Gurman: Face ID on the Mac Coming Within a 'Couple of Years'

Apple plans to bring Face ID to the Mac within the next "couple of years," respected Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman said today in the latest edition of his Power On newsletter.

FaceID iMac REREREREMIX
In the newsletter, Gurman says that he believes Apple's ultimate goal is to shift all of its products to ‌Face ID‌, including the lower-end iPhones such as the iPhone SE and the iPad Air, which feature Touch ID. Gurman says ‌Touch ID‌ remains an important part of Apple's product lineup, especially for lower-end models, thanks to it being a "cheaper alternative" to ‌Face ID‌ while continuing to provide security to users.

But I expect that to eventually change. It won’t happen this year, but I’d bet Face ID on the Mac is coming within a couple of years. I expect all iPhones and iPads to transition to Face ID within that timeframe, too. Eventually, a camera embedded in the screen would help differentiate Apple’s pricier devices by eliminating the notch at the top. The facial recognition sensor gives Apple two central features: security and augmented reality. Touch ID, more convenient or not, only provides the former.

Gurman had previously reported that as Apple was planning its recently launched redesigned 24-inch iMac, it had initially planned to include ‌Face ID‌, but that ‌Face ID‌ implementation has been delayed to an upcoming ‌iMac‌ redesign instead. Unlike iPhones and iPads, Mac laptop screens are significantly thinner, making it harder to fit the necessary depth sensors for ‌Face ID‌, Gurman notes.

Further down the line, Gurman says Apple will eventually embed ‌Face ID‌ into the screens themselves, abandoning the need for a notch on the ‌iPhone‌. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes such an ‌iPhone‌ may debut as early as 2023. As for the Mac desktop, Apple is continuing to develop a replacement for the 27-inch iMac which may feature a larger screen and a more powerful "M2X" chip. Apple earlier this year paused work on the larger ‌iMac‌ to focus on the 24-inch ‌iMac‌, which was released this past April.

Popular Stories

iCloud General Feature Redux

iPhone Users Who Pay for iCloud Storage Receive a New Perk

Thursday March 20, 2025 12:01 am PDT by
If you pay for iCloud storage on your iPhone, Apple has a new perk for you, at no additional cost. The new perk is the ability to create invitations in the Apple Invites app for the iPhone, which launched in the App Store last month. In the Apple Invites app, iCloud+ subscribers can create invitations for any occasion, such as birthday parties, graduations, baby showers, and more. Anyone ...
iPhone 17 Pro Render Front Page Tech

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. iPhone 17 Pro's alleged design via Front Page Tech Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone...
Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock

iOS 19 Coming in June With These New Features

Thursday March 20, 2025 2:04 pm PDT by
While the first iOS 19 beta is still more than two months away, there are already plenty of rumors about the upcoming software update. Below, we recap the key iOS 19 rumors so far. visionOS-Like Design In January, the YouTube channel Front Page Tech revealed a redesigned Camera app that is allegedly planned for iOS 19. According to Front Page Tech host Jon Prosser, the Camera app...
iOS 18

Top 5 New Features Coming in iOS 18.4

Friday March 21, 2025 3:26 pm PDT by
We're not getting new Siri Apple Intelligence features in iOS 18.4 as expected, but the upcoming update does have quite a few new additions that will be worth upgrading for. We've rounded up the five best features to look forward to, and if you're not running the beta, you can expect to get access to these in early April. Priority Notifications If you have an iPhone or iPad that supports...
Windows Vista

Apple Might Be Having Its Windows Vista Moment, Says Analyst

Thursday March 20, 2025 6:52 am PDT by
Is Apple experiencing a "Vista-like drift into systemically poor execution?" That was a question posed by well-known technology analyst Benedict Evans, in a recent blog post covering Apple's innovation and execution, or seemingly lack thereof as of late. He is referring to Microsoft's Windows Vista operating system, which was widely criticized when it launched in 2007 due to software bugs,...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro teal 1

Apple Says iPhone Driver's Licenses Coming to These 8 U.S. States, But Rollout Remains Slow

Wednesday March 19, 2025 6:55 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly. It has been three and a half years since Apple first announced the...
airpods pro 2 gradient

AirPods Pro 3 Launch Now Just Months Away: Here's What We Know

Tuesday March 18, 2025 9:13 am PDT by
Despite being released over two years ago, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 continue to dominate the wireless earbud market. However, with the AirPods Pro 3 expected to launch in 2025, anyone thinking of buying Apple's premium earbuds may be wondering if the next generation is worth holding out for. Apart from their audio and noise-canceling performance, which are generally regarded as excellent for...
iPhone 17 Pro Render Front Page Tech

Latest iPhone 17 Pro Dummies Highlight Apple's New Part-Glass Design

Thursday March 20, 2025 5:27 am PDT by
Seasoned leaker Sonny Dickson has shared more dummy models of Apple's upcoming iPhone 17 series, with the latest lot revealing a noticeable shift in Apple's iPhone Pro model design that goes beyond the much-talked-about new rear camera bar. Dickson points out that the iPhone 17 Pro dummy models feature an outlined area on the back, beginning just below the camera module and extending to the...
airtag orange

Apple's Next Product is Likely an AirTag 2 With These New Features

Thursday March 20, 2025 2:30 pm PDT by
Following the introduction of the iPhone 16e, new iPads and Macs, and some new accessories over the past month, what will Apple's next product announcement be? Based on rumors, a second-generation AirTag item tracker is likely next up. Last year, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that a new AirTag would be released around the middle of 2025. More recently, a leaker known as Kosutami claimed...

Top Rated Comments

UMHurricanes34 Avatar
48 months ago
Don’t understand why this is taking Apple so long. The Mac is arguably the strongest use case for FaceID.
Score: 74 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Khedron Avatar
48 months ago
Complete nonsense.

Honest headline: “Gurman upset with predictions being instantly proven wrong so extends predictions to years rather than months”
Score: 47 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kulfon Avatar
48 months ago
Folks, you heard it from me first:
- new Mac will keep coming in the next couple of years
- they will have thinner bazels and newer screen tech
- As they will be launched, they will be the best Mac to date
Score: 46 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HeavenDynamic Avatar
48 months ago
I'm feel like Gurman is more predicting than actually giving new information in these newsletters.
Score: 37 Votes (Like | Disagree)
knappeduivel Avatar
48 months ago

I predict this will go hand in hand with the "iOS Style" lockdown of macOS which apple has been building toward.

Hazel, Little Snitch, Rogue Ameoba will all be in jeopardy but the walled garden sheep will be happy.
Calling people with a different opinion sheep is bad argumentation and downright rude
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dantracht Avatar
48 months ago
We already know this, Captain Obvious.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)