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Technology Stocks : Apple Inc. -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Doren who wrote (166486)	2/26/2014 12:05:29 AM
From: HerbVic	1 Recommendation Recommended By MGV Respond to of 213176

Interesting in the first video that while setting up the finger scan he actually used two digits and both now work. Does it let you set up all three fingers during that phase of registration? I wish he had followed that line of reasoning a little further and tested it more for false positives. Perhaps he could have tried the index finger on the opposite hand or thumb or one of the other fingers. The thumb and index finger mix might mean that if it allows 3 set of prints, you can actually set up six fingers. But, I suspect that it was just recording fingerprints and would have let him register 3 fingers. But then, how secure is it really? We just don't know. Can't be all that secure. It uses Android and Google Play.

To: Doren who wrote (166486)	2/26/2014 10:33:01 AM
From: Ryan Bartholomew	2 Recommendations Recommended By HerbVic Kenneth E. Ferguson Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 213176

S5 fingerprint scanner seems to work OK: Pretty well actually. Looks like a pretty good phone. Apple has to do better. It's worth noting those demonstrations were performed on pre-production models and by people who just saw the feature for the first time. Should improve from there. The more interesting aspect of the scanner isn't just the swiping or the mobile payment integration, but that it is open to developers. That's huge. A couple people were contrasting yesterday the different philosophies between Samsung's "throw it out there and see what sticks" and Apple's "refine what is already known to be in demand". The fingerprint scanners are a good example of that difference, as enlisting developers to develop new uses for the biometrics is taking testing to the extreme. Their hope is that the masses could come up with something better than they could internally. It will be interesting to see how Apple responds to this if developer-driven apps start to take off. However Apple's cash hoard while being spent is also being replenished. Exactly. Apple's overall cash decreased temporarily when they executed the buyback (it devalues shares by depleting cash to the same degree it enriches them by concentrating ownership), but as they are bringing in loads of cash each month, if they don't perform more buybacks or acquisitions or dividend hikes, the total balance will increase again. That's all I meant earlier. It is notable, however, that domestic cash - the cash that is most useful for the aforementioned purposes - declined and won't bounce back as quickly. That's not necessarily a big deal - just worth noting. I think Apple was wise to use the cash for something (though I would have acquired someone instead of doing the buyback).

To: Doren who wrote (166486)	2/27/2014 2:49:16 AM
From: JP Sullivan	1 Recommendation Recommended By Doren Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 213176

Pretty well actually. Honestly, Doren, if you actually use the iPhone 5s's fingerprint scanner on a daily basis as I do, you will not be the least impressed with those SS videos. Toward the end of the first video (starring a sales guy or promoter of the phone, I should add), the demonstrator talks about the difference between S5's scanner and that of the iPhone. And right there he hits upon the crux of the matter. On the S5, you have to present the part of your finger the phone recorded every time you unlock, or the recognition will fail, which occurred when he swiped using the side of his finger. Apple knows the average user will not present their digit in exactly the same position each time, and that is why the 5s will ask you to move your finger around when it's recording your print, so you get to show it the tip, the front, the side, and any other part you think you might be using. Also, if you study the video, the guy was unable to unlock using one hand. This is not a problem on the 5s; indeed this is how I unlock my phone 90% of the time. In an earlier post I mentioned that the need to swipe makes things more complicated, and I'm almost certain this will present a problem in the real world. There's a high probability that S5 users are going to abandon or ignore this feature after some time and go back to tapping out their passwords. And finally, consider the source of the videos. The first is by a promoter, the second is probably by a paid blogger, and did you read the notice appearing at the bottom toward the end of the video (at 1:13) that says "Samsung Galaxy S5 concept render"? Gee, I wonder who actually made the video? Hmm... That said, there is one feature in the second video that I found commendable. The ultra energy saver. That's something I wish Apple had included in the 5s. Going from color to black and white -- very smart!