A former AuthenTec worker has reached a $278,773 settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, resolving insider trading charges following Apple's buyout of his employer.
Apple is expected to introduce a number of new technologies in this year's anticipated flagship "iPhone 8," but it is the efforts to integrate the Touch ID fingerprint sensor into the handset's display that are apparently causing the company the most trouble.
Apple is developing a custom fingerprint sensor for its OLED-based "iPhone 8," and as a result might not begin production of the device until September — well after a July start date for two LCD-based iPhone models, a report claimed on Friday.
A patent filing made public today stems directly from the Apple purchase of biometric company AuthenTec, and could lead to future iPhones and iPads using part or all of the touchscreen to act a Touch ID sensor.
Motorola did intend to include a Touch ID-like fingerprint sensor in its Android flagship Nexus 6 smartphone, the company's then-CEO has revealed, but canceled the plan following Apple's acquisition of would-be component supplier AuthenTec.
Apple has shown interest in combining the use of its Touch ID fingerprint sensor with rotating or moving a user's fingertip in specific ways, offering even more advanced security on future iPhones and iPads.
Apple is preparing to release a free software update designed to improve the fingerprint recognition experience of Touch ID, potentially fixing a "fade" issue that has been experienced by some iPhone 5s users, AppleInsider has learned.
While stopping short of announcing an comprehensively outlined strategy for facilitating mobile payments, Apple's chief executive Tim Cook linked the concept with iPhone 5s' Touch ID system.
F. Scott Moody, the cofounder of Apple-acquired company AuthenTec, gave a presentation this week on the origins of what is now the Touch ID technology found in the iPhone 5s, and AppleInsider was present for a hands-on with an early prototype fingerprint scanner.
Apple's next flagship iPhone may distinguish its anticipated key feature — a built-in fingerprint scanner — from other iPhones with an aesthetic tweak, by placing a subtle silver ring around the home button [updated with new pics].
In a market saturated with smartphones that all increasingly look the same, Apple wants its next iPhone to stand out and be difficult for cloners to duplicate.
Production of a rumored fingerprint sensor said by some to be bound for the next-generation iPhone could rely heavily on Taiwan's semiconductor industry, strengthening Apple's ties in the region as it drifts farther away from Samsung.
Apple's domestic development of custom chips continues to grow, as a new job listing references a mysterious "Melbourne Design Center" in Florida, likely connected to the company's interest in fingerprint scanning technology.
Rumors of a secure fingerprint scanner in Apple's anticipated "iPhone 5S" continue to surface, with one new report claiming the feature will also appear in an Apple "iWatch."
Apple's urgency to gain access to AuthenTec technology, involving $27.5 million in up front payments during negotiations and culminating in a $356 million offer to acquire the entire company, appears targeted at an advanced "Smart Sensor" component that does more than just read fingerprints, but that's not all the acquisition target offered.
Apple's $356 million acquisition of fingerprint sensor maker AuthenTec was the result of mad scramble to forge a licensing agreement with the company before ultimately determining that the technology was so key to future developments that it made the most sense to buy all of the firm's intellectual property outright and immediately.
{{ summary }}
Roger Fingas
Neil Hughes
Mike Wuerthele
Sam Oliver
Daniel Eran Dilger
Victor Marks
Mikey Campbell
