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Wednesday 11 September 2013

iPhone Touch ID - All That Matters & All You Should Know

The brand new iPhone 5S isn't a big shot upgrade over the iPhone 5, but it does have something, I'd say 'innovative' - the Touch ID. As rumored, it's your fingerprint scanner that leads to a few interesting use cases. As Apple calls it, the sensor takes fingerprint scanning to an entirely new level with 500 PPI resolution. This means that it can scan your fingers very accurately to identify you uniquely. The sensor itself is just 170 microns in thickness and is capable of scanning in every possible direction; called 360 degree scanning.

touch-ID. ​

What are the possible uses of Touch ID Fingerprint Scanner?
  1. The home button which has the sensor retains its old functionality and acts as your quick resort to the home screen from any app.
  2. It adds an extra level of security to your Apple store purchases.
  3. It adds extra authentication to your iTunes digital downloads.

You will be able to authenticate yourself to iBooks by using your fingerprints. The feature is only available on iOS7; which by the way will make it to compatible Apple devices on September 18.

It's not clear whether the apple will allow multiple user accounts on the same iPhone using the new technology, but it'd definately be something to look forward to.

Security

Apple has promised that the fingerprint data is encrypted and stored in the A7 chip. The data will never be stored in the iCloud or even backed up on Apple's servers. Also, it's not clear how deep access will the developers have to the scanned data for innovative integration in their own apps.

The question is - do all these features push the game forward to the other players? Do you expect Samsung and other manufacturers to include the fingerprint scanners in their devices in coming months?

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