Second-gen Touch Bar to arrive with Face ID-equipped MacBook says leaker

Apple has got the tech world buzzing with anticipation for the arrival of the first ARM-based MacBook expected to arrive before the end of the year. The same leaker who recently revealed that this is expected to be powered by an Apple A14X Bionic SoC, @komiya_kj, now expects this MacBook to feature Face ID along with a second-generation Touch Bar -- the latter could mean that MacBooks will continue to eschew touch screens.

Apple’s Touch Bar-based MacBooks have already had a minor revision with the 16-inch MacBook Pro debuting a variant that saw the return of a physical ESC key and the Touch ID/Power Key also separated from its OLED strip. While not everyone is a fan of the Touch Bar (as its utility varies according to whether an app properly utilizes its functionality), most were happy to see a physical ESC key make a comeback. It’s hard to imagine what a second-generation Touch Bar could bring to the equation other than acting more like a secondary screen -- by doubling its width potentially.

As for Face ID making an appearance on a MacBook, that has always seemed inevitable. After all, Microsoft and its partners have been offering Windows Hello-equipped devices with facial recognition for some time now. In fact, if anything, Face ID on a MacBook makes more sense than on an iPhone as at least when you open a MacBook to use it, your face will in fact be right in front of the screen. Face ID, as good as it is, requires users to pick up an iPhone or deliberately place their face in front of their phone to make it work.

As with all rumors, however, a pinch of salt is required but these do seem like plausible updates for a forthcoming MacBook redesign.