What’s one of the most controversial features of the iPhone? Well, in a world where all phone makers are turning to narrow bezels and punch-holes, the huge notch at the top remains part of the fundamental design in iPhones. And it’s because of the more secure Face ID tech. Now, it may come as a shock to many, Apple may be looking to bring the Face ID tech, along with the notch, over to its MacBook laptops as well.
As per the latest patent application filed by Apple with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the Cupertino giant may be looking to add its Face ID biometric authentication system (introduced with the iPhone X back in 2017) to the Mac lineup. This includes both the MacBook laptops and all-in-one Mac desktop.
The patent application (US Patent No. 20200097747) is titled “Light Recognition Module for Determining a User of a Computing Device” and primarily focuses on a light recognition module that can be deployed in computing devices. It talks about baking sensors for light emission (infrared) into the Mac. It will be projected at the user, reflected and detected by the computer for authentication.
All of this hardware could be baked in a notch that sits at the top of the screen of the MacBook. Yes, in a notch and on a Macbook. The patent application further mentions that Apple is looking to bring its Face ID technology to laptops because of the huge amount of sensitive and complex data that needs to be safeguarded in a more secure way. You can read in-depth about this patent right here.
Just when Touch ID had finally found its way to the MacBook lineup, Apple is looking to replace it with Face ID in future iterations. However, minimizing the bezels in the MacBook lineup and adding Face ID hardware in a notch seems a bit far-fetched. This is only a patent application and the final product may not necessarily look or perform the same. So, we suggest you take the details with a pinch of salt and let’s wait for an official announcement down the road.
