Samuel Axon
This weekend, the Bloomberg business publication published a plethora of articles sharing details about various Apple products to come. We previously covered what Bloomberg sources said about the Mac line, but another report details the next iPhones.
According to “a person familiar with” Apple’s work, the iPhone 2021 will be a small, iterative update and may carry the “S” label, which Apple has used to denote minor updates to the iPhone in the past (for example, iPhone 6S or iPhone XS). This is partly because the iPhone 12 line introduced last fall was particularly loaded with new features and design changes, but also because the restrictions on COVID-19 delayed Apple engineers, according to the report.
Although the iPhone 13 does not have a radically new design, the report describes a potential change that Apple is testing internally: the addition of a fingerprint reader on the screen.
In 2017, Apple launched Face ID, a face recognition authentication alternative to the fingerprint reader technology (Touch ID) that it used on previous iPhones. The first generation of Face ID was a little slower and less consistent than Touch ID, but subsequent updates have put it up to par, and most users have come to accept or appreciate the new method.
However, some people still prefer to unlock their phones with a fingerprint, and the need to wear masks during the pandemic made login via face recognition much less attractive, although Apple has released a small update for iPhones to make the process of getting around Face ID when using a slightly more aggressive mask. Some competing Android phones already offer fingerprint readers on the screen.
This change would herald the return of Touch ID to the main iPhones. In the current formation, it is present only in the low-cost model of the iPhone SE. Touch ID itself was introduced in an “S” update: the iPhone 5S was the first to include the technology. And, like Face ID, iteration was needed to improve the efficiency of Touch ID after its introduction.
Staying true to TrueDepth
Apple has no plans to hack the set of TrueDepth sensors that makes Face ID easier, however, even if you introduce Touch ID on the screen. This is because the matrix also helps in the main features of photography and augmented reality.
Bloomberg sources also say Apple is “discussing” removing the iPhone’s physical charging port since last year’s iPhones launched MagSafe wireless chargers. But just because the company is discussing this as a possibility, does not mean that it is a right thing.
In this sense, too, the report states that Apple is actively testing foldable iPhone designs, although it is not certain that they will hit the market and, if they do, it will probably occur some years in the future. Don’t be surprised that Apple is at least testing foldables; the Android smartphone market has seen some foldable phones, although we generally consider them compromised or with bad user experiences. As with removing the charging port, the fact that Apple is testing this feature does not mean that it will actually happen.
Finally, the report states that Apple will finally launch AirTags, its rival to the Augmented Reality Tile. Bloomberg says that product was the only one that Apple intended to launch by the end of 2020 that did not come out the door.