Wall Street Journal Confirms Fingerprint Sensor in New iPhone Coming Tomorrow

[chrisbru]

As long as the fingerprint sensor can be turned off at the hardware level, much like location services, I don't really care that it's on the device, but I sure as heck won't be using it. It's not even paranoia about the NSA, it's that I know how easy fingerprint sensors are to fool. Your phone is much more secure using a password.

A password is digital, 1s and 0s, a pass-fail condition. Either you enter your password or you don't. A fingerprint is analog, and the sensor can only determine with a certain degree of certainty if it's your finger, somebody else's finger, a picture of your finger, or any number of things. So the software creates a probability, instead of pass-fail, and the software decides if the finger (or whatever) it's seeing is "close enough". It's only a matter of time before somebody figures out what Apple thinks is "close enough" and is able to bypass your lock screen without your finger. The more strict the software, the less usable the sensor and the more frustrating it is for the user, so to be sure, Apple's software won't be terribly strict.

Let's not forget, you're using your iPhone with your fingers all the time. It won't be difficult for somebody to get your print off of the iPhone, and use it with a fake finger of some kind to unlock your device. A fingerprint sensor makes your iPhone secure in the same way the password system makes your iPhone secure if you engrave your password on the back of your iPhone. I'll also point out, you can't give up your password when you're unconscious, but you can give up your fingerprint.

And sure, what the heck, if it's not the NSA grabbing your fingerprints right off the sensor, it's going to be somebody else. If Apple's software can get the fingerprint sensor to activate and take a reading, somebody else's software can to. Perhaps criminals, perhaps well-meaning but ignorant software developers who themselves may get hacked. Even if your fingerprint isn't terribly valuable today, plenty of people think it'll be valuable in a few years as biometrics of all kinds are used for financial transactions or whatever else.

A password is simply better. It's digital, so the software isn't making a probability-based decision to let somebody in, and it's hidden away in your head, instead of left behind on everything you touch hundreds of times a day.

If you have stuff on your iPhone that people find important enough to go through the trouble of faking your fingerprint, you probably shouldn't be using a cell phone at all.

Not to mention it will require a code to turn OFF the fingerprint lock or wipe the phone. So it's not like a thief can knock you out, take your phone, unlock it with your finger, and then be free to do whatever with the phone.

 

[seble]

Wrong, original iPhone had 8GB and there were even elusive 4GB versions too. It doesn't even take that long to google... My bro had the 4GB verion

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He's waiting for something good to come along, like me.

In the meantime I sold my iPhone 4.

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Which is what exactly?

You are correct, but I was also correct, when I said original I meant the original iPhone 4 and not the 4S.

 

[Nahaz]

The origianl iPhone came in just 16 GB and 32 GB variants. When the 4S was released the 8G iPhone 4 came into existance.

Not so... (For Original)

The original iPhone was initially released with two options for internal storage size: 4 GB or 8 GB. On September 5, 2007, Apple discontinued the 4 GB models.

On February 5, 2008, Apple added a 16 GB model. The iPhone 3G was available in 16 GB and 8 GB. The iPhone 3GS came in 16 GB and 32 GB variants and remained available in 8 GB until September 2012, more than three years after its launch.

The iPhone 4 is available in 16 GB and 32 GB variants, as well as an 8 GB variant to be sold alongside the iPhone 4S at a reduced price point. The iPhone 4S is available in three sizes: 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB.

The iPhone 5 is available in the same three sizes previously available to the iPhone 4S: 16 GB, 32 GB, and 64 GB.

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I swear the iPhone 4 came in 16GB and 32GB at launch? My iPhone 4 is 16GB. I think the 8GB version was introduced last year as a cheap iPhone option.

So I got one of the details on RAM slightly wrong. My other points are still valid though. I take your point though.

 

[seble]

Not so... (For Original)

The original iPhone was initially released with two options for internal storage size: 4 GB or 8 GB. On September 5, 2007, Apple discontinued the 4 GB models.

On February 5, 2008, Apple added a 16 GB model. The iPhone 3G was available in 16 GB and 8 GB. The iPhone 3GS came in 16 GB and 32 GB variants and remained available in 8 GB until September 2012, more than three years after its launch.

The iPhone 4 is available in 16 GB and 32 GB variants, as well as an 8 GB variant to be sold alongside the iPhone 4S at a reduced price point. The iPhone 4S is available in three sizes: 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB.

The iPhone 5 is available in the same three sizes previously available to the iPhone 4S: 16 GB, 32 GB, and 64 GB.

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So I got one of the details on RAM slightly wrong. My other points are still valid though. I take your point though.

As I already said, my mistake, when I said original I meant the original iPhone 4 and not the 4S but yes you are correct.

 

[red kiosk]

Time to get rid of your "touch" gloves, or at least cut the tip off one of the glove's fingers.

