A translated report this morning from China Times (via Macotakara) appears to claim the iPhone 5S will be the first device from Apple to include fingerprint sensor and NFC technology. According to the report, Taiwanese company Chipbond will provide the integrated touch display driver and other components necessary to implement the technology on the next-generation iPhone. While details of the translated report remain sketchy, it seems to suggest that Apple will use the fingerprint tech that it acquired in its AuthenTec purchase as a security feature for NFC payments:
Several analysts have predicted that Apple’s iPhone 5S upgrade would include fingerprint technology, especially after the company picked up patents and employees from AuthenTec. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo re-affirmed his earlier claims regarding Apple’s 2013 iPhone roadmap earlier this month and said Apple would include a fingerprint sensor beneath the iPhone 5S’s home button.
We have discussed on several times that Apple could bring fingerprint technology to future iOS devices following its purchase of AuthenTec in July. While including major new hardware features like fingerprint technology and NFC may seem like a bit of a stretch for an “S” upgrade, it could be the stand-out feature Apple needs (as we’ve argued before).
