Apple's Fingerprint Scanner

If you pay any attention to the tech industry or even watch or listen to the news, Apple always seems to make the headlines. Apple has recently released its 7th iPhone, the iPhone 5s (we don't understand the numbering system).

The new iPhone 5s is sporting the identical body to the iPhone 5 with a few new features. The main feature we will be talking about today is the controversial fingerprint scanner. The tech giant has explained that the fingerprint scanner is supposed to increase the security on the phone as well as create a more streamlined User Experience (UX) for unlocking your phone, instead of entering in the cumbersome 4 digit pin. But is it necessary? 

From all the comments and feedback from Apple's millions and millions of iPhone users, we could not imagine a finger print scanner being the at the top of that list for things to change. 

A hot topic over the past year was the uprise in stolen cellphones, particularly iPhone 5. Was this enough of a boost for Apple to take action and implement a state of the art finger print scanner? Is the general public really in that big of a risk? 

The way we view it is that the majority of the users do not even use a password at all. Apple mentioned in their latest keynote, around 50% of users do not use or set up a password at all. Will the fingerprint scanner be that big a of a game changer that people will go out of their way to set up their fingerprint scanner for additional security? We think yes. Despite 4 digits being short and very quick to type in, a one touch finger print scan is that much easier.

However we think that the finger print scanner was not just about basic security upgrades. We feel that Apple has a long term plan to integrate their passbook feature with credit cards and mobile payments.

NFC has not kicked off nearly as quickly as anticipated and we are sure every major retailer in the world is just waiting for Apple to jump on the wagon. But it seems that Apple might be taking a different route and trying to set the precedent  of mobile payment methods. We think that the finger print scanner will be the first piece to the puzzle. 

Apple is fantastic at earning their customers loyalty and trust, what better way to do it then implementing state of the art security into their phones that one day will store all credit card info and different payment options.

We believe Apple is on to something big but will only be as big as how receptive the market is to their ideas.

Wearable Tech

Here at UI/UX Trends Blog, we like to stay on top of all kinds of tech trends. An obvious emerging trend is the increasing hype and prooduction around wearable tech. Watches and glasses are no longer just your plain old fashioned accessories. They now have the ability to be something more than that. They have the potential to be as good, maybe even better than your mobile phones.

With the release of Google Glass, there is much more capability and variety in terms of mobile browsing and the app world. With Google Glass, the practicality behind hands-free mobile browsing is a reality. This does not limit to only mobile browsing, this also creates opportunities for hands-free apps and software to be integrated with the Google Glass. With watches, there are a number corporate companies that have jumped on the wagon for making smartwatches. With companies such as Sony, Samsung, and Apple who is planning to release the "iWatch" It is no question that both Google Glass and smartwatches are going to be a trendy accessory tech geeks are going to rave about.

How does this all correlate with User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX)? With these new tech devices, designers and developers will have to approach UI and UX in an appropriate manner towards these devices. With having quite a new way to interact with these smart devices, it'll be very interesting to see how the interface and experience will be approached.

The question is, how successful will these products really be? The transition from moving to mobile and changing it to your watch or glasses is definitely not a practical thing to do and definitely takes time. Not to mention, there is very few notable apps that are available for these devices as of now.

We believe that there lies a huge potential in making these devices as effective as our mobile phones today, however, it will take quite some time. The software and app developers will be a vital role in pushing these through.

What's your opinion in the movement behind wearable tech, and do you believe it will be as successful as mobile phones?