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If the iPhone 5S has a fingerprint scanner, I won't buy it. Anyone else?

Does the fingerprint scanner concern you?

  • Total voters
    241
rocknblogger said:
This forum can be used as a case study in paranoia and misinformation. I'm blown away sometimes by the things I read on this forum where you would expect to find tech savvy users. Just wow!!!
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I wouldn't be so quick to assume the government will not track or gain access to your fingerprints. If they do it with it with license plates, it's really not so much of a stretch to believe they'll do it with fingerprints.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/license-plate-cameras-track-millions-of-americans/2013/07/17/40410cd0-ee47-11e2-bed3-b9b6fe264871_story.html

And also remember, the police nor government do not need a warrant to confiscate and search through the contents of your iPhone.

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cynics said:
First and most obvious is Apple has never added additional software to the "S" model.
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Siri
 
A fingerprint scanner does not seem like something Apple would do. They have stay away from these gimmicky features that Samsung and other Android OEMs have tried. Why try this now? It will not be of any security because all someone would have to do is pull your fingerprint off the touch screen. It seems just stupid and the face unlock, and some of those dump Samsung features that most people don't use. This just does not seem like something Apple would do.
 
bmac4 said:
A fingerprint scanner does not seem like something Apple would do. They have stay away from these gimmicky features that Samsung and other Android OEMs have tried. Why try this now? It will not be of any security because all someone would have to do is pull your fingerprint off the touch screen. It seems just stupid and the face unlock, and some of those dump Samsung features that most people don't use. This just does not seem like something Apple would do.
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Apple paid a lot of money for a company whose sole purpose was biometric security; do you really think they did that for no reason? Passwords are becoming obsolete; biometrics and smart tokens are the wave of the future. Far from being gimmicky, I see this as another positive step forward in the war on computer security.

Also, have you ever actually tried face unlock? It worked very well on my Nexus 4; though I agree that in the end it's somewhat gimmicky, that's not to say that it wasn't useful.

EDIT: Not so say, for the record, that I am at all convinced that the 5S is going to have a fingerprint scanner. I do not, however, see any reason why we will never see such a thing.
 
bmac4 said:
A fingerprint scanner does not seem like something Apple would do. They have stay away from these gimmicky features that Samsung and other Android OEMs have tried. Why try this now? It will not be of any security because all someone would have to do is pull your fingerprint off the touch screen. It seems just stupid and the face unlock, and some of those dump Samsung features that most people don't use. This just does not seem like something Apple would do.
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It has already been pointed out that they use capacitative scanners, not optical, so you can't just pull the print to fool it.

Still, I agree. It seems more likely that Apple will use any number of other things that Authentec does, aside from the fingerprint scanner. It's just not "Apple".
 
I'd love to have a fingerprint scanner. I hate entering my damn passcode 100 times a day because of a company policy.
 
Krov7 said:
With all the security concerns as of late, I would think twice about having the device I use most throughout my day having a fingerprint scanner. Even if apple didn't sell/give away the information as they might be required to, there is always the possibility of exploits and 3rd parties gaining unauthorized access to your fingerprints. Imagine what the implications of that could be?

Even if the ip5s has a 70mp camera A9 chip and prints money, I won't be getting it if it includes a fingerprint scanner (the option to turn it off wouldn't negate the possibility it could get in the wrong hands).
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Bet your one of the first to preorder it no matter what it has.
 
KenAFSPC said:
Give Apple a little more credit.

Apple will not store your fingerprint on the device, much less a server. Apple will use your fingerprint and other biometric data obtained from the sensor (such as skin density and vein patterns) in conjunction with information unique to your particular phone and/or iCloud account to create a password key -- the equivalent of a very, very, very long alphanumeric password.

Developers will not have direct, low-level access to the hardware to grab your fingerprint. However, developers should be able to call an Apple software routine that would generate a password key (I.e., a long number of 1s and 0s) based on the unique combination of your fingerprint, other biometric data, and the device hardware.

