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... Why would they ditch the sole feature that makes an iPhone obviously an iPhone even when the screen is off and the Apple logo covered? The home-screen-icon-icon (for lack of a better term) has been the defining feature of the iPhone since the first - and it made sense, too!

Ditching it is like ditching the Apple icon from the Apple keyboard.

Yeah, they're not ditching that icon. And I'd be shocked if they did just for the reason of incorporating an FP sensor.
 
It is pretty clear now that there will be a fingerprint sensor embedded into the home button on the 5S.

Home-Biometrique-iPhone-5S1-640x215.jpg

Looking at the most recent leaked home button parts you can see the optical sensor portion in the center of the metal circle. Then, directly down the ribbon cable, the large square is the fingerprint processor module. This is critical to the security of the phone because it does not use the iphone's main cpu to do the processing, where it may be more sensitive to security circumventing measures.

This ring around the home button that has been shown recently may be for infrared illumination purposes, to get a good image of the users fingerprint.

fingerprint-580-75.jpg

Also, you can see in this patent diagram how a fingerprint scanner in the home button would work perfectly. When you position the tip of your index finger over the slide to unlock bar on the unlock screen, and then slide to the center of the screen, your finger print will be positioned directly over the center of the home button containing the sensor. I would imagine when the user has the fingerprint to unlock setting activated, they would simply slide to the center of the screen, wait a moment for it to scan and verify the print and then it would unlock. Yes, this would not work for thumb swipe unlockers.

Edit:
The rumors are also saying the home button material will be changed to a sapphire composition. This fits in nicely because sapphire is transparent to infrared! The previous home button material would have interfered with getting a good scan. Its also why they may have removed the square icon on the home button.
 
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Interesting. So, two radically different ideas:

1) It's an LED notification ring. That would be very useful, especially if it had multi-colors.

... or ...

2) It's a metal ring for an RF fingerprint sensor in the Home button. If so, perhaps it is made of LiquidMetal, which looks like pewter, which would explain the grey.
 
What if the rumoured iRing, mentioned earlier in the year as a possible Apple TV remote, was actually referring to this?...
 
It is pretty clear now that there will be a fingerprint sensor embedded into the home button on the 5S.

View attachment 431900

Looking at the most recent leaked home button parts you can see the optical sensor portion in the center of the metal circle. Then, directly down the ribbon cable, the large square is the fingerprint processor module. This is critical to the security of the phone because it does not use the iphone's main cpu to do the processing, where it may be more sensitive to security circumventing measures.

This ring around the home button that has been shown recently may be for infrared illumination purposes, to get a good image of the users fingerprint.

View attachment 431901

Also, you can see in this patent diagram how a fingerprint scanner in the home button would work perfectly. When you position the tip of your index finger over the slide to unlock bar on the unlock screen, and then slide to the center of the screen, your finger print will be positioned directly over the center of the home button containing the sensor. I would imagine when the user has the fingerprint to unlock setting activated, they would simply slide to the center of the screen, wait a moment for it to scan and verify the print and then it would unlock. Yes, this would not work for thumb swipe unlockers.

Its mean we have to use 2 hands to operate the iPhone now. So 1 hand operate is not Apple concept anymore then what are they waiting for for bigger screen??? :mad:
 
I'm probably wrong but the home button on the box doesn't look like a button you can push. Maybe the home button is touch sensitive now for the 5S?
 
G a r b a g e !!!

After one year and getting ready to upgrade...all I got is a Champagne color iPhone :eek: I hope they will patent this inovation :mad:
 
Everybody is freaking about the lack of wallpaper on these pics, but what if its not really the wallpaper on the phone? It could just be used on the packaging to differentiate the color of the phone, like on the alleged pics of the 5C. The 5C's in the packaging obviously aren't powered on in the box, its just a sticker like the iPod Touch. When you turn it on, you probably get the iOS 7 Parallax wallpaper we saw at WWDC. Could be the same across the board; black, white, "champagne", and "graphite" backgrounds for the 5S and the bag of Skittles colors for the 5C. Seems plausible among all this fantastic madness we've seen this year :D
 
It seems plausible. Wow nothing is secret anymore. Supply chain leaks all over the joint on this one.

BUT I WANT TO HEAR MAC RUMORS. Tell me something about the new rMBP's or the new MP or iMac! Maybe I'm just a sentimental old fool on this forum...
 
macrumors- sapphire covered convex button

In my post #280 I mentioned that sapphire home button would work well with infrared optical scanning technology. I find it hard to believe they would move to a convex home button design. And that the scratch resistance of sapphire is the only reason they need it. iphones have never had parts sticking up on the flat front or back, and I doubt they would start now. I would bet that the new home button will feel identical to the old one as far as pushing it and the concave shape. They may distinguish the new one somehow so that it stands out as being fingerprint scanner capable.

The above link does mention the fingerprint scanning tech. is RF and capacitve, not optical. I don't believe this fits in with the current parts leaks. There was some confusion because another AutheTec technology that apple acquired uses a scanner embedded into the screen portion of the phone. This does not look like what is being used for the 5S.
 
Convex home button = true!

I agree with the Chinese analyst saying the home button will be convex. I know someone who has seen the prototype - which came in a metal briefcase - and he said button was convex b/c of fingerprint sensor.
 
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