iPhone 5S may get fingerprint scanning, according to new Apple job advert

 

Rumours that Apple's next-generation mobile devices could come equipped with fingerprint-scanning security technology have been given further substance by a job posting made by the company.
Last month, it was suggested that Apple's upcoming iPhones 5S would receive fingerprint scanning technology from WinBond that would give security-minded individuals an alternative to the standard lock screen. By registering their fingerprints on the device, users could ensure stronger security if their handsets were lost or stolen - and, combined with rumoured support for near-field communication (NFC) technology, could use their fingerprint to authorise small transactions to be paid from a mobile wallet app.
Although Apple has refused to publicly comment on its plans for a follow-up to the successful iPhone 5, the fact that it is investigating fingerprint scanning technology is now unquestionable: the company has advertised for an engineer to work on-site at wholly owned subsidiary AuthenTec, according to AppleInsider.
Acquired by Apple in a deal valued at $365 million last year, AuthenTec develops fingerprint-scanning technology among other high-tech sensor-based systems - and Apple's deal helped fuel the rumours of such technology appearing in a future iPhone or iPad device. Since it acquired the company, however, it has largely left it alone - but this latest job posting suggests Apple is now looking to integrate AuthenTec's technology into its own products, asking for an engineer who can write low-level firmware that will allow Apple's mobile devices to access the fingerprint scanning hardware produced by the company.
While companies have been providing fingerprint scanners as options on laptops for quite some time, it's still a rare feature to see on a smartphone - and doubly so on one aimed at the mass-market, rather than niche products aimed at enterprise users. If the rumours prove true, Apple could finally have found something that will help it stand head and shoulders above the increasingly popular Android-powered competition.