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Testing Apple's New Standalone Touch ID Keyboard With an M1 Mac
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Touch ID 🤦♂️ Give us Face ID for the macs already 😡
You're always going to find some group of folks with a scenario different from what you can imaging - i.e. keyboard shelf and stuff shielding keyboard from the monitor's glow.
*shrug* They can go buy whatever other touch-id keyboard provides a backlight.
Not at all my experience with my MBP open next to my monitor and my (gen2) Magic Keyboard on the keyboard tray.
Sure the mac unlocks fine with my watch. Sometimes 1Password will request watch unlock - which entails removing my right hand from the keyboard and double-clicking the side button on my watch. Sometimes other authentications like ApplePay similarly work through the watch, with the movement of my hand to my wrist. Lots of times Safari when seeking Keychain Access does require password or touchID and I reach over to the MBP keyboard to provide it.
All that's moot with clamshell mode and you're back to typing in your password.
Huh? Not at all my experience with TouchID and Apple Watch. I have both enabled. Which is good 'cuz the AW doesn't always do the trick.
Sure but that in no way removes the need for Touch ID on an external keyboard. I use my M1 MacBook Air mostly in clamshell mode with a third-party display. There is no way to get Face ID in that situation. Touch ID on the external keyboard just simplified my life a lot.
No reason why we can’t Have both. 🤦♂️Bet that works really well in clamshell mode.
Well, I recently bought a Logitech MX KEYS so I’ll have to pass on shelling out a further nearly £200 on this.
what I’d really like to see for my clamshell setup is Touch ID in a trackpad, at least, or what would be really the thing would be a mini stand alone Touch ID key, maybe the size of an airbag or something, or even a USB c dongle I’d be happy with.
will never happen, of course, but I’d pay for it, and it would solve a lot of problems for me. I thought that’s what Apple tech was for ; solving problems.
but then I’m very naive.
what I’d really like to see for my clamshell setup is Touch ID in a trackpad, at least, or what would be really the thing would be a mini stand alone Touch ID key, maybe the size of an airbag or something, or even a USB c dongle I’d be happy with.
will never happen, of course, but I’d pay for it, and it would solve a lot of problems for me. I thought that’s what Apple tech was for ; solving problems.
but then I’m very naive.
Touch ID is handy when you have 2 different users that require access the same computer.
I suppose gamers (tend to play in dark rooms) may count too, if they even want to use an Apple keyboard. When I had a media pc it also would’ve been useful with a backlight for when I used it at night. Sure the majority might not need it, but there’s plenty of wireless keyboards out there that do have a backlight. I’m sure Apple will release one with a backlight next year and charge $250.
Living by myself, with no kids around I never locked my old iMac. The touch id feature on my new iMac was turned on by default, and I have gotten used to it. Takes no extra time or bother. Touch ID on my old iPhone was pain, this works all the time.
Indeed. I love how convenient unlocking with the watch is.
I like Face ID (and Windows Hello works really well, too) but unlocking with the watch is still more convenient to me.
That's a ridiculous argument. It's like saying "what's the point in a keyboard when it's docked in clamshell mode?". The majority of users would benefit from Face ID.
Apple Watch unlock times out, and easier to touch keyboard. Not useless to me. On my M1 IMac system doesn’t ask for Watch unlock except if system is asleep for less time than the Watch timeout.
I do. I also have an account for each person in the household, rather than us all just using the same account. And we don't operate normally in the administrative account: we've all got non-admin accounts and must occasionally enter admin credentials.
Old security habits die hard.
What I wish the Touch ID keyboard could do is INITIATE an account switch rather than just validate. If my partner has been using the iMac and I wish to switch to my account, I have to go to the account switcher menu, select a user (me), then enter the password. As I understand it, the Touch ID key will only do the last bit. I would love to be able to have it initiate the process at the beginning
But I haven't thought through how that would happen. Just idle dreaming.
EDIT:
I should clarify: our accounts each have passwords. I do NOT have them set to auto-lock after a period of time on their own. But to switch from one account to the other requires the password.
I bought one of these for my M1 Mini and now it's at feature-parity with my MBP. Pairing the keyboard made TouchID show up in the preferences, and adding a fingerprint made Wallet & ApplePay show up, and I was able to add all of my cards, just like on the MBP.
I bought it and I'm happy with mine.
Yes! And besides that, some people don't wear watches at home.
I used mine in "wired" mode. It charges from a Lightning cable, so you can just run a Lightning cable from your Mac to your keyboard. I don't even know if it uses the cable for data or just charging, and I don't care, because it works fine.
Maybe it works with 1Password and ApplePay; and maybe all the times you have to put in your password to install software, etc. If it does then it will be useful for me anyway. Then maybe I'd change to a safer password.
I don't lock my home iMac, but I don't want all my passwords exposed.
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Agree that each fingerprint would unlock that person's account would be an amazing feature.
There were cars that used this idea. Each key fob upon unlock would recall that driver's mirror, seat, and radio presets.
It uses it for both. You can tell because if you have to go into recovery mode the blue tooth pairing will not be there but if you plug it in it will then start working.
That's true. When I am prompted for my system password, a fingerprint would be nice. (I have my home computer password to a single character though.)