Apple may be gearing up to launch the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus at its Sept. 7 event, but murmurs surrounding the 2017 models of the smartphone are already emerging online.
According to a new report, Apple is reportedly looking to imbibe the much-touted iris scanning technology — already present in the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 — in the iPhone 8, which will be released in 2017 and reportedly skip the iPhone 7s.
The news comes courtesy of China-based publication MoneyDJ, which was translated by DigiTimes. The publication cites reliable supply chain sources as its source of information.
Xintec, which is affiliated with Apple manufacturer Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), will allegedly start the production for the iris recognition chips next year. The Taiwan-based company is expected to get the order for the chips meant for the 2017 model of the iPhone starting this year's fourth quarter.
"Xintec is expected to enter mass production for iris-recognition chips in 2017, which will boost the backend house's revenues for the year, the report cited market watchers as saying. New orders for iris-recognition sensors include those for the chips that will be embedded in the 2017 series of iPhone, the watchers were also quoted in the report," reports DigiTimes.
Earlier in July, we reported that Apple is allegedly dropping Samsung as its chipmaker for the iPhone 8 and not the iPhone 7s. The company would only be having TSMC as its sole supplier of the A11 chips due to rivalry with Samsung.
Apple is reportedly looking to include the iris scanning feature, which among other things unlocks the handset by scanning a user's eye, for the iPhone 8 as it will be the company's 10th iPhone anniversary.
The latest report is in contrast to an earlier report from DigiTimes that claimed that the iris scanning technology won't be included in the Apple smartphones before 2018. However, it seems Apple does not want to waste any time in adopting the new technology, which is already gaining popularity with users of the Galaxy Note 7.
It is not known whether the iris scanner on the iPhone 8 will replace the Touch ID or complement it as a means to verify the user's identity. Iris scanning can potentially enable an iPhone user to make a payment, unlock their device and more by merely authenticating through their eyes.
The iPhone's 2017 lineup is also rumored to sport an edge-to-edge AMOLED display that has all-glass casing to boot. Previous reports also point to the elimination of the home button while Touch ID will be implanted in the display itself.
