Over the past few years, Apple has been using fingerprint recognition technology in its flagship phones, known as TouchID. The inventor of this technology is Steve Hotelling, Apple's vice president. He was responsible for several of Apple's technological innovations, including touchscreen technology and health sensors. However, over time, Apple introduced FaceID face recognition technology in 2017, which replaced TouchID and was widely used in products such as iPhone, iPad, Mac, etc. According to the ** report, Apple will no longer launch any new products that support TouchID and will completely switch to FaceID technology. Even low-end products will use FaceID across the board. Even the factory that produces TouchID chips for Apple has stopped production, and the production line is on the verge of disappearing. Therefore, it is no longer possible for Apple to use TouchID. And recently it was reported that Hotelling is leaving his job and no longer working for Apple. Some say he's retiring, others say it's because Touchid was completely abandoned and Hotelling feels marginalized and leaves his job. Whatever the reason, this means that Apple has moved away from TouchID and we don't have to wait any longer and can rest assured that fingerprint recognition will no longer be present and that any idea of an under-screen fingerprint or a bezel fingerprint can only exist as a fantasy.
So, why do Android phones always use fingerprint recognition, while Apple opts for FaceID technology?In addition to factors such as high cost, Android phones cannot be uniformly equipped with FaceID, and in the end they can only use this technology on high-end models, while low-end models use fingerprint recognition. This has led to a complex and inconsistent product line. In addition, Apple's iOS system is closed, all the ecosystem is controlled by Apple, Apple can require applications (apps) to support FaceID, while the Android system is different, many mobile phone manufacturers are based on Android OpenSourceProject (AOSP) to modify, resulting in the ecosystem can not be unified, and the standards of each manufacturer are also different. This makes it difficult to develop apps that support the FaceID feature of various Android devices. Therefore, it is difficult for Android phones to be fully equipped with FaceID, and they can only try to add this technology to high-end models to give users a handful of experience. But the Android ecosystem has yet to follow up on how it evolves, and even with FaceID, fingerprint recognition is still indispensable.
Face recognition and fingerprint recognition are two common biometric technologies, each with certain advantages and disadvantages.
1. Fingerprint recognition technology
Fingerprint recognition is a biometric technology based on the uniqueness of an individual's fingerprint. It uses the irregularity and uniqueness of fingerprint lines to authenticate identity. Fingerprint recognition technology has the following advantages:
1) High security: Each person's fingerprint is unique, and there is almost no misidentification.
2) Fast and convenient: Users only need to put their fingers on the fingerprint sensor to complete the identification, which is fast and easy to operate.
3) Strong reliability: The fingerprint recognition technology has high reliability, and there are almost no authentication failures.
1) Hygiene issues: Some users are worried about the hygiene of fingerprint recognition sensors, especially when used in public places.
2) Force majeure factors: Fingerprint recognition is greatly affected by the external environment, such as wet fingers, fingerprint injuries, etc., which will lead to recognition failure.
3) Privacy issues: Once the fingerprint information is stolen or cracked, the user's personal privacy will be threatened.
2. Face recognition technology
Face recognition is a technology that authenticates identity based on facial features. It uses cameras or sensors to collect the user's facial features, which are analyzed and compared through algorithms. Face recognition technology has the following advantages:
1) Contactless identification: Users do not need to touch any device, just use the mobile phone or other devices normally, and the recognition operation can be completed.
2) Wide applicability: Face recognition is not affected by the external environment, such as weather, light and other factors, and the recognition success rate is high.
(3) Good user experience: Face recognition is simple to operate, which is easy for users to use.
1) Security issues: Compared with fingerprint recognition, face recognition technology is slightly less secure, and may be affected by some attack methods, such as 3D printed masks, blind fingerprints, etc.
2) Precise positioning requirements: Face recognition requires high and accurate facial information, so in some special situations (such as wearing masks, cutting hair, etc.), the recognition accuracy may be reduced.
3) Diversity: The facial features of different ages, races, and genders are quite different, so there is a certain difficulty in cross-group recognition.
After Apple chose to abandon fingerprint recognition and fully adopt face recognition technology, we can see that face recognition technology is more convenient and faster than fingerprint recognition technology in terms of user experience, and although it is not as good as fingerprint recognition in terms of security, it still has high reliability in practical applications.
In recent years, with the continuous advancement of science and technology, biometric technology has been widely used in smartphones and other devices. Fingerprint recognition and face recognition, as two common biometric recognition technologies, each has unique advantages and disadvantages. Apple's move away from fingerprint recognition in favor of face recognition is based on a number of considerations and trade-offs.
From the user's point of view, facial recognition technology does not need to touch the device, and the operation is more convenient, whether it is when unlocking the phone, making a payment, or using the app, there is no need for additional steps, which is more convenient and fast. Moreover, facial features are one of the most intuitive features between people, and the use of face recognition technology has improved the security of user identity authentication to a certain extent. However, facial recognition technology has certain limitations in some cases, such as in low-light environments or special situations such as wearing masks, the recognition effect may not be ideal.
From Apple's strategic considerations, the shift to face recognition technology is also in line with the current trend of technological development. As a more intelligent and natural way of biometric recognition, face recognition has been applied in many fields, such as security, public security, access control, etc. Applying face recognition to functions such as unlocking and paying for mobile phones not only improves the user experience, but also strengthens the security of mobile phones. In addition, Apple's choice to adopt facial recognition technology as an industry leader has also helped drive the adoption and development of the technology and lead industry trends.
However, for some users, they are more Xi to using fingerprint recognition technology. Although fingerprint recognition technology is slightly superior to facial recognition technology in terms of speed and security, Apple, as a company that has historically been user-experience-oriented, often goes beyond the details of individual technologies and focuses more on the overall user experience. Therefore, Apple's decision-making is also a manifestation of the pursuit of innovation and improved user experience to a certain extent.
To sum up, Apple gave up fingerprint recognition and chose to fully use face recognition technology, not only based on the consideration of technical reality and market trends, but also to provide a more convenient and secure user experience. Whether it is fingerprint recognition or face recognition, it is the product of scientific and technological progress, and it is constantly improving and innovating. We should be open and progressive and embrace the arrival of new technologies, while also retaining a focus on personal privacy and information security.