New MacBook Pro to Feature Touch ID: Report

Apple is planning to launch a new MacBook Pro later this year, and it’s going to feature some substantial changes from the previous iteration.

According to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has demonstrated considerable accuracy in previous Apple predictions, a major new feature of the new MacBook Pro will be its implementation of Touch ID, the fingerprint scanning system that is now standard on all new Apple mobile devices. That prediction jibes with recent IP development on Apple’s part, with the company having gained approval last autumn for a patent covering just such a MacBook Touch ID system.

Apple helped to pioneer mobile biometrics with its iOS implementations of Touch ID, and in turn competitors like Microsoft are starting to bring fingerprint biometric authentication to more PC-style settings. As such, bringing Touch ID to its signature laptop offers Apple an opportunity to stay ahead of the trend.

The new MacBook Pro will also sport an OLED touch display above the keyboard and a thinner chassis, and should launch in Q4 of this year, according to Kuo.

Sources: AppleInsider, MacRumors