14 DAY TRIAL // Starting this year, every device powered by iOS will pack a Touch ID fingerprint sensor made of tin, according to KGI Securities, the same people who said Apple would unleash a bevy of new products around the fall period.
It’s not a given, but a consensus among the analysts at KGI who put out the following note for shareholders to know how to handle their investments in the Cupertino giant.
“Apple’s Touch ID module should see shipments soar 233% in 2014. We believe every new iOS device launched this year will be equipped with Touch ID, including 4.7” and 5.5” new iPhone 6, iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 2 with Retina display. Considering shipments of new products and iPhone 5S sales last longer than in 2013, we forecast unit sales of the fingerprint sensor module to grow 233% to 120mn for 2014.”
So that’s a total of four iDevices, in addition to the rumored iWatch, a product that could very well include a Touch ID too. The people at KGI also note that Apple is changing materials to make the sensor more durable.
“We think Apple will opt for tin, versus previously used chemicals, for Touch ID module packaging of new iOS devices in order to boost durability. That is, it should procure Japan Unix’s laser welding equipment for packaging.”
Currently, the sensors are made by XinTec, a subsidiary of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, a chip foundry capable of handling immense orders. According to reports, Apple has been looking into TSMC’s potential to extend production of the A-series chips powering iPhones and iPads in an attempt to reduce reliance on rival Samsung (the current manufacturer of A5/A6/A7 SoCs).
Touch ID has been created not only for security, but also for convenience. Apple explains:
“You check your iPhone dozens and dozens of times a day, probably more. Entering a passcode each time just slows you down. But you do it because making sure no one else has access to your iPhone is important. With iPhone 5s, getting into your phone is faster, easier, and even a little futuristic. Introducing Touch ID — a new fingerprint identity sensor.”
Currently only found on the high-end iPhone 5s, the Touch ID works by placing your finger on the home button to unlock the screen, download apps, make online transactions, etc.
“It’s a convenient and highly secure way to access your phone,” Apple elaborates. “Your fingerprint can also approve purchases from the iTunes Store, the App Store, and the iBooks Store, so you don’t have to enter your password. And Touch ID is capable of 360-degree readability. Which means no matter what its orientation — portrait, landscape, or anything in between — your iPhone reads your fingerprint and knows who you are. And because Touch ID lets you enroll multiple fingerprints, it knows the people you trust, too.”
The touch ID would make sense not only on iPads, but also on the rumored iWatch and even on future Apple TV remotes, enabling instant-on functionality after the owner’s fingerprint is recognized.