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.
South Korean tech giant Samsung is considering the inclusion of iris recognition technology in its upcoming Galaxy S5 handset as the company attempts to counter Apple's popular Touch ID fingerprint scanner.
LG Electronics is reportedly testing a prototype version of the next generation of its flagship G-series smartphones that will allegedly include a swipe-based fingerprint sensor, countering the Touch ID capability of Apple's iPhone 5s.
A 612-page patent application filed with the World Intellectual Property Organization shows that Apple is considering wide-ranging new uses for fingerprint sensing technology in its mobile devices, from user interface navigation and mobile payment processing to multiuser support.
The United States Patent & Trademark Office on Thursday published an Apple patent application covering the electronic packaging and sapphire lens of the company's new Touch ID fingerprint sensors.
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.
Touchpad vendor Synaptics has announced plans to acquire Validity Sensors, a primary remaining fingerprint sensor vendor following Apple's acquisition of AuthenTec last year, and a reported supplier involved in Samsung's delayed efforts to match the iPhone's Touch ID fingerprint sensing technology.
A new video emerged on Wednesday showing parts that are said to be bound for the next generation iPad, and those parts appear to be perfectly suited for Apple to include its Touch ID biometric sensor.
Users who set up their new iPhone 5s will be prompted to add a fingerprint for the Touch ID sensor integrated into the home button. But up to four more separate fingerprints, for a total of five, can be added later in the iOS 7 Settings application, where other changes can be made to enhance security.
Even as the iPhone 5s sells out in stores, a collaboration between a micro venture capital firm and a group of security researchers is offering a mix of cash, alcohol, and other goods to the first hacker that can crack the biometric security feature built into the device's Touch ID sensor.
The inclusion of the Touch ID fingerprint sensor in the iPhone 5s may position Apple as the default choice for businesses and government agencies looking to provide employees with smartphones, while also maintaining high levels of security.
Apple's addition of a biometric sensor to the iPhone 5s may very well have differentiated its new high-end devices from its peers and predecessors, but apparent unit production issues have caused one firm to lower its price target on Apple stock.
{{ summary }}
Daniel Eran Dilger
Shane Cole
AppleInsider Staff
Victor Marks
Kevin Bostic
Neil Hughes
