There has been a lot speculation about what the new iPhones will entail, especially with Touch ID being removed from their 2019 models. While this technology and others like facial recognition are exciting, they also come with long-term consequences. Facial recognition and fingerprint technology can certainly be used for evil, but for now we don’t know how it will play out. All we know is that the technology is hitting the market and there is not much we can do about it.
2019 iPhones
Barclays and their analyst Blayne Curtis have shared their expectations for 2019 and 2020 iPhones after their trip to Asian supply chains of Apple. As for the phones that will be released in 2019, there are three new models that will have few design changes. They have additional rear cameras, and production of these models will go into full force during their usual mid-Summer release timeframe.
While 3D Touch was eliminated from all 2019 phones, there will likely be a Haptic Touch expansion. The newest generation of the iPhone XR also has 4GB or RAM. Other rumors that have not been confirm suggest that the last 2019 iPhones will features larger batteries, bilateral charging features, and a frosted glass casing. Users may be able to charge AirPods and Apple Watches simply by placing them on the back of the phone.
2020 iPhones
Beyond the 2019 models, 2020 iPhones will have many more significant changes. These include the ability to support the 5G network, which will open technological doors we have yet to understand. LG may become the secondary supplier of OLED displays for future iPhones, with up to 30 percent of orders split between Apple and Samsung.
Apple’s 2020 phones just might be completely OLED. Suppliers mentioned the possibility of the iPhone SE 2 that would have iPhone 8 internal technology in 2020, but many people don’t know about this. It is rumored that the models will have a 3D sensor through the rear camera system and an acoustic fingerprint sensor with technology could allow for Touch ID anywhere on the phone.
Touch ID Technology
Samsung’s technology is based upon soundwaves that recreate a digital copy of the fingerprint, but Apple has patented new technology that will go beyond that. The new technology will enable them, according to insiders like Barclays and others, to add a full-screen touch ID, meaning that you can open up your phone by putting your finger anywhere on the screen. It also may allow you to make payments and access sensitive data. But the upgrades go beyond even this. It is rumored that the new Touch ID technology won’t be restricted to fingerprints. The technology may be accessed by touching other body parts to the screen, such as your cheek, your elbow, or your ears. Samsung’s technology requires that you touch a specific place.
According to the experts at the site MoneyPug, which is widely used in the UK to find cheap mobile phones, Apple filed for five Touch ID patents at the end of 2018 but they have been filing other patents concerning the technology since 2016.
The patents were only published this week though it was filed in 2016. It is unclear when they will premiere this technology as a part of a new model, but we now know they have it. Published through Apple’s patent brand Patently Apple, the new technology is called “Methods of Biometric Imaging of Input Surfaces” and it described the touch system with the ability to access the phone through a fingerprint reader underneath the home bottom at the bottom of the device but will enable the user to open the phone and access sensitive information by touching anywhere on the screen.
The Consequences of this Technology
Along with facial recognition software, Touch ID has many implications that are yet to be fully known. While we don’t know what will happen with this technology, companies like Apple continue to pursue them. The future will come with various challenges, including how to manage this technology, and it remains to be seen whether Touch ID will be used for evil, but with the ability to open the phone simply by touching a person’s skin to the phone, it does appear like this could come with a variety of problems. For now we wait for the technology to premiere. Maybe then we will find out what Apple has been working on and discover what will change as this tech becomes widespread.
