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Why no Face ID or promotion in the new iMac? Not good enough apple

LFC2020

LFC2020

macrumors P6
Original poster
Apr 4, 2020
16,874
38,040
The new iMac is gorgeous, Face ID not being in the M1 MacBook Pro and Air is understandable because it won't fit in the top bezel, promotion, some people are saying it will destroy battery life.

You don't have these problems with the new iMac, plenty of room for Face ID and since the iMac is always connected to power, promotion should've also been included.

Not good enough apple.
 
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I haven't had an iMac in about a year ( 27" 2017 fully loaded). I didn't miss not having Face ID nor did I miss not not having ProMotion (if it had been available). I did miss having the ability to use Touch ID. Other than that, I had no real complaints with the iPad.

As to ProMotion and Face ID in the iMac, I can see that being offered with the next release.
 
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Apple_Robert said:
I haven't had an iMac in about a year ( 27" 2017 fully loaded). I didn't miss not having Face ID nor did I miss not not having ProMotion (if it had been available). I did miss having the ability to use Touch ID. Other than that, I had no real complaints with the iPad.

As to ProMotion and Face ID in the iMac, I can see that being offered with the next release.
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Got nothing against Touch ID, but the damn thing on my M1 pro doesn't work anywhere near as good as Face ID on my iPhone and iPad. 🥺

Can see them marketing the crap out of Face ID and promotion if they add it next year 😂 find it a bit lazy that they didn't add them this year, since the M1 beast can handle both with ease.
 
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LFC2020 said:
Got nothing against Touch ID, but the damn thing on my M1 pro doesn't work anywhere near as good as Face ID on my iPhone and iPad. 🥺

Can see them marketing the crap out of Face ID and promotion if they add it next year 😂 find it a bit lazy that they didn't add them this year, since the M1 beast can handle both with ease.
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It was probably a timing constraint with the new chip and design. I think Apple probably wanted to make as big a splash as they could with the initial release of the consumer MBA, MBP and iMac models.
 
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Apple_Robert said:
It was probably a timing constraint with the new chip and design. I think Apple probably wanted to make as big a splash as they could with the initial release of the consumer MBA, MBP and iMac models.
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Possibility, hopefully we got some exciting new hardware/features coming to the redesigned MacBook pros 🙏
 
What I want to know is why there is no wireless charger in the stands foot. What a waste of an opportunity. Opportunities Apple always misses. I too wish all of their products could have Face ID. The only reason it’s not inside the MacBooks is because the components are too thick to include in the displays lid. However on iMac that isn’t an issue which is also why the iMac has a 1080p camera and the MacBooks don’t. There just isn’t enough space. So for the sake of uniformity Apple decided to have Macs utilize Touch ID instead. I know.. it sucks
 
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Face ID does seem an obvious omission, but in the end, they didn't put it in there, and I really don't think that's because it just slipped their mind that if they actually had given it a moment's thought, they could have.

Honestly, for almost every user there's going to be something they wanted that isn't there, but there can't be everything, and it can't all be now.

For me, Face ID isn't a feature I care about at all. My Apple Watch unlocks stuff I want unlocked without me having to do anything other than wear it, and I'd prefer that the camera on my computer is only active at the precise moments I tell it to be rather than somewhere in the system where it wants to check who I am.

But, that said, I never really found it onerous to enter a password from the keyboard. I know, very 20th century, but a good keyboard is a delight to use, even for that!
 
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I was wondering why they didn't implement FaceId as well. But I can understand it after some thinking.

Think about how it would work. Would it try to logon automatically everyone sitting in front of the iMac? Probably not, because family members for example might want to sit in front of the iMac together without switching user account automatically.

So you would want to have the user to press a button to sign in anyway. Using a TouchId sensor then is probably faster than FaceId in this situation.

Other advantages are that its cheaper, doesn't require you to be right in front of the iMac and that this solution is compatible with the M1 Mac Mini and M1 MacBooks.
 
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GDB0 said:
I was wondering why they didn't implement FaceId as well. But I can understand it after some thinking.

Think about how it would work. Would it try to logon automatically everyone sitting in front of the iMac? Probably not, because family members for example might want to sit in front of the iMac together without switching user account automatically.

