“The era of one-tap authentication is about to begin,” said Casey Newton in TheVerge.com. Apple’s new flagship device, the iPhone 5s, will hit store shelves this week with an innovative fingerprint scanner called Touch ID. Instead of punching in a password to unlock the home screen or make purchases in iTunes, users can simply press a finger against the home button to quickly authenticate their identity. Analysts believe “Apple’s push into fingerprints will put biometric security squarely in the mainstream of consumer electronics,” leading to a phasing out of the humble password. First, though, Apple will have to work out a bug, said Danny Yadron and Ian Sherr in WSJ.com. The sensor doesn’t respond well to “moisture-laden fingers covered in sweat, lotion, or other liquids.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Why are military experts so interested in Ukraine's drone attack?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION The Zelenskyy government's massive surprise assault on Russian airfields was a decisive tactical victory — could it also be the start of a new era in autonomous warfare?
-
Critics push back as the government goes after Job CorpsThe Explainer For at-risk teens, the program has been a lifeline
-
5 horror movies to sweat out this summerThe Week Recommends A sequel, a reboot and a follow up from the director of 'Barbarian' highlight the upcoming scary movie slate
