According to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, Apple’s first Mac with Face ID is unlikely to be a MacBook because the technology needed to embed authentication hardware into the display portion of the notebook still doesn’t exist. Gurman’s answer on this topic appeared in the Q&A section of his latest “Power On” newsletter. On whether Face ID will come to the Mac, Gurman wrote:
Face ID will initially be used on the M1 iMac. Because the iMac is the thickest Mac with a built-in display, and the MacBook’s screen is quite thin. At this point, the technology to embed Face ID into the thin portion of the MacBook’s display doesn’t exist yet. So if Face ID comes to Macs, I think it will come first on iMacs or external monitors. Apple has definitely been working on it, but time will tell if they roll it out.
When Apple first showed off the iPhone X in 2017, it included the Face ID facial recognition system. This system comes as a replacement for the Touch ID in most iPhones and iPads. There have been rumors that this feature will appear in future Macs as well.
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Talking about the topic in July 2021, Gurman said he thinks Apple intends to launch its first Face ID-equipped Mac “within a few years,” and that Apple initially planned for a 24-inch iMac in 2021. In addition to the Face ID issue on the Mac, Gurman’s latest communication reiterates that Apple plans to hold a virtual event on Tuesday, March 8 to unveil the new iPhone SE and iPad Air models, both of which are expected to feature the A15 Chip and 5G support.
iOS 15.4 Beta preview supports Face ID for Apple Pay payments with masks
Apple recently released the iOS 15.4 developer preview version Beta 1, with several noteworthy new features. Perhaps the biggest feature is using Face ID to unlock the iPhone while wearing a mask. Another notable new feature is that you can now also verify Apple Pay for transactions while wearing a mask.
To enable Face ID while wearing a mask, the iPhone “recognizes unique features around the eyes for authentication,”. The feature in the first beta is limited to iPhone 12 and later models, which means users of older iPhones won’t support the feature. In addition to Face ID with a mask, Apple has also added the ability to configure Face ID when wearing glasses.
Apple said that the TrueDepth camera will first verify that you are looking at the iPhone screen, and then authenticate to provide additional security protection. Gaze detection may not be possible when wearing certain sunglasses. When wearing a mask, your gaze will always be required to use Face ID. iOS 15.4 / iPad OS 15.4 will likely be released to the public later this spring. These updates come with new emojis, Apple Card widgets, universal controls, and more.