Apple iPhone 5S Unlocks With Fingerprint in Place of Passcode
By Ian Bush
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Apple's forthcoming flagship iPhone -- the 5S -- will be out next Friday, and it's going to let your finger do the unlocking in place of a passcode.
That's a boost for those who believe biometric security is the next big thing.
"I think the main breakthrough here is that they were able to mass produce it."
And that Apple believes their Touch ID is reliable enough -- and priced right -- to become popular, says Moshe Kam, who heads Drexel University's department of electrical and computer engineering.
"This being said, this is the first time that this is done on a massive scale, and something may go wrong or we may find something that surprises us," says Kam.
Like other ways to authenticate, your fingerprint isn't foolproof -- and, despite Apple's pledge that it's not stored on their servers, there are privacy concerns. But Kam says since it's harder to hack and faster to work than traditional passcodes -- and doesn't make us remember anything.
"My guess is that this probably will be adopted widely, and we'll see it in many more devices," says Kam.
