Steve Hotelling, the Inventor of Apple’s Touch ID, Announces Retirement: Explore the Impressive Legacy He Leaves
iPhones have had reliable biometrics for quite some time. The integration of Touch ID into the iPhone 5S in 2013 marked the beginning of this. And in 2017, iPhone users got Face ID, which replaced the Touch ID fingerprint system. It is worth noting that Apple employee Steve Hotelling was instrumental in the development of these two systems. However, he is leaving Apple.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Hotelling’s role at Apple revolves around design components such as displays, health sensors and biometrics such as Face ID. Currently, he works as the company’s vice president.
Hotelling is retiring, but leaves behind a rich legacy for Apple. He is said to be behind hundreds of patents owned by Apple and has been one of the key minds behind Apple’s iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch.
“No one was more brilliant than Steve,” an Apple executive told Bloomberg.
In addition to his biometrics work, Hotelling was also involved in the creation of customized sensors in the company’s camera sector. In fact, he even worked to develop depth-sensing augmented reality technology, Apple’s high-end ProMotion displays found in Pro iPhones and MacBooks, and even haptic feedback technology.
Hotelling’s work at Apple has spanned more than two decades, helping the company by representing it in several lawsuits, including one against Samsung.
With that in mind, it will be interesting to see how Apple handles this alleged development, as the company has been rumored to be currently developing its own camera sensors and other in-house devices such as cellular modems for iPhones.
