Rumor claims Apple will bring Face ID to its MacBooks and iMacs

In his weekly newsletter journalist and Apple specialist Mark Gurman has discussed Apple's plans to introduce the Face ID technology to its lineup of Mac computers within the next couple of years. Similarly to what Apple did with the iPhone, Face ID is intended to replace the Touch ID fingerprint sensor that is featured across the current lineup of MacBooks. The iMac (US$1299 on Amazon) in particular would benefit from the face recognition function since it does not provide an integrated sensor that allows biometric authentication. Users of an iMac currently have to hook up an Apple Magic Keyboard to add Touch ID functionality to Apple's all-in-one desktop computer.

Gurman further expects that Apple will eventually feature Face ID across its entire product lineup. The original plans for the recently redesigned iMac supposedly also included the inclusion of Face ID, but they were ultimately postponed. The integration of Face ID in MacBooks is also challenging because the displays used in Apple's laptops are much thinner than the panels that are used in its smartphones and tablets.

Gurman furthermore predicts that Apple will continue to expand its augmented reality features that are powered by the same infrared camera technology that is also responsible for the biometric authentication via Face ID. Competing products like the Surface Laptop 4 have been equipped with Windows Hello for years, which means that Apple will finally catch up to its Windows competition in terms of facial recognition technology.