KGI securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has been fairly accurate in the past regarding Apple product roadmaps, predicts that we will see an iPhone 5S this fall with a sapphire-covered home button packing a fingerprint sensor. Back in May, we also heard the news that the next iPhone will feature a sapphire home button with a fingerprint sensor.
Kuo believes that we will see a home button with a convex (raised) shape instead of the concave one we see in all iPhones today. The new convex shape would give Apple more room to fit in a fingerprint sensor -- a feature that is expected to be a discerning factor between the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5S.
Convex home button creates space for fingerprint sensor; yield to improve. We think that a fingerprint sensor will be placed under the home button of iPhone 5S. However, assembling it could be difficult as the space under home button is limited as it already has to accommodate the Lightning connector, speaker and microphone. Thus, we think the shape of the home button could be changed from concave to convex to create more space for a fingerprint sensor.
Sapphire prevents home button from being scratched. A convex home button could be more easily scratched, so a harder material is required. We believe Apple will switch from plastic to sapphire, whose hardness is second only to diamond. Sapphire would protect the home button from being scratched and the fingerprint sensor from being damaged.
While some have suggested the fingerprint sensor in the iPhone 5S could almost be a gimmick, Kuo believes Apple will utilize RF and capacitive technologies to make their sensor more durable and resistant to dust and other contaminants.
The iPhone 5S is rumored to be unveiled on September 10th.
Interestingly enough, despite all the iPhone 5S part leaks, we have yet to see any physical evidence of an iPhone 5S fingerprint sensor (only code fragments and from previous betas and other rumors).
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Comments (14)
Comments are closed for this article.
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Christopher Dorner - August 16, 2013 at 6:39am
Finger print scanner are going to be stored in a meta-database with all your social networking profiles. You commit the crime you do the time, why did apple go with the NSA? to catch people who're up to no good. this is the new RFID in your pocket. heads up you can find a persons location with the photos they take and uploaded to any websites. Easier to track people down now with a smart phone.
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zetaprime - August 12, 2013 at 3:42am
A raised button is a bad idea. It will keep ketting pressed while the phone is in the pocket or purse and waste battery power.
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Jony ives - August 11, 2013 at 4:56pm
Great news with apple working with the NSA, finger print scanner on your phone means the government can track you more easily or they can record your finger print incase you do anything stupid. With the gps tracking they can find out who you are and where your at, finger print scanner just means they can identify you easier
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dark_destroyer - August 11, 2013 at 10:49am
You lot are seriously dreaming..... It will be a iPhone 5 with a better camera and io7 at best!!!
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xol - August 11, 2013 at 5:39pm
indeed, if that, but dont you worry, the iSheep will line up to buy that piece of iShit
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tmel4198 - August 11, 2013 at 9:49am
Apple needs this to happen with the 5S because of their worries about keeping up with innovation and people loosing interest in iPhones. it is not going to have massive spec change since it is only an S upgrade which is usually hardware advantages. The iPhone 6 will be the big drop from apple
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xol - August 11, 2013 at 5:42pm
and when the iShit 6 comes out it will be obsolete like it is now, Android took over big time and by Android I mean Samsung.
Pretty sad really because I really liked my iShit a lot, but I cant live without the shit samsung offering in their devices at the moment.
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tmel4198 - August 11, 2013 at 5:45pm
sweet, another android lover commenting on APPLE PRODUCT NEWS
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iPhone hack - August 11, 2013 at 9:14am
This is nice for the government. Don't want to give your finger print to the police? But it is cool when you do it on your phone? Come on! Lets wait another 5 years and iPhone 10 comes with DNA scanner for your passcode. Another way for the gov to collect personal information. Who can 100% sure your iphone wont be hacked and steal your finger print info? Thin about it.
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tmel4198 - August 11, 2013 at 9:46am
You really think the government is going to get our finger prints from an iPhone? wow..Even if they were, they would only use it against someone who gets caught doing something and they match a print which would have to already be in the system. This could be a sick security upgrade to phones yet you are worried about our government......come on now
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tmel4198 - August 11, 2013 at 5:48pm
no it will not because i understand how code works and how to jailbreak / get into the file system to mess with any of their security that may be trying to send out my finger print.
read the article about how apple, at&t, and other phone companies / services brought up the exact issue your talking about with the NSA and Obama / Congress. with the concern that peoples privacy would be taken
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Gary - August 11, 2013 at 6:39am
Big deal.....
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Kronos - August 11, 2013 at 5:40am
Good point though. iPhone 5/4/4s we saw so many leaks of devices. We have yet to see any fingerprint sensor