I read a couple of articles talking about the iPhone 5s and I am impressed. I have always been very critical towards many of the Apple products but I particularly enjoy the launch of the iPhone 5s.
Yes, the hardware is pretty much the same (some new colours) and the processor is the quickest one ever. However these aren’t the aspects that I appreciated of the new iPhone. My favourite feature of the new iPhone is the fingerprint sensor. Not only it is a cooler way to unlock an iPhone, it gives the iPhone a new level of security. On the iPhones before, a “passcode” is required to unlock it. However, this “passcode” is mostly known by people close to you. Also, there is a 1/9999 chance one would get the passcode. A fingerprint is absolutely unique, even though you would want people who are close to you to have the “passcode” to your iPhone, you can’t.
New article just came out:
http://www.businessinsider.com/iphone-5s-fingerprint-scanner-hacked-2013-9
This article talked about how the iPhone 5s fingerprint scanner got hacked, causing a tremendous panic. This article described how a fraud extracted a fingerprint from a surface, scanned into a computer, printed out on latex then managed to hack through the phone.
If this technique is proved viable, the chances of this happening are lot less than 1/9999. However, this security measure is showing that Apple and smartphone world is moving towards making iPhone a more secure device than ever, leading to many more opportunities. This includes leading the banks to trust the iPhone than before, eventually allowing people to pay with their iPhone. Payments on the iPhone have not been successful and I find myself taking a wallet and my phone when I go out. Many apps have tried to make an “e-wallet”, trying to get rid off the wallet, like how the iPhone got rid off physical calendars, contact books etc.
The fingerprint sensor has a huge potential.