What distinguishes an iPhone from all other phones in the market is its unique design. And the most recognizable part of the exterior of the iPhone and the iPad as well as the home button. However, according to rumors, Apple is considering the removal of the multi-use home button. From all devices. Forever. According to the most credible Apple analyst out there, Ming Chi-Kuo, Apple has really made up their mind. They don’t like the home button cum fingerprint sensor anymore. Kuo believes that Apple is working on a fingerprint on display (FOD) for the new versions of the iPhone.
Why is Apple switching to FOD
There are two dimensions to this decision taken by Apple-
- The reception towards Face ID– Apple’s risk of removing the fingerprint sensor and replacing it with retina scan, i.e Face ID, has paid dividends. It had a great consumer reception and is currently the best facial recognition system.
- Apple’s decision to go OLED– The new iPhones that will be released in the upcoming launch event, majorly have OLED screens. Apple plans to use OLED screens in its premier phone models and FOD works best with OLED screens
The company filing several patients of the FOD technology confirms Apple is working on integrating the technology in its new phones.
Should Apple really switch to FOD
Kuo believes that this decision might be a problem. Android phones already have integrated FOD, with the first phone with such feature coming from Vivo. He also thinks that Samsung’s S10, which comes in 2019, will have FOD. However, iPhones with this feature won’t be out at least before 2020.
If this comes out to be true, Apple might face a hard time ahead. If it integrates the Fingerprint on display feature then it would be criticized for being behind Android. If it doesn’t, then its quest of making multi-modal phones could be in jeopardy. Apple has a big fork in the road ahead of them.
