Just a few days ago, reports came out about the possibility of Apple removing the iPhone's fingerprint scanning technology and replacing it with facial recognition. Now, a new report has come out and it supports the previous speculation. Apparently, Apple is allegedly acquiring RealFace, a company that makes facial recognition software.
Apple And RealFace Business Deal
RealFace is an Israeli startup that creates the software for face identification. According to a CNET report, Calcalist reported the Apple-RealFace deal is estimated to have cost a couple million dollars. The iPhone-maker did not give an immediate response regarding the rumor but Startup Nation Central claims that Apple has purchased RealFace just this month. It's also harder to get confirmations considering that the software-maker's website was offline early Sunday and there were no contact information that was directly available.
RealFace was launched in 2014. As per Mac Rumors, one of the company's first products is the app Pickeez that used the RealFace recognition software to select users' best photos from multiple platforms. The Apple purchase practically makes sense, but with Apple's silence on the matter, nothing is a hundred percent confirmed at this point.
Apple's Plans For The iPhone 8
As mentioned, Apple still keeps mum on major matters like its recent acquisition and its plans for the iPhone 8. However, if rumors are to be believed, it's difficult to not notice that the company is headed towards high-tech recognition systems. A few weeks ago there was also a rumor that came out claiming that Apple will also have an iris scanner on the iPhone 8. This news came in months after the rumor broke out about the possible display-embedded fingerprint sensors for the iPhone 8 as Apple ditches the home button.
Now, reports suggest that there will be no Touch ID at all. Instead, Apple could just be using facial recognition systems for its iPhone 8's user identification needs. Face recognition technology already exists in current iPhones but it is only limited to the photos found on the smartphones. If the RealFace acquisition is true, there's really a good chance that the technology will be later applied to the iPhone's user identification as well.
