Two new iPhones are being released today, triggering lines at Apple stores, a flurry of reviews on tech blogs, and fresh battle lines being drawn between the Apple faithful and the critics. The iPhone 5c is last year’s model with some slight improvements repackaged in colorful shells. While it was not the low-cost iPhone many expected, the fresh coat of paint serves marketing purposes and some are guessing that this is Apple’s way of capturing a demographic that is moving from iPods to iPhones.
The iPhone 5s, though, is where Apple is trying to make strides in the smartphone space. With a greatly improved camera, a low-power M7 processor for monitoring sensor data and a 64-bit architecture, Apple’s positioning of the 5s as forward-thinking implies that it expects the developer community to use these components to deliver a range of new services. The other major new feature – the TouchID fingerprint sensor – is poised to make an impact on the hot field of mobile security.
The TouchID sensor is not available to the development community but is strictly used by Apple as a method for unlocking the device and accessing Apple services such as the App Store and iTunes. Fingerprint technology is certainly nothing new, but given the iPhone’s broad usage – analysts expect between 85 and 90 million iPhones to be sold through the rest of the year – and Apple’s penchant for refining technology, the TouchID should be a good test case to keep an eye on.
CompTIA recently conducted a poll through Google Consumer Surveys to understand the public perception of fingerprint technology in general following the TouchID announcement. Overall, perception tilted towards the positive, but the majority of respondents were neutral on the technology and nearly one-third had a negative view, with questions on usability or technical concerns.
CompTIA research has shown that new and improved technology is the top item that security professionals think is needed to drive mobile security forward. Fingerprint technology is not a complete solution – users could still install malware after unlocking their device, for example – but the next six to twelve months should reveal if these sensors improve the experience for the primary layer of security on mobile devices.
Mobile security will be one of the topics tackled in CompTIA’s upcoming security study. As companies deal with BYOD and continue to pursue cloud options, the security discussion is taking on a new quality, even while many of the core concerns remain the same. Look for the study to be released later this year.
