14 DAY TRIAL // The Face ID facial recognition system is expected to be expanded to all iPhone models starting with the next-year device generation, but it looks like Apple might be looking into bringing this feature to several other products in its lineup. One of them is the HomePod smart speaker.
The first-generation model is yet to make it to the market, with sales projected to begin in December, but Apple is said to be looking into future upgrades already.
A report from Nikkei reveals that Apple could be bringing Face ID to the smart speaker, basically allowing features that would require authentication and multiple user profiles.
It turns out that the target for the HomePod to get facial recognition is 2019, and David Ho, president of Inventec Appliances, says there’s a trend for companies to adopt such technologies for their smart speakers. Inventec Appliances makes the HomePod, the Airpods, and devices for other companies, including Sonos, but it’s believed that the next-generation HomePod is the one that Ho was referring to.
Face ID coming to other devices as well
Such a hardware upgrade for the smart speaker does make sense given Apple’s aggressive push for facial recognition, with the company to expand Face ID beyond the iPhone as soon as the next year.
The next iPad models will almost certainly feature Face ID, and rumor has it that Apple works to bring it to the Mac as well. If MacBooks get Face ID support, they would finally offer an alternative to Microsoft’s Windows Hello feature available on Windows 10 devices.
Rumors that have been swirling around the web in the last few weeks also suggested that all 2018 iPhone models would get facial recognition. Apple is said to be working on three iPhone models for the next year, all of them featuring Face ID, but with different sizes, including 6.1-inch bezel-less version with LCD display.
At first glance, there’s a lot going on at Apple behind the closed doors, but without any official confirmation a certain amount of skepticism is required for these reports.