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New Apple Patent Describes Fingerprint Sensor That Could Work Through Display

Amacfa said:
I will go

crazy if this happens
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I think it's crazy if it didn't happen (7S next year). Apple have stuck to the S cycle since the 2nd gen iPhone. If the redesign is as dramatic as rumoured, coming out of nowhere rather than small iterations towards this, they'd really want to take their time with it.

The cushion of the 'S' cycle should ensure they've got another year to make it truly mindblowing.

Of course, I hope I'm wrong. I'd love to see this next gen iPhone sooner rather than later. But we've been burned with delusions of grandeur before. Remember what was talked about when the iPhone 4 hadn't been updated in 16 months?

Mac Fly (film) said:
Sounds as awful lot like a bezel to me.
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A software bezel! :D
 
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keysofanxiety said:
I think it's crazy if it didn't happen (7S next year). Apple have stuck to the S cycle since the 2nd gen iPhone. If the redesign is as dramatic as rumoured, coming out of nowhere rather than small iterations towards this, they'd really want to take their time with it.

The cushion of the 'S' cycle should ensure they've got another year to make it truly mindblowing.

Of course, I hope I'm wrong. I'd love to see this next gen iPhone sooner rather than later. But we've been burned with delusions of grandeur before. Remember what was talked about when the iPhone 4 hadn't been updated in 16 months?



A software bezel! :D
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They've been working on this iPhone for over 4 years in terms of the display tech, the fingerprint scanner tech, and most importantly the actual manufacturing processes and tooling. This isn't a case of "coming out of nowhere".
 
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keysofanxiety said:
You know what I mean, though. In terms of being a drastic redesign compared to last gen, rather than slow aesthetic revisions towards the end goal.
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True, but Apple is the last company to keep to a particular cycle because of their historical cycles. Look at the Mac Pro and Macbook. Totally came out of nowhere as an entirely new form, nothing iterative about them.
 
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Not to kin on this idea of no software buttons. There will come a point where software is nonfunctional and a hard restart is necessary to address it.
Also I don't get this whole "no bezel" thing MR people are talking about. I find it kinda useless. It makes the phone look ugly; you need something in the OS that can detect whether touches on the edges are intentional or not otherwise it hard pick up the phone without messing with something; It cuts off view of videos;...I just don't get it.
 
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Mac Fly (film) said:
The 7 Home button is the equivalent of power-steering for a car—we all still see a steering wheel. Explain how a no home button design plays out on the display. I'm using Notes, how do I get to the Home screen? Explain it in a detailed manner. "A virtual Home button" is not a detailed explanation btw. How is it used?
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Personally, I think one of the lower corners would be dedicated to being the Home button (switchable in Settings, of course). With this implementation, it avoids placing an annoying fingerprint in the middle of the screen, and I can see Apple revising iOS to shift any lower bar UI functions either left or right (depending on User Home button location preference. Also, such a 'virtual button' would be controlled like the 7's button now.

As it stands in iOS right now, the lower right corner is open for such an implementation (again, this could switch, depending on User pref).

Just my $0.02. In any case, I'm excited to see how this develops!
 
What about the front facing camera? Any patents related to display embedded cameras?
 
That new design will sure be a super upgrade from these 3 generation old boring iPhones
 
Mac Fly (film) said:
The 7 Home button is the equivalent of power-steering for a car—we all still see a steering wheel. Explain how a no home button design plays out on the display. I'm using Notes, how do I get to the Home screen? Explain it in a detailed manner. "A virtual Home button" is not a detailed explanation btw. How is it used?
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Seems likely Apple has already addressed this issue, assuming this is the path that they take. Remember force touch preceded this and something like that may pay a part in the solution.
 
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Any ideas how front camera and speaker could be integrated in screen? I vaguely remember something about cameras integrated under screen... Or am I just imagining things?
 
keysofanxiety said:
I agree! Personally I think Apple are going to spend an extra year making the design and the 7S will be released next year instead. The big redesign will be 2018 (IMO).
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I don't think Apple can really sit on the 7's design for an extra year. They lucked out this year with Samsung's exploding batteries, but if they hadn't the Note 7 would have been a much bigger threat to iPhone sales. The problem is - what do you do to the 7 to make it the 7S? A slightly better camera again? A speed bump to the phone that is faster than the largest iPad Pro? It is already water resistant, they could maybe improve that. The only other thing that would be remotely interesting would be a switch to OLED.

