The Apple iPhone 5 continues to be the subject of plenty of discussion and debate about possible specs and features. We thought we’d heard pretty much everything possible and have been keeping our readers informed but today we’ve heard of a feasible new feature that has got us intrigued, face recognition.
As everyone knows, Apple is pretty good at keeping new product information highly guarded but as with all new major product releases we do hear rumors and leaks so that sometimes we have a pretty good idea of what to expect. Of course it’s always the case that some of the things speculated are much more likely than others. In our recent iPhone 5 roundup we told of many possibilities such as wireless charging and iOS 6 and some of these things we’ve heard rumors of time and time again over the last few months. However, face recognition and unlock for the iPhone 5 is something that we’ve not seriously considered or heard a lot about until now.
It seems that a recently filed patent reveals Apple’s intention to be at the forefront of facial recognition technology. ITProPortal, sourced from Free Patents Online, tells how the new technology could possibly be brought to the iPhone 5 and also the next iPad although we’re not sure how feasible this is just yet. From what we can see it does look as though Apple is likely to use the technology in future devices but we’re not sure it will come in time for the iPhone 5. However, with rumored release dates anywhere between June and October for the iPhone 5, a release could still be months away so anything is possible.
The report tells how the technology concerned would mean that a device could recognize its user based on face detection and act accordingly. This would be possible through the use of a “front facing image capture device” and a “front facing display device” that would take an image, match it (or not) to stored data and hence unlock the device. However it wouldn’t stop there, as the user’s profile would then be automatically loaded for the device, with pre-determined settings or layout and to launch applications of the users preference. This would make the smartphone or tablet highly secure and bring a whole new level to the term ‘user customization.’
Apple Insider provides us with plenty more information about this Apple patent for future iOS devices and the same technology could also be used to lock a phone or tablet if a user’s face is not detected by the system after a certain amount of time. It all sounds very promising and we have a feeling that many iOS device owners would welcome the idea of facial recognition for unlocking their device and also customizing their experiences with that device. It also makes sense that Apple will use this technology at some point if it wants to remain at the cutting-edge of mobile technology but as we said earlier we’re not convinced it will come to the iPhone 5 although it is still conceivable.
What are your thoughts about facial recognition technology for the next iPhone and how it could customize the use of your smartphone? Do you welcome the idea but don’t think it’s feasible that it will come in time for the iPhone 5? Maybe you think other improvements for the iPhone 5 are more important, such as a more powerful processor or LTE connectivity? Let us know with your comments.