Apple is preparing to bring its Touch ID system to its Mac computers, according to a newly revealed patent filing.
Introduced (and currently only available) in the iPhone 5S, it's widely expected that Apple's innovative Touch ID fingerprint recognition system will appear in all of Apple's forthcoming iOS hardware revisions.
That should include two models of the iPhone 6 and the iPad Air 2, as well as a new iPad mini.
But according to a patent filing dredged up by PatentlyApple, the company could also be looking to bring it to Mac - albeit in a somewhat unusual form.
At first glance, the patent filing simply seems to point to a Touch ID system for a forthcoming iPad. As discussed, we already know about that.
But look (or read) a little closer and you'll see that the filing mentions a standalone fingerprint sensor that could plug into the iPad's 3.5mm headphone jack. It's also noted that this could plug in via a USB port.
Of course, neither the iPhone nor the iPad sport a USB port, and they won't be gaining one any time soon. It suggests that Apple is mulling over the idea of bringing Touch ID to its Mac range.
Naturally you'd expect Apple to work such a solution into the hardware of future MacBooks, but it's heartening to see that the company also seems to be considering a solution that would incorporate owners of existing Mac hardware.
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Via: TechRadar