Apple's Decision to Leave Face ID Out of MacBooks: A Technical Dilemma

In 2017, Apple replaced Touch ID on iPhones with face ID, revolutionizing the way we authenticate our devices. However, one would think that the same technology could be applied to MacBooks, given their larger screen and more spacious Notch design. But surprisingly, this hasn't happened yet, leaving many users wondering why.

The main reason for Apple's hesitation in incorporating face ID into MacBooks is due to technical limitations. While it may seem like the MacBook's Notch has plenty of space, its depth is actually quite shallow, measuring only around 3mm thin. In contrast, iPhones have a deeper notch that measures approximately 7.8mm. This shallowness is crucial because it allows for the accommodation of components such as higher quality camera lenses, infrared cameras, and a DOT projector - all necessary for face ID to function.

These components simply cannot fit within the 3mm enclosure of a MacBook's lid, which is why photos from these devices are often blurry. Apple has two options to address this issue: either make the MacBook's lid twice as thick to accommodate the required components or leave out the feature altogether and rely on Touch ID instead. The latter option would not only be cheaper but could also be more practical.

In 2021, Tom Boger, Apple's vice president of Mac and iPad product marketing, made an argument in favor of leaving face ID off MacBooks. When asked why the feature wasn't included, Boger claimed that Touch ID is more convenient on a laptop because users' hands are already on the keyboard. This reasoning sounds reasonable at first glance, as it implies that a face ID scan could be confirmed by pressing a key - similar to how Apple Pay works on an iPhone. However, this argument doesn't hold water when considering how easily face ID can be confirmed on a MacBook.

In reality, face ID scans can be just as easy to confirm as Touch ID scans. The recognition process would happen faster, and users could use any finger to confirm the scan - not just one registered fingerprint. This means that while Apple may not want to admit it, they haven't figured out a way to include face ID in MacBooks without compromising on performance or aesthetics.

Only time will tell if Apple is able to overcome these technical challenges and successfully integrate face ID into their MacBooks without sacrificing any of the device's performance or usability. Until then, users will have to rely on Touch ID - or explore third-party alternatives that can provide similar facial recognition capabilities.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enApple replaced Touch ID on iPhones with face ID back in 2017 but MacBooks never received the feature which is surprising since their Notch is even bigger than the iPhones so why hasn't Apple used that space to include face ID well there are a couple reasons why first is that while it may seem like the macbook's notch has a lot of space that's not really true while its width and height is quite large its depth is not at just 3 mm thin a macbook's lid has less than half the depth of an iPhone which measures around 7.8 mm and this thickness is crucial since it can accommodate components like higher quality camera lenses infrared cameras and a DOT projector which are all necessary to power face ID these components simply don't fit in a 3mm enclosure that's why your MacBook takes such blurry photos Apple can't fit in a large camera lens that captures high quality images like on iPhone so Apple has two options make the macbook's lid about twice as thick to accommodate all the necessary face ID components or simply leave the feature out relying instead on touch ID which is not only cheaper to include but could actually be more useful Apple made this argument themselves back in 2021 they were asked why MacBooks didn't have face ID and instead of mentioning technical limitations Tom Boger Apple's vice president of mac and iPad product marketing said Touch ID is more convenient on a laptop since your hands are already on the keyboard and while that sounds reasonable it doesn't really make sense a face ID scan could be confirmed by pressing a key kind of like how face ID works with Apple pay on your iPhone it automatically scans your face but you have to double press the side button to confirm doing this on a MacBook would be just as easy as Touch ID if not easier since recognition would happen faster and you could use any finger to confirm not just one with a registered fingerprint so while Apple may not want to admit that it hasn't figured out a way to include face ID on MacBooks only time will tell if they're able to make the components thin enough to fit inside a 3mm enclosure without any compromises this is Greg with apple explained and if you want to learn how I make videos like these let me know by tapping the link in the commentsApple replaced Touch ID on iPhones with face ID back in 2017 but MacBooks never received the feature which is surprising since their Notch is even bigger than the iPhones so why hasn't Apple used that space to include face ID well there are a couple reasons why first is that while it may seem like the macbook's notch has a lot of space that's not really true while its width and height is quite large its depth is not at just 3 mm thin a macbook's lid has less than half the depth of an iPhone which measures around 7.8 mm and this thickness is crucial since it can accommodate components like higher quality camera lenses infrared cameras and a DOT projector which are all necessary to power face ID these components simply don't fit in a 3mm enclosure that's why your MacBook takes such blurry photos Apple can't fit in a large camera lens that captures high quality images like on iPhone so Apple has two options make the macbook's lid about twice as thick to accommodate all the necessary face ID components or simply leave the feature out relying instead on touch ID which is not only cheaper to include but could actually be more useful Apple made this argument themselves back in 2021 they were asked why MacBooks didn't have face ID and instead of mentioning technical limitations Tom Boger Apple's vice president of mac and iPad product marketing said Touch ID is more convenient on a laptop since your hands are already on the keyboard and while that sounds reasonable it doesn't really make sense a face ID scan could be confirmed by pressing a key kind of like how face ID works with Apple pay on your iPhone it automatically scans your face but you have to double press the side button to confirm doing this on a MacBook would be just as easy as Touch ID if not easier since recognition would happen faster and you could use any finger to confirm not just one with a registered fingerprint so while Apple may not want to admit that it hasn't figured out a way to include face ID on MacBooks only time will tell if they're able to make the components thin enough to fit inside a 3mm enclosure without any compromises this is Greg with apple explained and if you want to learn how I make videos like these let me know by tapping the link in the comments\n"