14 DAY TRIAL // The rumored fingerprint sensor behind the iPhone 5S Home button seems all but confirmed at this point, and a new wave of reports backs the rumor even further.
Photos published by MacRumors based on a leak from China’s C Technology (which seems to be down at this time) aim to depict the iPhone 5S shipping box with a visible change around the area where the Home button is placed.
Four images displaying the alleged iPhone 5S packaging seem to show an updated version of the Home button which, rumor has it, sports a fingerprint sensor underneath.
The button seems to be losing its iconic rounded-square drawing in favor of an outer ring (possibly made from metal) which reportedly aids the biometric hardware in recognizing your thumb print.
The photos may or may not be accurate, as the picture of the iPhone itself seems a bit unfinished (lacking an actual wallpaper / background image).
Whether or not the leak is legitimate, Dutch designer Martin Hajek takes it upon himself to build some mockups based on these photos.
His renderings not only include the ring around the button, but also Apple’s flagship square outline, which clearly gives the phone more personality.
In some embodiments of Hajek’s concept, the ring allows for some light to burst out from behind the button, though recent leaks don’t point to any LEDs being included with the Home button array.
Apple’s iPhone 5S is said to ship with an extra color option this year (gold/champagne), a change depicted in Hajek’s mockups too.
While it’s enticing to take this leak as accurate, the black background in the iPhone depiction on the box leaves us skeptical.
The white packaging itself looks a bit dated. Apple usually takes steps to impress customers from a visual standpoint even before unboxing. In other words, take this leak with a fair-dosed grain of salt.
