A new filing on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office points to Apple moving TouchID further than the iPhone 5S, the only device it currently works on. Before TouchID was revealed some believed it would come on every iPhone as a software update, but it is actually embedded into the home button.
We are quite positive Apple will bring TouchID to the new iPad 5 and the A7 processing chip will also be added. The second generation iPad Mini will not come with TouchID, instead Apple will add the iPhone 5 specs to the smaller tablet.
Apple may also add TouchID to new MacBooks, including the MacBook Pro coming to Apple’s event on October 22. We are not sure how Apple will incorporate this into the MacBook, perhaps on the power button or a designated key on the board.
The iMacs are another possible destination for TouchID, the all in one setup allows Apple to just place the fingerprint sensor anywhere on the back or front of the screen, possibly on the side for easy access without looking ugly.
Apple’s new design of the Mac Pro is promising, it means the user could touch a button on the illuminated back and the whole system would open up to that user. With all the additional security Mac Pro users have on their system, it could be an efficient way to access data.
TouchID is an impressive feature and while it may seem a little underdeveloped with no third party support, Apple could add this to their whole line and then start working with official third parties to open applications, like Facebook and Amazon purchases.