A fingerprint scanner, iOS keychain, and fingerprint functions for developers would:

  1. eliminate the long alphanumeric passwords currently required by government and corporate networks;

  2. provide secure authentication for mobile payments, including purchases from the Apple Store, as well as wireless payments made to vendors using near field communication or Bluetooth;

  3. simplify web login/password entry for the web, whereby a fingerprint scan would populate the user's login/password and personal information from a secure password store (IOS Keychain) in Safari;

  4. eliminate login/password entry for third-party iOS7 applications (e.g., your bank's IOS app), by allowing third-party developers to substitute fingerprints for passwords;

  5. provide seamless multi-user support, which would benefit home users, as well as corporations and governments, that share one device (e.g., iPad, future Macbooks) among multiple users.
A fingerprint sensor is key to (a) corporate and government customers and (b) mobile payments. Corporations and government agencies currently require 8-12 digit alphanumeric passwords to unlock a phone; a fingerprint reader would eliminate these passwords, if properly implemented. Mobile payments haven't taken off because of concerns over security; a fingerprint reader, or a pin combined with a fingerprint reader, would largely address those concerns.

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You've watched a few too many spy movies, or perhaps the episode of Mythbusters where they defeated 10-year-old fingerprint technology. The newest generations of fingerprint sensors detect and use additional biometric information, such as temperature, skin density, and vein patterns, to produce passwords that are the equivalent of alphanumeric passwords that are dozens of characters long.
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This ^… shouldnt have much to worry about at all
 
ZombiePete said:
Apple paid a lot of money for a company whose sole purpose was biometric security; do you really think they did that for no reason? Passwords are becoming obsolete; biometrics and smart tokens are the wave of the future. Far from being gimmicky, I see this as another positive step forward in the war on computer security.

Also, have you ever actually tried face unlock? It worked very well on my Nexus 4; though I agree that in the end it's somewhat gimmicky, that's not to say that it wasn't useful.

EDIT: Not so say, for the record, that I am at all convinced that the 5S is going to have a fingerprint scanner. I do not, however, see any reason why we will never see such a thing.
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Ok so Apple bought the company. That does. Not mean it is a good feature to have on the iPhone. How will that make the iPhone any better? Siri while not the greatest thing in the world did help make some thing easier. What does a fingerprint scanner do? It is pointless.

I thought the face unlock on my Galaxy Nexus was cool and fun for a while, and it did work, but really was just a gimmick. Just like using your fingerprint to unlock the phone. It is just as easy to type in a password.
 
kas23 said:
I wouldn't be so quick to assume the government will not track or gain access to your fingerprints. If they do it with it with license plates, it's really not so much of a stretch to believe they'll do it with fingerprints.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/busin...410cd0-ee47-11e2-bed3-b9b6fe264871_story.html

And also remember, the police nor government do not need a warrant to confiscate and search through the contents of your iPhone.

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Siri
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I'm sorry, I meant to say hardware to an S model not software.
 
kas23 said:
I wouldn't be so quick to assume the government will not track or gain access to your fingerprints. If they do it with it with license plates, it's really not so much of a stretch to believe they'll do it with fingerprints.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/busin...410cd0-ee47-11e2-bed3-b9b6fe264871_story.html

And also remember, the police nor government do not need a warrant to confiscate and search through the contents of your iPhone.
Click to expand...


The government does need a warrent to confiscate you phone unless it is aquired at a crime scene and the property is believed to be owned to a suspect and relevant to the investigation. However, if someone is engaged in illict activity, they're probably smart enough not to leave incriminating evidence on their phone. .
Edit: perhaps overestimating the intelligence of criminals.

The Supreme Court has ruled electronic survelance that invloves the physical breach of one's property or the confiscation of property does require a warrent. Again, crime scene evidence collection being the exception.

Also, apart from being able to unlock your iPhone 5s, how can your fingerprint be used against you currently? Sure, if your prints can be used as evidence in a criminal trial, but I can't imagine having your print stored on your iPhone make you more likely to be framed (i've never heard of a case where a person's fingerprints have been replicated and left at a crime scene).
 
