Yes, Apple is still working on Face ID for Macs and MacBooks

A new patent from Apple shows that the firm is working well on integrating Face ID on MacBooks, unsurprisingly.

Since 2021 and the MacBook Pro M1 Pro, Apple has imposed a very visible notch on the design of its MacBooks. A design choice that differentiates MacBooks from other laptops. These include screens borderless for many years without the need to use a notch.

Technically, one might think that the notch would be used to integrate a facial recognition system, like on the iPhone, but it is not. While high-end Windows PCs have been offering Windows Hello facial recognition for 8 years now, Apple is still slow to replace its TouchID. However, by the firm’s own admission, its fingerprint sensor is much less secure than FaceID.

The generations of MacBook follow one another, without this security element changing. Today a patent spotted by Patently Apple gives a small glimmer of hope.

A major problem

This is the second patent that Apple obtains in the United States on the subject. It clearly describes Face ID since we are talking about a system to identify the user thanks to a projection of light on his face. The images also leave little room for doubt about the target of the patent, we can see a monitor resembling an iMac and a laptop PC representing a MacBook.

Source: PatentlyApple

In 2021, the head of marketing for MacBooks at Apple was asked about this subject. Tom Boger then brushed aside the idea of integrating FaceID into the Mac, indicating that TouchID was perfectly sufficient and very practical. Indeed, according to Apple, the user already has his hands on the keyboard and is therefore ready to use TouchID. One could however think that the same reasoning applies to the face of the user, already present in front of the screen.

Like the reminder 9TB5Mac, the reality may be hidden in Apple’s specifications for the integration of FaceID. The firm would like to offer a solution similar to that of the iPhone, which is therefore more complex to integrate than Microsoft’s 3D solutions. The TrueDepth sensor used by the iPhone is a much thicker component that can fit into a smartphone or tablet, but not into a laptop screen as thin as the MacBook.

The patent describes as such alternative solutions such as the integration of a sensor above the keyboard of the MacBook, instead of the Touchbar. Undoubtedly, a track from Apple to solve its problem.

There is no doubt that Apple would eventually like to offer Face ID on all of its devices to unify its ecosystem. This patent is further proof of this despite the statements of the firm. But that shouldn’t happen anytime soon in Macs.

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