We have been seeing almost every new Windows laptop in the upper mid-range and flagship category launching with a face unlocking solution from Microsoft known as Windows Hello. Now, this is similar to the Apple FaceID on iPhones where dedicated IR cameras are needed to detect the face of a person and unlock the system.
So it means that Windows Hello is on the same level as Apple’s FaceID for iOS devices and much better than Android’s face unlock which is software-based for most phones. This also raises the question of why Apple is not working on FaceID for Mac devices since it is so secure.
One obvious reasoning would be that the Macbook’s chassis is too thin to house an IR camera along with the webcam while still keeping the lid that thin. However, if you would ask people their opinion than it would be obvious that they would want security over slimness. So it looks like Apple is finally going that way and bringing FaceID to the Mac as well. The latest macOS Big Sur beta suggests that the FaceID implementation for Mac is on its way.
At the same time, we will have to note that currently the FaceID mechanism is expected for iMac devices only and that the hardware will come to Macbooks when Apple thinks right. For that reason, the TrueDepth camera on Mac devices will also come which means that it will have possibilities in AR department as well.
We are also hearing that with the coming of FaceID, animojis and memoji’s will come to Mac’s iMessage too which is good for the iPhone users. It should be noted that Apple is going to launch their first Apple Silicon-powered Mac devices later this year so it is likely they will have FaceID hardware and software support too.