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3rd Rock said:
Some additional information to read if interested.....

http://appleinsider.com/articles/13...ech-in-patent-filing-from-authentec-cofounder


PS: Regarding "Just because Apple paid a lot of money ($356,000.000.00) for this technology" remark. You think spending hundreds of millions of bucks just to have a company that one does not use is silly. Security has become one of the most badly needed technology now days
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Is this really a great security feature? I have a pretty good feeling that this want be as high tech as some of you think. Keeping people from getting into the phone will be no harder than it is right now. Like I said before this is just a feature Apple will add to get people excited about the phone. Like waving your hand over a screen to see the next picture, or having the phone see your face and unlock the screen. They were all kind of cool for a couple of hours, but after that just another smartphone feature you don't really use.

Have the PCs not tried this before? It seems there are only a handful of PC making that still use it, and I don't remember hearing anyone say " I am getting this computer because it has a fingerprint scanner on it". If you want to keep telling yourself this is the next big thing from Apple. Go right ahead, but if this is the big feature that the iPhone 5S has. All I can say is I am really glad I bought the 5.
 
3rd Rock said:
Some additional information to read if interested.....

http://appleinsider.com/articles/13...ech-in-patent-filing-from-authentec-cofounder


PS: Regarding "Just because Apple paid a lot of money ($356,000.000.00) for this technology" remark. You think spending hundreds of millions of bucks just to have a company that one does not use is silly. Security has become one of the most badly needed technology now days
Click to expand...

So how does this purchase translate to it being in the iPhone 5S and not future models?

More then likely to accommodate a scanner there will need to be a redesign of the housing wouldn't you say? Be it on the back or screen. An S model has yet to have a redesigned housing. And if it does would it be an S model at all or the 6? Why have a phone that shares little/nothing in common with the 5 be called the 5S?

I don't know if Apple will skip the 5S or not but I find it unlikely.
 
bmac4 said:
Is this really a great security feature? I have a pretty good feeling that this want be as high tech as some of you think. Keeping people from getting into the phone will be no harder than it is right now. Like I said before this is just a feature Apple will add to get people excited about the phone. Like waving your hand over a screen to see the next picture, or having the phone see your face and unlock the screen. They were all kind of cool for a couple of hours, but after that just another smartphone feature you don't really use.

Have the PCs not tried this before? It seems there are only a handful of PC making that still use it, and I don't remember hearing anyone say " I am getting this computer because it has a fingerprint scanner on it". If you want to keep telling yourself this is the next big thing from Apple. Go right ahead, but if this is the big feature that the iPhone 5S has. All I can say is I am really glad I bought the 5.
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True, but technology improves over time. Maybe Apple can swing it to work very well. Who knows. ;)

cynics said:
So how does this purchase translate to it being in the iPhone 5S and not future models?
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It does not. Just giving a link to read for those that want additional information as to a fingerprint reader. That's all. But it could someday. ;)
 
So I will put it this way. Had Samsung added this feature to the S4 all of you would be saying it was one of those gimmicky feature, but now that Apple is rumored to be doing. It will be the key feature to buy the 5S.
 
bmac4 said:
So I will put it this way. Had Samsung added this feature to the S4 all of you would be saying it was one of those gimmicky feature, but now that Apple is rumored to be doing. It will be the key feature to buy the 5S.
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It all depends on how it's implemented. Having said that, not having to constantly enter my passcode throughout the day may make it worth it for that reason alone. If it also always us more security over our financial transactions, then that would be awesome as well. We'll see what they do with it, but I would love to not have to worry about passwords and codes in the future. The S4 features you mentioned actually were gimmicks that many people found more annoying than useful, I don't see how the fingerprint scanner will end up being annoying (unless it doesn't work half the time or isn't properly secure).
 
bmac4 said:
So I will put it this way. Had Samsung added this feature to the S4 all of you would be saying it was one of those gimmicky feature, but now that Apple is rumored to be doing. It will be the key feature to buy the 5S.
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Little bit over the top. I for one would not bad mouth Samsung. I like the idea of a fingerprint scanner even if you don't. We are all different with different likes and dislikes, so if you and the OP want to go else where, by all means do so. ;)
 
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