A newly released patent revealed that Apple plans to include its Face ID biometric authentication system in its line of MacBook Pros and iMacs.
The patent titled “Light Recognition Module for Determining a User of a Computing Device” describes the hows and whys of this technology.
The reasoning behind building this technology into these Apple devices is twofold: the first and most obvious reasoning is to give users more choice in how they unlock their devices. Especially when you consider that the use of passwords and PINs, while useful in their own right, can be easily misused if an unauthorized user gains access to them. However, Face ID solves that problem by using your own face to unlock a device, greatly reducing the chances of someone breaking into your MacBook or iMac.
The second reason, and one Apple uses in the patent, is that humans tend to perform complex tasks that involve sensitive and vulnerable information. Since Face ID technology is much more private and theoretically more effective than other forms of device locking, this method better protects your personal information from unauthorized access. Not to mention that the technology used for Face ID, which is small enough to fit in your iPhone, shouldn’t compromise the size or functionality of your best MacBook or Mac.
In the patent, the computerized Face ID uses “a light pattern recognition module that can be incorporated into a computing device (e.g., laptop, notebook, desktop computer, etc.).” The module would reside in a partition, which could be a “notch, a circle, an ellipse, a polygonal shape, a series of polygonal shapes, a curvilinear shape, or the like”. most likely incorporated into the notch of MacBooks, which would help maintain that thin and compact profile.
You can see such a design in both patent images below.
Of course, there’s a chance that this particular technology will never see the light of day, as Apple researches and patents quite a bit of technology. But given that Apple has apparently been planning to release it for ages Face ID to MacBook devicesdoes this patent have a real chance of becoming reality.
There’s also the fact that the path Face ID now takes was the same as for Touch ID, another Apple innovation. Touch ID first came out for iPhone, then it migrated to iPad, then MacBooks. Face ID also started with the iPhone, and now this patent comes up. It seems like a solid opportunity to see Face ID coming to Mac PCs and laptops.
Apple is lagging behind again
Frankly, this technology is not only incredibly useful in protecting sensitive data stored on your Mac device, but is also a long overdue feature.
Laptops running Windows 11 from many brands already have access to both fingerprint and Windows Hello facial recognition technology to lock and unlock them. The fact that Apple is only now considering that kind of technology for the best MacBook Pros And iMacs is downright embarrassing.
Especially considering the price of MacBook Pros and iMacs, which are already quite high yet lacked features that competitors had had for years. Hopefully this technology drops relatively soon and is also included in MacBook Airs, some of Apple’s most popular laptops.