macOS Big Sur confirms development of Mac with Face ID

Despite the fact that the Mac line has been borrowing quite a lot from the iPhone lately, the key smartphone technologies in Apple computers are rather reluctant. The same Touch ID made it to the Mac four years later, and even then not to everyone. Therefore, if we are guided by this principle, there is still about a year left before the adaptation of the more advanced and convenient contactless technology of face recognition, Face ID. But what's the point of waiting if the development has already shown itself only from the best side? Apparently, Cupertino also thought so.

Face ID is finally making its way to the Mac. Maybe even this year

In macOS 11 beta 3, which was released last week, a reference to PearlCamera support was discovered. If you remember, this is the name in the iOS 11 code that featured the TrueDepth camera system, which was responsible for face recognition. It was she who confirmed the appearance of Face ID, whose commercial name we did not know then, in the iPhone X, before the release of which there were still a few months. As far as macOS is concerned, this is the first such mention, which has great value, pointing to the imminent release of a Mac with Face ID.

Face ID for Mac

Face ID on Mac has been asking for a long time

According to the developer Filipe Esposito, who discovered the mention of Face ID in macOS Big Sur, we are talking about a system component of the operating system. That is, we are talking about its own PearlCamera in Mac, and not about deep integration of a smartphone camera, for example, for confirming purchases on a Mac. This is encouraging, and suggests that Apple's first Face ID-enabled computer will arrive later this year. Anyway, if everything goes according to plan, because, as we already know, sometimes the plans of the company can fail.

Although the implementation of facial recognition technology for Mac is still in its early stages, the first Macs to support Face ID may be the MacBook Pro and Macbook Air. At least they were the first and only ones in the line to receive Touch ID. However, another option is not excluded. According to rumors, Apple may present an updated iMac line this week. Allegedly, it will not undergo significant changes and will retain the previous design, but since Face ID will not take up much space in the monoblock case, it is likely that it will be the first Mac to recognize the owner by sight.

Why Face ID is better than Touch ID

Face ID for iMac is even better than Touch ID

Obviously, Face ID would make it easier to protect desktops, because at the moment only Apple branded laptops support Touch ID. This is due to the fact that the T2 chip is used to encrypt biometric data, which would be rash to embed in an external Bluetooth keyboard. After all, on what, if not on the keyboard, place the fingerprint scanner? But since the T2 chip requires its own firmware and processor to keep it running, Touch ID remains only in the MacBook.

For iMac, Face ID is the best fit. Not only can the recognition sensors be built into the computer case, and not taken out of it, but also identification is almost imperceptible. After all, when the user is sitting in front of the computer, the TrueDepth camera sees it continuously, unlike a smartphone, which is carried in a pocket and is twisted in every possible way in his hands, shifting it into one or the other. Therefore, scanning can be done easier and faster. And, as you know, the ideal technology is that it works unnoticed.