’s design language to ensure everyone knows it’s a MacBook when they’re in a coffee shop or watching in a movie, and in movies/TV they often conceal the Apple logo. So, with the design-notch everyone knows it’s a MacBook. Terrible consideration for users but Apple cares far more about the short-term profits to ensure Tim Crook gets his payday and shareholders remain happy. So many decisions are about greed and wanting power. Opposite of Steve Jobs who didn’t care what the shareholders wanted. Tim is too far the opposite direction and he really doesn’t understand products or user experience just currency and stock prices and free options annually.
I don't think I'd want my Mac to just unlock whenever I look at it. Touch ID actually seems more of a fit for the MacBook.
Ever compared the thickness of an iPhone to the thickness of a laptop’s screen?
I'm genuinely surprised this isn't already a thing considering how apple basically pioneered faceid as we know it.
My work issued windows based laptop supports "windows hello" which is face unlock when used with a windows hello compatable webcam.
i believe it uses IR for depth rather than a dot projection like apple does; but it works 🤷♂️
On a windows pc with face unlock you need to swipe away the lock screen even if it's already unlocked it (a bit annoying tbh) but it's not any differernt than face unlock on a iphone; so the scenario above never happens.
My work issued windows based laptop supports "windows hello" which is face unlock when used with a windows hello compatable webcam.
i believe it uses IR for depth rather than a dot projection like apple does; but it works 🤷♂️
On a windows pc with face unlock you need to swipe away the lock screen even if it's already unlocked it (a bit annoying tbh) but it's not any differernt than face unlock on a iphone; so the scenario above never happens.
Which would make the laptop more expensive to produce and the extra material would not only make it heavier and thicker, but TOP heavy. I would agree that it would be easy to make an ungainly, top heavy, heavier than it needs to be laptop.
My prediction is that this will never happen because:
1. Apple Watch already unlocks a mac without touching it.
2. FaceID was intended to replace TouchID on iPhone so that they could increase the screen real estate and have a full-screen iphone. Putting it on a Mac would take up more real estate and increase the size of the existing notch, having the opposite effect.
3. FaceID module is thicker than a Macbook screen. Would require significant development to make something that does the same thing as TouchID and apple watch.
4. FaceID can't work on Mac Studio/Mini/Pro and they will still need TouchID built into a keyboard, so Apple is just duplicating a solve to a problem they've already solved.
1. Apple Watch already unlocks a mac without touching it.
2. FaceID was intended to replace TouchID on iPhone so that they could increase the screen real estate and have a full-screen iphone. Putting it on a Mac would take up more real estate and increase the size of the existing notch, having the opposite effect.
3. FaceID module is thicker than a Macbook screen. Would require significant development to make something that does the same thing as TouchID and apple watch.
4. FaceID can't work on Mac Studio/Mini/Pro and they will still need TouchID built into a keyboard, so Apple is just duplicating a solve to a problem they've already solved.
Macs already have the "Unlock with Apple Watch" feature and some even have Touch ID conveniently on the keyboard, so it would not make sense for Face ID to be on Mac, especially for desktop users.
That is actually a good argument against having FaceID on a PC. It makes it too easy to unlock the computer accidentally when you aren’t using it, and if you aren’t using it, there’s a real possibility that your hands wouldn’t be close enough to the keyboard and mouse to lock it back down before the person next to you sees the sensitive information on the screen. I have to cover up my Windows Hello PC’s camera when using it in a public location for this very reason.
The writing has been on the wall since 2010, with the nonstop iOS-ification of macOS. It’s coming any decade now, I swear.
/s
They could definitely add it to the iMac without much issue, but the Face ID hardware as it currently stands is thicker than the screen on any of the MacBooks. So unless (until) Apple is able to drastically reduce the thickness of the Face ID module we won’t by setting it on MacBooks anytime soon.
I find this to be completely not true, in my case and I imagine many others.
In fact, I'm finding this statement to be completely detached from reality and bass ackwards.
My hand isn't on the keyboard when I've clicked on "LOGIN" or some other similar situation, it is on the mouse!
Website design is all over the place, but especially with the separate screens for username and password being so common these days, the following is par for the course:
1) Click LOG IN
2) Move hand over to touch the TOUCH ID button for the username
3) Move hand back to the mouse to click OK
4) Move hand back to the TOUCH ID button for the password
5) Move hand back to the mouse to click OK
-----
6) Turn off TOUCH ID because it is such a nuisance
What about the Finder...? Well, when I have to authenticate something, my hand generally is also NOT on the keyboard, it is was on the mouse clicking or dragging or whatever it was I was doing that now needs authentication. So I have to shift over to the TOUCH ID button again.
You know what is true 100% of those times, though? I'm facing the freaking screen! I wouldn't have to do ANYTHING for FACE ID to work.
I don't have to swipe to unlock mine. Open the lid or press a key to turn on the screen and it unlocks to desktop right away. That must be something that's setup on your pc.
Of course it’s years away. If they added Face ID to Macs right now, display would be too thick and notebooks becomes uncomfortable to carry around.
It’ll be couple more years before Apple manages to make FaceID ultra thin that it would fit MacBook’s display without sacrificing the thickness.