FaceID may be coming to Macs soon, according to a new report. The latest bit of information comes courtesy of noted Apple reporter Mark Gurman, who wrote in his latest newsletter for Bloomberg that he now expects Apple to introduce FaceID to Macs, including both MacBooks and the iMac, within the next couple of years. The information marks a revision from previous expectations that had stated that Apple may introduce FaceID on the 2021 redesign of the iMac.
However, Gurman has also noted that while the face authentication tech on the 2021 iMac was eventually pushed back, Apple has apparently prioritised the goal of introducing the biometric authentication procedure on its MacBook and iMac devices with urgency. Apple’s biggest rival, Microsoft, offers the Windows Hello infrastructure for all Windows PCs, which can use compatible integrated or external webcams to use facial authentication to unlock PCs. Not only is this deemed to be convenient, but also more secure than login passwords.
Keyless authentication for logins are deemed safer because they help users steer clear of common cyber threats such as remote keylogger attacks that steal passwords, and can therefore steal sensitive information from a system. With FaceID, Apple can therefore introduce the latest biometric authentication setup on its PCs too — and hence ensure that it remains up to do in terms of features with its Windows counterparts as well.
Apple introduced FaceID in 2017 with the iPhone X, which also saw the company shift to its present, full screen phone design. The latter saw it remove TouchID, Apple’s long-standing fingerprint authentication unlocking mechanism that already features on MacBooks. Going forward, Apple may present Macs with both facial and fingerprint recognition — a strategy that it may deploy with its next generation iPhones as well.
As a result, it is likely that by 2023, all of Apple’s devices, including iPhones, iPads, iMacs and MacBooks would feature both FaceID facial recognition and TouchID fingerprint recognition. The feature additions would add a layer of convenience as Apple seeks to unify its usage experience across all of its software platforms going forward.
