The dimple on the back of the Nexus 6 was going to be a fingerprint scanner - until Apple came along

Home / News / The dimple on the back of the Nexus 6 was going to be a fingerprint scanner – until Apple came along

That dimple on the rear of the Nexus 6 looks rather nice. Bordering Motorola’s ‘M’, it brings a little design flavour to the mix, and that’s always a good thing.

But it could have been much more.

Motorola’s ex-CEO Dennis Woodsidehas confirmed that the dimple was in fact originally meant to house a fingerprint scanner, presumably allowing users to unlock the device, secure files and possibly even make online payments with a simple swipe of a finger.

The reason for its omission? Apple.

AuthenTec – the company Motorola wanted to use for the sensor – was bought by Apple in 2012, in preparation for the Touch ID home button that graces new iPhones and iPads today.

The second best fingerprint scanning sensor company was, “not there yet” in terms of technology, according to Motorola CEO Dennis Woodside, so Moto decided to axe it altogether.

Woodside went on to tell The Telegraph that addition of a fingerprint scanner “wouldn’t have made that big a difference” anyway, although some security concious users may beg to differ.

READ MORE: Google Nexus 6 review

[The Telegraph]

About

Esat has been a gadget fan ever since his tiny four-year-old brain was captivated by a sound-activated dancing sunflower. From there it was a natural progression to a Sega Mega Drive, a brief obsession with hedgehogs, and a love for all things tech. After 7 years as a writer and deputy editor for Stuff, Esat ventured out into the corporate world, spending three years as Editor of Microsoft's European News Centre. Now a freelance writer, his appetite for shiny gadgets has no bounds. Oh, and like all good human beings, he's very fond of cats.