An Apple patent published today suggest the possibility that the much-rumored fingerprint sensor for the company’s iPhone 5S may reside in the phone’s display screen, instead of the home button as many have previously suggested.
A fingerprint sensor has been one of the two most persistent rumors for a distinguishing feature for the 5S, the other being NFC. […] Fingerprint sensors themselves are a mature tech, with rumors of iPhone inclusion dating back to Apple’s acquisition of mobile security specialists AuthenTec last year.
Most observers have speculated that a fingerprint sensor on an iPhone would most likely be either alongside, or embedded into the home button. However, today’s patent illustrates an approach that would incorporate the technology without cluttering the front face of the device.
Apple’s patent allows a user to place their fingers on the touch display. The company’s technology would then analyze the users finger on a pixel-by-pixel basis to determine if it is a match with the device owner’s finger.
Of course, this is merely a patent, and there’s no guarantee that this, or any fingerprint sensing technology will be built into the next iPhone. However, we will find out what Apple has in store for us later this year.
