Apple buys startup RealFace and moves ahead with facial recognition on Mac Computers
Tel Aviv-based startup RealFace, is a cybersecurity firm that focuses on machine-learning algorithms and facial recognition.
According to a news report from the Times of Israel, RealFace, founded in 2014, has drawn Apple’s attention enough for the company to purchase RealFace for an estimated two million dollars, although the real number could be higher.
Since its debut, RealFace has been developing “...proprietary IP in the field of frictionless face recognition...”, as quoted from promotional material.
RealFace has been the fourth tech startup acquired by Apple since 2011, with flash memory maker Anobit as the first, 3D sensor company PrimeSense in 2013, and camera sensors maker LinX, in 2015.
With that said, RealFace ranks as the cheapest deal Apple has made, considering that the LinX has set Apple back an estimated 20 million dollars, and Anobit a whopping $400 million.
Why facial recognition, and why now?
Apple is not a company the rushes into new tech without proper data, but it is a company that, is a technology is worth it, it will take it to the next level, and will present it in a way that consumers will understand it value.
By this token, Apple is unlikely to ditch Touch-ID, considering how much Apple has invested in integrating it with Apple Pay, as well as the latest MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar. However Apple now has four companies that allow it to integrate facial recognition across all devices, in virtually any context where Touch-ID is relevant.
This may be a response to Microsoft Windows Hello, a mechanism that allows to include a wide array of biometric authentication technologies,or it may not be, depending on who you ask. The fact is that Apple has shown interest in biometric technologies more than ever, also in part as the result of the ongoing power-struggle with the FBI, but that’s another story. What matters is that Apple has now the means to enhance all its Touch-ID devices (including MacBooks) with RealFace-powered image recognition cameras based on LinX tech, as well as the ability to make face recognition more secure by implementing RealSense-like 3D scanning, based on PrimeSense technology.
On a hunch Apple’s new face recognition feature will not be called PrimeFace, or FaceSense or RealPrime, if history is of any indication.
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