So you would want to have the user to press a button to sign in anyway. Using a TouchId sensor then is probably faster than FaceId in this situation.

Other advantages are that its cheaper, doesn't require you to be right in front of the iMac and that this solution is compatible with the M1 Mac Mini and M1 MacBooks.
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Way I see it, look at iMac swipe up on mouse or trackpad, done, or it goes straight to your desktop automatically, nothing slow about that, they can keep Touch ID as well.

Also Touch ID doesn’t work well consistently for everyone like Face ID does, I’m always having to re enter my fingerprints weekly.

Oh well, maybe they’ll add Face ID and promotion next year.
 
LFC2020 said:
Way I see it, look at iMac swipe up on mouse or trackpad, done, or it goes straight to your desktop automatically, nothing slow about that, they can keep Touch ID as well.

Also Touch ID doesn’t work well consistently for everyone like Face ID does, I’m always having to re enter my fingerprints weekly.

Oh well, maybe they’ll add Face ID and promotion next year.
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So that's basically it- with FaceID, you'd need another action (swiping etc.) as a backup and that's exactly why you have the TouchID button. Imagine the problems of trying to use Apple Pay on the web with FaceID without a secondary action (like double pressing power button on the Phone). You need a verification action and TouchID is exactly that.
 
LFC2020 said:
The new iMac is gorgeous, Face ID not being in the M1 MacBook Pro and Air is understandable because it won't fit in the top bezel, promotion, some people are saying it will destroy battery life.

You don't have these problems with the new iMac, plenty of room for Face ID and since the iMac is always connected to power, promotion should've also been included.

Not good enough apple.
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This lack of feature parity boggles my mind, too. What the hell did you do the redesign for if you could not put Face ID at least? I suppose ProMotion is not there due to cost, but lack of Face ID across the devices is not a good look at all.
 
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macintoshmac said:
This lack of feature parity boggles my mind, too. What the hell did you do the redesign for if you could not put Face ID at least? I suppose ProMotion is not there due to cost, but lack of Face ID across the devices is not a good look at all.
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Especially when it’s easier than ever to add Face ID thanks to the M1 chip 😍🥺 we already pay a premium for apple devices, promotion should be there as well.
 
Abbas said:
So that's basically it- with FaceID, you'd need another action (swiping etc.) as a backup and that's exactly why you have the TouchID button. Imagine the problems of trying to use Apple Pay on the web with FaceID without a secondary action (like double pressing power button on the Phone). You need a verification action and TouchID is exactly that.
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Like I said in my previous post, you can have both, Touch ID doesn’t work consistently like Face ID does for a lot of people.

Knowing apple, they’ll save Face ID and promotion for 2025 and then use it as a marketing advantage and say hey look what’s coming to the mac……. That’s after Tim Cook comes on stage and give his usual long GOOOOOODDD MOOOORNING.
 
LFC2020 said:
Especially when it’s easier than ever to add Face ID thanks to the M1 chip 😍🥺 we already pay a premium for apple devices, promotion should be there as well.
Click to expand...

Apple does this since they started the iPhone lineup at least that is what I am aware of. iPhone 7 could have comfortably had True Tone, but it did not. It was brought in iPhone 8. Same goes for Macs. 2016 MBP could well have been released in 2017 with the chipset that came with it. But no, they brought a 2016 notebook and then 6 months later we have a 2017 notebook. Such tactics leave a bitter taste in the mouth. There is a limit beyond which it becomes repulsive, at least for me. No matter how good the thing is. Because then, it comes to principles. It is not about money here, as evangelists would be happy to remark. It is about intentions and if I align with them, with those values. For me, Apple is coming dangerously close to being repulsive hardware-wise. And with regards to software, they should really go back to the drawing board with a list of issues that are about productivity instead of gimmicks. Typing accuracy has taken a serious hit for me since iOS 10 and up. They have played with touch recognition in the keyboard in some way that I consistently make the same typos now on the same keyboard where until iOS 9 I had zero issues whatsoever - ZERO. I could type with eyes closed. Now, not possible without typos. Such are things that need fixing. We don't need numeral upgrades, we need fixes for new issues and longstanding issues.
 
