Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) users are certainly looking forward to the September 7 release of the new iPhone 7. But, the company also has another big news for 2017. In celebration of the tenth anniversary of the iPhone, Apple will be releasing the iPhone 8.
Since it’s all just a big plan for now, there isn’t much we know about the iPhone 8 yet. Rumors say that the new model will have a glass body and a curved edge-to-edge OLED display. An integrated type Camera and Touch ID integrated display has also been mentioned. Then there’s the fingerprint sensor and speculations that the home button will be embedded. The biggest news though lies in its iris-scanning capabilities.
Earlier this year, the well-connected KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo mentioned that there is a possibility that the new iPhone will have additional biometric sensor technologies. He said that Apple was already working on an iris-scanning solution allowing users to identify themselves and their transactions using only their eyes. This is what led Apple to purchase Emotient, a company offering software allowing the analysis and identification of a person’s face even if his/hers expressions change.
The iris scanner will offer customers additional safety features. It is harder to replicate the complex patterns of a person’s iris than that of a fingerprint. The 2017 iPhone will presumably have both Touch ID and iris scanner.
Samsung got a head start with the iris technology, as it is already present in the new Galaxy Note 7. But, there is a big chance that Apple will change the way it implements this feature to make it more practical for the users. This is why some experts claim it will serve more than just the purpose of locking the phone.
Digitimes translated a report from the Chinese-language site MoneyDJ about the 2017 iPhone. It stated:
“Xintec is expected to enter mass production for iris-recognition chips in 2017, which will boost the backend house’s revenues for the year, the report cited market watchers as saying. New orders for iris-recognition sensors include those for the chips that will be embedded in the 2017 series of iPhone, the watchers were also quoted in the report.”
Xintec is a Taiwan-based supplier that is affiliated TSMC. It has been reported that TSMC will be supplying the A10 processors for this year’s iPhone 7. It will start the mass production of iris-recognition chips in 2017 so they can satisfy the orders of Apple and other smartphone suppliers. Unfortunately, Xintec has not yet confirmed anything. Their spokesperson says that the company does not provide any comments on rumors or speculations about specific products or custom orders.
On a side note, there were some reports stating that Samsung has stopped their production of the Galaxy Note 7 model. This was due to the different complaints of some customers who said that their devices exploded. The company is looking deeper into this problem.
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