Will we see it one day?
Key Takeaways
Apple
Everybody wanted Face ID on the new 2021 iMac.
Instead, we got yet another underwhelming camera and a Touch ID keyboard.
Apple
Is there a technical reason for this?
Does Apple think a biometric face-unlock is a poor match for a Mac?
Or has it just not gotten around to it yet?
Apple
Early iPhone versions of Face ID sometimes had trouble seeing you.
Compare this to the iPad Pro, which has had a Face ID camera since 2018.
Tap a key on the keyboard and it wakes up, sees you, and unlocks.
Apple
Its so reliable, its almost like the iPad never locks.
The iMac is equally well-placed to read your face.
Better, in fact, as the top of its screen is at eye level.
One was the MacBooks screen is too thin to fit in the Face IDs camera array.
Its also possible the Mac just couldnt handle it.
Was that the problem?
Perhaps, but not likely.
Apples T2 chip was a way to bring some of the iPhone and iPads security features to the Mac.
Its what enables Touch ID on the MacBooks, for example.
The “M” Word
Perhaps, then, this is all a marketing decision.
The new iMacs should be able to incorporate Face ID easily enough, but perhaps its just too expensive.
The new 24-inch M1 iMac is well-priced, compared to previous models.
And we know the Face ID array is expensive to make, compared to Touch ID.
One estimate, from 2017, puts the componentcost for this TrueDepth sensor cluster at $16.70.
Another says thatit is closer to $60.
The iMac Pro
Theres another iMac still to come.
Apple doesn’t like to make an entire suite of sweeping changes to its product lines.
Could it be that this rumored ~30-inch iMac could be equipped with Face ID?
The answer is a resounding “maybe.”
Theres one final option, though.
Maybe Face ID is on its way out entirely.
Maybe Apple isnt adding Face ID to the Mac because Face ID isnt long for this world.
