Do we ever think this is going to happen? I have been needing/wanting a new keyboard for a while now, mine still works, it's just slightly bent and annoys me. I love my original thin apple wireless keyboard and can't seem find anything that quite matches it... except for the current magic keyboard. I don't want to buy that and then miss out on the TB/TouchID version (as I couldn't buy both). As far as I'm aware the keyboard hasn't had an update (apart from a colour addition) for a few years. Do we think there will be an update with the Mac Pro, or am I just being ridiculous waiting for a tomorrow that may never come??
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BT keyboard with touch bar/touchID
- Thread starter kemperman
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I can't see touch id happening on an external keyboard since it would need a security chip in the Mac thats paired with the sensor in they keyboard, if it was to be secure.
It's certainly possible, which means we'll probably never see it. The Touch Bar MBP was introduced some time ago and well before the iMac Pro. If the Touch Bar were viewed within Apple as a success, it stands to reason that the technology would have made its way to the keyboard introduced with the iMac Pro (and offered separately for MBP and other users). That it did not speaks volumes.
Right now the Apple Watch can be used to unlock a Mac, so it stands to reason Touch ID in a keyboard with a T2 chip could do it as well.
However, I think the issue would be using Touch ID for Apple Pay from a remote keyboard. I don't think it would be quite as secure, or secure enough for Apple and financial institutions.
The keyboard would then know that the user is the rightful owner of the keyboard, but how would the mac know to trust the keyboard? I guess that's a solvable problem but is not as simple as having the T2 chip in the mac. I assume the T2 has to be instrumental in decrypting the hard drive otherwise it would be pointless.