Apple's new $599 iPad Air will come with a sleek, new form of Touch ID that we may see in future iPhones
- Apple announced the new iPad Air Thursday, which will come with a borderless screen and a new form of Touch ID.
- The iPad's Touch ID function will be tucked into the power button at the top of the device, removing the home button and allowing for a larger screen.
- We may see this sleek, new form of Touch ID in Apple's future iPhone models as the company caters to a consumer demand for touch sensors.
Apple unveiled a redesigned iPad Air during its Tuesday product launch that features a major facelift thanks to a new form of Touch ID.
The $599 iPad Air won't come with a home button, which historically has been how users unlock their devices with their fingerprints. Instead, that function will be housed in the power button at the top of the device, a move that allowed for a bigger screen — the display clocks in at 10.9 inches.
The screen will also be borderless and comes in five colors: silver, space gray, sky blue, green, and rose gold. It will also come with Apple's bionic chip. The new iPad Air will be available in October and will start at $599 for 64 GB, with the 256 GB model priced at $749.
This new form of Touch ID is one that we'll likely see in iPhones to come as Apple recognizes consumer demand for touch sensors. Apple launched Face ID in 2017 as a means to unlock your smartphone, and while Face ID caught traction with many users across the industry, the biometric encryption has been complicated by mask-wearing protocols during the pandemic.
Other tech firms have incorporated Touch ID into their high-profile products. Renderings of Google's Pixel 5 smartphone, for example, show rear touch sensors installed on the back of the device, as Ars Technica reported.
Apple also unveiled Apple Watches and a new fitness subscription service during Tuesday's event. Notably absent from the event was the announcement of a new iPhone. Production delays due to the pandemic have reportedly pushed the launch of the next iPhone model, expected to be called the iPhone 12, until next month.