macOS Sierra Resources Reportedly Point to Touch ID and OLED Display Bar Support (and More)

Thanks to a French website MacGeneration and note by 9to5Mac, it’s been discovered that different resources inside macOS Sierra include references to several potential upcoming features of future Macs, including Touch ID and OLED touch bar support.

If you recall, a recent report was released stating that Apple is gearing up to launch a new MacBook Pro with an OLED touch bar probably for use with quick actions and handy controls depending on the application you’re currently in. This indication has been brought to life thanks to these resource references in the macOS Sierra code. Different references like “kHIDUsage_LED_DoNotDisturb” and “kHIDUsage_LED” lead to the speculation of a special, LED lit Do Not Disturb button and touch bar for ease of access. In addition, these code snippets might also point to dedicated fast forward, rewind, play, pause, and power functions on the touch bar which are all currently found in the function key row on the keyboard where the OLED bar will reportedly be going. You’ll also supposedly be able to turn on your camera with a tap of button alongside answer phone calls and activate a possible new night mode. It’s unclear if this feature will be exclusive to the new MacBook Pros, however we can’t really make any guesses yet only because a feature like Night Shift would require a special chipset inside your computer which supports it.

There’s also some references to a biometric input device which, if you know your biometrics in modern day technology, probably means a fingerprint sensor. If you remember, back in 2013 when iOS 7 was in beta, code snippets were found hinting at the possibility of fingerprint scanner support which ultimately turned out to be true when the iPhone 5s was unveiled. If we can base our guess off of this history, there’s a good chance we’ll see the next MacBook Pros with fingerprint sensors in them.

Of course, all of this is just speculation and these references could ultimately mean nothing in the future, however it’s rather exciting to see them pop up so early in beta 1 of macOS Sierra. This just makes me question what the future has in store for us…

Source: MacGeneration via 9to5Mac