Apple unveils iPhone 5s with fingerprint sensor

NFC apears to have been omitted from the device yet again. Apple remains the only major manufacturer to not include NFC in its phones.

Apple has added a fingerprint scanner to its latest iPhone model, to avoid the need for password entry for purchases on the company’s own iTunes and app stores. All fingerprint information is encrypted and the firm has insisted it will never be stored on Apple servers.

The new iPhone retains the designs and dimensions of last year’s iPhone 5 but adds a faster processor, an improved camera and a new feature called Touch ID, which allows the owner to secure the iPhone with his or her fingerprint.

The Touch ID is a piece of hardware beneath the home button of the iPhone; it scans your finger and verifies your identity and then locks or unlocks the phone. Your fingerprint identity can also be used to make purchases on iTunes.

The fingertip scanner – named Touch ID – is built into the home button of the 5S and uses a laser cut sapphire crystal along with a sensor to take a high-resolution image of a user’s fingerprint. The sensor removes the need to activate the device by entering a PIN code.

Apple says that fingerprints are encrypted and are stored on the phone itself and not in the cloud or anywhere on the Internet, perhaps easing some NSA-related concerns.The fingerprint sensor will also be an optional feature: Owners will not be forced to use it for security, but it will be an option.

While Apple made no claims for the scanner as a secure mechanism for online banking and shopping it will be used to approve sales of music, apps and e-books from its own online stores.

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