According to a report in the Huffington Post, in a report from Kuo to investors, it was included that Apple’s next iPhone, to be released in the third quarter of 2013, would feature a “fingerprint sensor.”
Besides Kuo’s predictions, there have been a number of deals that have made the idea of a fingerprint sensor in the iPhone look likely, and BiometricUpdate.com has been following this story closely since last year. In 2012, Apple entered into an agreement to purchase AuthenTec for approximately US$356 million. Authentec specializes in strong fingerprint-based security, ideal for mobile devices. Later in the year, it was reported that AuthenTec would stop selling fingerprint technology to any of Apple’s competitors, starting in 2013. This included a significant list of existing customers such as Samsung, HP, Dell, Lenovo and Fujitsu.
In October, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted Apple a patent for biometric-sensor handheld devices that recognize a user by the image of their hand. Specifically, Apple patented the use of a biometric fingerprint sensor that is concealed behind a closed window on an iPhone.