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Rather than Face ID, I would have preferred a physical privacy switch. That green light is not enough to me.
 
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macintoshmac said:
Apple does this since they started the iPhone lineup at least that is what I am aware of. iPhone 7 could have comfortably had True Tone, but it did not. It was brought in iPhone 8. Same goes for Macs. 2016 MBP could well have been released in 2017 with the chipset that came with it. But no, they brought a 2016 notebook and then 6 months later we have a 2017 notebook. Such tactics leave a bitter taste in the mouth. There is a limit beyond which it becomes repulsive, at least for me. No matter how good the thing is. Because then, it comes to principles. It is not about money here, as evangelists would be happy to remark. It is about intentions and if I align with them, with those values. For me, Apple is coming dangerously close to being repulsive hardware-wise. And with regards to software, they should really go back to the drawing board with a list of issues that are about productivity instead of gimmicks. Typing accuracy has taken a serious hit for me since iOS 10 and up. They have played with touch recognition in the keyboard in some way that I consistently make the same typos now on the same keyboard where until iOS 9 I had zero issues whatsoever - ZERO. I could type with eyes closed. Now, not possible without typos. Such are things that need fixing. We don't need numeral upgrades, we need fixes for new issues and longstanding issues.
Click to expand...
So basically apple has a stranglehold on the market and can take their time releasing new hardware and features because the competition ain’t polished or good enough.

It sure is frustrating. 🤔
 
LFC2020 said:
The new iMac is gorgeous, Face ID not being in the M1 MacBook Pro and Air is understandable because it won't fit in the top bezel, promotion, some people are saying it will destroy battery life.
...
Click to expand...
No it's not understandable. Destroy battery life? I have Face ID on my three years old portable Dell, no issues with battery. It's just a scandal that Apple still doesn't provide it, I wish my MBP had it. No excuses Apple, just shame.
 
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Two words folks: virtual backgrounds.

Everyone is doing tons of video meetings these days, and many are using virtual backgrounds. It is highly imperfect, with all sorts of mess around the edges of the person. FaceID would give the depth map needed to do it much more cleanly.

Prior to this past year, that would have been a fringe use case, but now it's very common. It is the one and only reason I wish my new iMac had FaceID. For normal login and authentication purposes, I've been very happy with the TouchID button (surprisingly so).
 
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LFC2020 said:
So basically apple has a stranglehold on the market and can take their time releasing new hardware and features because the competition ain’t polished or good enough.

It sure is frustrating. 🤔
Click to expand...
It is not a stranglehold for one company amongst the dozens and dozens who build computers to have a more cohesive product strategy than the others. Nor, in fact, would it be possible to roll out a feature such as FaceID to work in the same way for multi-user devices as it does for those designed for single-user usage.

While it is really easy for someone to assume knowledge of a planned sequencing of product rollout, the fact they say this is what is happening doesn't mean that is actually what is happening. FaceID isn't the same technology in a desktop as it is for a phone - and as a prior poster suggested, it doesn't have the same potential uses.

Personally, I couldn't care less because I'd never want to use it. Too many privacy concerns with a camera that can be active when the system decides it should be rather than when I do, too little practical value in a location with multiple users, too little practical value in having it at all, but I'd rather see Apple develop it properly for practical use than just throw it in there because they can.
 
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Face ID is moot IMO just because you have to tap a key to wake the machine up, so tapping the fingerprint sensor doesn't really add any extra effort vs doing the same for Face ID.

Promotion I'd expect to show up on a Pro level Mac before we get it in a $1200 machine, I think we'll see that later this year, and in the base iMac maybe two years from now.

The biggest omission IMO is center stage. It is wasted on the new iPad because of the horrible camera position, and even so with an iPad you can move the camera to a better position. An iMac is fixed in position, the camera is fixed in angle to the display. This is the machine that should have ultrawide with the ability to follow you around the room, or expand to add more people to the shot. Mac's have been starved of camera upgrades for years, so the 1080p is a nice drop of water, but center stage would have blown people away on the iMac.
 
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