 

[Born Again]

A previous leak showed testing on a battery with another 5-6% capacity over the current battery. Any little bit, along with CPU tweaks, can lead to more battery life. I'll take every 10 minutes of additional time I can get without having to charge. Somedays, I'm on the run for 12 hours straight, and only get to charge for 5-10 minutes in the car in between places. That helps, but if the phone can eek out just that. much. more. ...I'll take it.

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Really?

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Well, I for one am looking forward to this new iteration. I'm in the crowd that would love a slightly larger screen, but I'm not dying for one either and I won't kick off a round of "**** you Apple" posts tomorrow if it doesn't happen. I don't hate the current screen, but a little larger would be nice. Am I lame for still fawning over that tapered design that was supposed to be the iPhone 5 last year? Ha ha.

Fingerprint sensor is a nice move, in my opinion. All the NSA hysteria aside, I think it will be quicker and more convenient than password locking. As others have suggested, I think this will become a lot more than just unlocking your phone. As for the guy who wrote the little 5th grade essay on how easy it will be to break... I just don't get where that comes from. Apple didn't spend $356 Million to purchase AuthenTec, and then countless more money in continued R&D, and implementation just to implement some kitschy little security feature. Give me a beak.

CPU bump? Yay. Better battery life? Super. New color? I'll skip my champagne breakfast this go 'round, but I'm eager as hell to move from the black phone to the white model. I was white before the iPhone 5 and only got the black because I thought the shiny black edges were sexy. Turns out, that black is just painted on the shiny silver edges from the white phone, and they're all scratched to heck on my phone and look like crap now.

And I'll hope for "one more thing" to blow my socks off.

How do I know I have pending notifications ?

I have to physically touch my phone

That's pure crap

Make the home button glow

The apple road map probably has it coming with the iPhone 10

 

[bargainsland]

Data transfer by touching

You guys think there will data transfer on iphone 5 by touchin the devices??

 

[mcdspncr]

No, not living under a rock. I'm just not paranoid. Maybe because I have nothing to hide. Due to my employment, I was finger printed YEARS ago. Didn't bother me then and doesn't bother me now. I'm married, have two kids and work for a living. Arguably, I live a pretty boring life. For the NSA and government, I certainly live a boring life.

Explain it to me. What am I missing?

Like you, I also have nothing to hide. Which means constitutionally I have no reason to be searched. I'm not paranoid, I just don't like giving up my constitutional rights without due process, and secret courts/unreported oversights are far from due process. Anyways, I'm very pleased that touch ID is never connected to the cloud. It sounds like Apple also sees the danger that the NSA poses... or maybe they're also paranoid according to you. Either way - if you don't mind having your rights infringed that's totally fine. It's your privacy to do with what you want. But standing up for your rights is not wrong, paranoid, nor incriminating. The argument that if you've got nothing to hide then you shouldn't mind being searched is propaganda to guilt/shame people into forgetting about the 4th amendment. If you've got nothing to hide, then you have no reason to warrant being searched - simple as that.

 

[Hitch08]

Like you, I also have nothing to hide. Which means constitutionally I have no reason to be searched. I'm not paranoid, I just don't like giving up my constitutional rights without due process, and secret courts/unreported oversights are far from due process. Anyways, I'm very pleased that touch ID is never connected to the cloud. It sounds like Apple also sees the danger that the NSA poses... or maybe they're also paranoid according to you. Either way - if you don't mind having your rights infringed that's totally fine. It's your privacy to do with what you want. But standing up for your rights is not wrong, paranoid, nor incriminating. The argument that if you've got nothing to hide then you shouldn't mind being searched is propaganda to guilt/shame people into forgetting about the 4th amendment. If you've got nothing to hide, then you have no reason to warrant being searched - simple as that.

You feel that you have a constitutionally protected right of privacy in your fingerprints? Do you wear gloves everywhere you go in public?

 

[mcdspncr]

You feel that you have a constitutionally protected right of privacy in your fingerprints? Do you wear gloves everywhere you go in public?

I have the constitutional right to not be searched without probable cause. Similarly, there are only a few circumstances that that the government should be allowed to collect your fingerprints, and most of those require guilt or consent. As we all know, what happens when you are out in public is by definition, public, including where you leave your finger prints. I don't wear gloves because I'm not hanging out in crime scenes, but when I'm walking down a sidewalk I certainly wouldn't consent to an officer asking if he/she can take my finger prints. So unless I forfeit my right to my finger prints, (ie consent to give them, commit a crime, cross a border, or leave them on a public doorknob) then yes, I believe my right to privacy includes my fingerprints. I just choose not to protect my fingerprints when the risk of them being collected is low - like when I go to the supermarket. Another interesting invasion of privacy that it looks like we may be facing is if we have a right to our DNA. But that probably doesn't matter to you either, right?

 

[Hitch08]

...
Another interesting invasion of privacy that it looks like we may be facing is if we have a right to our DNA. But that probably doesn't matter to you either, right?

To the contrary, I would be quite concerned if it were determined that I don't have a right to my DNA. I like my DNA. To be frank, I would be very concerned about my ability to live without it.