Apple explains why Macs don’t have Face ID and touchscreens
On the record
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Applehas been busy pushing outnew iMacsand newMacBook Prolaptops that take advantage of its own chipsets, but there are two oft-requested features that still haven’t made their way to the Mac line:touchscreen displays, and support for Face ID.
In an interview with theWall Street Journal(viaMacRumors), Apple executives Tom Boger and John Ternus addressed the omission of both of these features on the latest hardware – and it doesn’t sound as though Face ID and touchscreens will be added to the Mac line anytime soon.
When it comes to Face ID, Boger says that having Touch ID on the Mac keyboard is more convenient, because that’s where your hands are already placed. We reckon Face ID would be even quicker and simpler, but that’s the answer Apple is giving for now.
Constantly listening
When it comes to touchscreens, it seems that Apple doesn’t want to do anything that could affect iPad sales. The iPad is “the world’s best touch computer” according to Ternus, while the Mac is “totally optimized for direct input”.
So there you have it – and we’re not all that surprised. Apple representatives havepreviously describedthe idea of a touchscreen Mac as “absurd”, while Face ID is rumored to bea way off yetfor Apple’s desktops and laptops, if it ever arrives at all.
Boger and Ternus also spoke about some of the changes on the newest MacBook Pro models, including the removal of the Touch Bar – Apple is apparently “constantly listening” to customers, so it sounds as though people power is at least partly responsible for the keyboard redesign this year.
Analysis: Face ID likely, touchscreens not so much
The responses given by the Apple executives in the WSJ interview make sense, up to a point. Touchscreen input is something that’s available on quite a few Windows computers now, but it doesn’t really make a lot of sense – at least not unless you’re using a device like theSurface Pro 8that can also do double duty as a tablet.
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Apple’s tablet-laptop hybrid is of course the iPad, and it’s fair to direct users who want this touch input (and Apple Pencil support) to seek out the slate instead. There are plenty of them available of course, from the entry-level iPad right up to the12.9-inch iPad Pro.
Face ID is something that makes more sense for an iMac or a MacBook Pro though. Apple has upgraded the webcams on its latest models, and even added a display notch in the case of the MacBook Pro – a notch that makes the lack of Face ID all the more noticeable.
As we mentioned above, rumors have been swirling that Apple is planning toadd Face IDto the Mac, although it’s reportedly still a couple of years away. Apple knows the tech intimately from its iPhone devices, and Windows Hello has demonstrated just how quick and convenient logging in with facial recognition can be.
Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you’ll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.
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