Apple Brings Touch ID Biometrics to Another New Device

Apple has announced several updates and new features for its popular 13-inch MacBook Pro laptop, which now comes equipped with the new Magic Keyboard including Touch ID biometric authentication, more storage, faster processors, and more.

“Whether you’re a college student, a developer, or a creative pro, the 13-inch MacBook Pro delivers powerful performance, a stunning Retina display, and all-day battery life in our most portable pro notebook,” said Apple’s senior director of Mac and iPad Product Marketing Tom Boger. “With these updates, our entire notebook lineup features the Magic Keyboard for the best typing experience ever on a Mac notebook, offers twice the standard storage than before, and delivers even more performance,” he added.

The Magic Keyboard — first introduced on the 16-inch MacBook Pro and then added to the MacBook Air this past March — features the dynamic Touch Bar and Apple’s popular Touch ID biometric fingerprint recognition system.

Touch ID was a feature component of the iPhone lineup starting with 2013’s iPhone 5s all the way through to 2017’s iPhone 8 series. The release of the iPhone X that same year saw the arrival Face ID 3D facial recognition and signaled the move away from fingerprint recognition until last month, when the new iPhone SE featured Touch ID once again for its method of biometric authentication.

The 13-inch MacBook Pro also features the Apple T2 Security Chip, custom-designed by Apple to protect biometric data captured from the Touch ID authentication process; it’s also tasked with scanning all software loaded and encrypting everything stored on the computer’s Solid State Drive (SSD).

The new 13-inch Macbook Pro is available for order today on apple.com, with prices starting at $1,299. Shipments are expected to begin arriving to customers shortly, though due to the restrictions brought upon by the COVID-19 pandemic the vast majority of Apple Stores are closed as are most Apple Authorized Resellers.

(Originally posted on Mobile ID World)