If they bumped the 4.7" to 3x resolution, and gave it dual cameras like the plus then I would "upgrade" to the smaller phone, but they aren't going to do that because they want the camera as a differentiator.
 
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keysofanxiety said:
You know what I mean, though. In terms of being a drastic redesign compared to last gen, rather than slow aesthetic revisions towards the end goal.
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They didn't do a massive redesign his year. The iPhone 7 is essentially a 3rd year iPhone 6, so I think a re-design for next year is in the cards. We'll see though :)
 
whyamihere said:
Uh, didn't Xiaomi already beat Apple to the punch on this:

https://www.macrumors.com/2016/09/27/xiaomi-iphone-7-mi-5s-and-dual-lens-mi-5s-plus/

"Both phones have a 1080p display and a fingerprint scanner under the front glass, which Xiaomi says "recognizes a 3D map of each user's fingerprint through ultrasonic waves", so no physical button is needed."
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Apple wasnt the first with their Touch id either but they were the first at making it right. I suspect a similar story here.
 
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Mac Fly (film) said:
And via a light you only need the tech in a specific locale under the display, not everywhere.
[doublepost=1475584372][/doublepost]

I'd bet it won't have no bezels. I also fail to see how you replace the Home button virtually? A force gesture from the bottom of the display? A handy power-move, but hardly an intelligent default design to get Home. I'd love to see a fitting alternative to the more physical button we have today [microns movement to sense pressure; permanent physical location]. Perhaps they'll move it to the NC, but that's worse than what we have now. Less convenient, less intuitive.
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Maybe implementing something like the Zephyr or Multitasking Gestures tweaks to get to the home screen ? Swiping up from the bottom of the screen but with a Force Touch like the multitasking gesture we currently have would be sweet
 
scapegoat81 said:
Maybe implementing something like the Zephyr or Multitasking Gestures tweaks to get to the home screen ? Swiping up from the bottom of the screen but with a Force Touch like the multitasking gesture we currently have would be sweet
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Which is what I suggested as a power-move, but that shouldn't be default as it's not intuitive to new users at all.
 
Mac Fly (film) said:
Atop the app? Wouldn't bottom toolbars get in the way?
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Imagine the iPhone has three screens. It has a main screen for apps, exactly where the current one is. It looks identical. Now the second screen is everything on the front below the main screen. It's reserved for the OS, where Apple can implement things like app switchers, control center, the home button, etc. The third screen is everything on the front above the main screen. Again, it's reserved for the OS, where Apple has things like the status bar and notifications.

And now merge all 3 screens physically together. Really, it's just one big physical screen, but the OS handles them like it's three virtual screens, where apps are only allowed to draw to the main screen, and the other two are reserved for the OS.

Instead of Apple having to awkwardly define 10 different ways you can tap the home button to do different things, they can just have a touch sensitive surface and graphics - it's more intuitive then all the double tapping and what not of the home button.
 
max.ine said:
I just don't know how they're going to make an all-display phone look good.
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DMyZtzQ.jpeg
 
ArtOfWarfare said:
And now merge all 3 screens physically together. Really, it's just one big physical screen, but the OS handles them like it's three virtual screens, where apps are only allowed to draw to the main screen, and the other two are reserved for the OS.
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Interesting comment, but it doesn't solve the location problem. If this area down the button centre is reserved for the Home button then why not just have a home button? Raise to wake and you see it and you touch it, but right now I can unlock without even looking at when I turn around or look it's ready to go. While interesting, I fail to see how it's better.
 
RightMACatU said:
Skipping the 7 and ready for the 8. When can I pre-order? :D
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Yes indeed, everyday that passes I'm happier that I _DID NOT_ "upgrade" to the nascent iPhone 7.

It's obvious that the days of the Horrible Haptic Home Button are numbered.

The iPhone 7 will go down in history as Apples worst iPhone ... :eek:
 
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