Another generation of MacBook Pros recently launched without Face ID, meaning Apple once again missed an opportunity to make its premier laptops easier to use. Adding the facial-recognition authentication system seems like a no-brainer, since it would enable Mac users to unlock their computers simply by looking at them.
Instead, MacBooks continue to depend on Touch ID, even though multiple reasons make Face ID a far superior security option. And Apple’s excuse for sticking with its fingerprint sensor is lame.
Face ID on MacBook would be so much better than Touch ID
Face ID debuted on the iPhone X in 2017, and since then it’s become standard in all high-end iOS handsets. Apple also uses Face ID on the iPad Pro line, but not on a single Mac laptop or desktop.
Using Face ID with an iPad shows why it’s such a glaring omission from MacBooks. When I’m unlocking my iPad Pro, Face ID is so easy that I often forget it’s happening. Unlocking the tablet essentially involves simply turning it on. The part where the computer scans my face to unlock the device requires absolutely no interaction.
The same could be true for the MacBook … if Apple would build in the necessary hardware.
What is Apple waiting for?
Apple’s refusal to add Face ID to MacBook Pros seems illogical. Especially since the company points out that Face ID is 20 times safer than Touch ID. MacBook users want secure logins, just like iPhone and iPad Pro users do.
Apple’s reason why Macs don’t have Face ID comes from Tom Boger, head of Mac and iPad marketing. In 2021, he told The Wall Street Journal that, “Touch ID is more convenient on a laptop since your hands are already on the keyboard.”
That’s a weak argument. I could say the same about other devices — my hands are already on my iPhone when I want to unlock it. But my iPhone includes Face ID.
Apple can’t argue that it hasn’t built in facial recognition because it would require adding a screen cutout like an iPhone — MacBooks already have a screen cutout. It seems unfair to make MacBook users put up with a notch that doesn’t come with Face ID.
All that said, the current system of putting a finger on the Touch ID sensor isn’t onerous. And unlocking your Mac with your Apple Watch eases the pain (when it works properly). Still, there’s no reason to make people jump through that hoop when Apple already offers a better option. A more secure option!
Year after year, new MacBooks come out and they don’t come with Face ID. Each hardware revision seems like a missed opportunity. Apple, please don’t make the same mistake in 2025.
