Rumors of fingerprint sensor in upcoming iPhone 5S has been around for quite some time now. If this new rumor is to be believed, the sensor will come as a part of home button, which will reportedly be touch sensitive and covered with sapphire crystal.
The iPhone’s Home button, which is prone to failure after long periods of use, will no longer be the same in upcoming iPhone 5S, reports Taiwanese publication TechNews Tuesday (via Cult of Mac). The report claims that Apple has opted to use sapphire crystal for the Home button on the iPhone 5S.
Apple is expected to do away with the traditional physical home button, which has long been one of the most unreliable components on iOS devices. It’s thought that using sapphire crystal, which has a hardness second only to diamond, will prevent the button from getting scratched and ruining the fingerprint sensor.
They insist Apple will employ a capacitive touch home button for the first time with the iPhone 5S, eliminating one of the most unreliable components in an iOS device.
If the rumor turns out to be true, it won’t be the first time the company is using sapphire in its products. In iPhone 5, Apple is already using sapphire crystal to protect rear camera lens from scratches.
It’s evident from the company’s $356 million purchase of AuthenTec that it is an area of Apple’s deep interest. Analysts think that finger print sensor is one the killer features of iPhone 5S. PayPal also expects Apple to kill passwords with more reliable and stronger fingerprint based authentication.
This new rumor is inline with earlier “fingerprint chip in iPhone 5S” related rumors.