There has been talk for some time about the studies done by Apple to insert a camera in the Watch. Last year, in particular, in a patent filed with the USTPO, the Cupertino designers documented one of the possible ways forward, with the positioning of the camera in the crown digital. This would have the undeniable advantage of not making the size of the Apple Watch grow at all, on the other hand, however, a camera in a lateral position would be hardly exploitable.
Now, in another document entrusted to the USTPO, Apple shows another solution, less invisible for the customer because the camera would be yes less discreet but undoubtedly in a more functional position. From Cupertino they continue to argue that if Apple Watch will have a camera it will not be placed in the strap: it must stay in the case, and never mind if this means increasing the size, the Watch Ultra has shown that in the face of one or more advantages customers are willing to accept a bulkier device.
In the latest Apple patent proposes the inclusion of the camera in the upper part of the case, above the display so to speak. The challenging points for Apple are the minimization of encumbrance, the quality of the camera and the actual benefits for the customer. “The digital camera assembly can come in handy for a multitude of purposes, including but not limited to facial identification, fingerprinting, scanning a QR core, video calling, heart rate monitoring, photos and video, or any combination of these”we read in the classic technical language of this kind of document.
From here to say that the Face ID will arrive on the Apple Watch goes a long way, also because if only the camera were to arrive and not all the “hardware kit” for 3D face recognition (and in this case you know how big it is), well that would be something else. We’ll see if and how the story will evolve, moreover the current system of automatic unlocking with iPhone and, at best, with the code is not too inconvenient.
