14 DAY TRIAL // Rumors that have been swirling around the web for the past few months suggested that Apple may bring Face ID to all its new iPhone models, in an attempt to bring them in line with the iPhone X.
And now an Apple supplier confirms that demand for Face ID parts has increased substantially ahead of what’s likely to be the release of new iPhone models.
Lumentum Holdings, which is the sole manufacturer of VCSELs, or vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers, recently reported 3D sensing revenue of between $60 million and $65 million, explaining that orders from a key client have skyrocketed in the second part of the latest quarter. While Apple’s name hasn’t been mentioned, the Cupertino-based tech giant is Lumentum’s biggest client, therefore it’s believed that the company is preparing for expanding Face ID to all of its iPhones and possibly to iPads later this year.
No room for Android companies
Furthermore, Apple securing such a big part of Face ID components also guarantees that no other Android manufacturer would be able to bring 3D sensing facial recognition to their devices.
Lumentum is the only large company producing VCSELs and by placing large orders, Apple can be sure that there’s no output to meet possible demand from Android phone makers.
Apple’s 2018 iPhone lineup will include three different models, all of which would thus feature Face ID. In addition to a notch at the top of the screen, these iPhones will obviously launch without a home button.
Instead, they will all use the edge-to-edge design of the iPhone X, with two of them to embrace OLED, whereas the third one would rely on LCD. Face ID is also expected to be expanded to iPads later this year, with a new iPad Pro most likely to pioneer the debut of 3D sensing facial recognition in the tablet market.