Apple’s first Face ID-equipped Mac will likely be an iMac, not a MacBook, due to the current limitations preventing the hardware from fitting into a thin notebook display. Well-connected Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman. made the comments in his latest “Power On” newsletter.
Gurman writes:
Face ID was in the cards for the original M1 iMac. Naturally, the iMac is the thickest Mac with a built-in display since Apple’s laptops have fairly thin screens. At this point, the technology to embed Face ID into the thin MacBook displays doesn’t exist. So if Face ID comes to the Mac, I think it will be on an iMac or external monitor first. Apple has definitely been working on this, but time will tell if they launch it.
Face ID first debuted with the launch of the iPhone X. The facial recognition system has gone on to replace Touch ID in most of the company’s following iPhones and iPads. There have been numerous rumors of upcoming Macs with Face ID, but nothing official has been announced or released.
Back in July 2021, Gurman remarked that Apple intended to launch its first Face ID-powered Mac “within a couple of years,” and that Apple had planned to include Face ID in the 2021 24-inch iMac, but the Face ID feature was delayed, due to the iMac’s all-in-one redesign.
While Apple is rumored to have tested Face ID in its next larger “iMac Pro” it has not been officially confirmed as a feature of the next-generation iMac.
Apple would “face” practical questions when it comes to the implementation of Face ID on the Mac. While unlocking a Mac with a user’s face would be relatively straightforward, it would be more complicated to figure out the process for authenticating online purchases using Face ID, since the user is always facing their Mac. It is likely that users would still be required to push a physical button press that may continue to use Touch ID.
Gurman also shared information in the latest newsletter indicating that Apple is planning a virtual press event for Tuesday, March 8, where it is expected to debut a new iPhone SE and new iPad Air.