3 ms·

Maybe it would work perfectly - until you were panicky and the adrenaline affected your heart rhythm. Like during that sales demo, or when calling 911.

• derefr 17y ago
  Does adrenaline really affect rhythm, or does it simply make your heart beat with the same rhythm, faster? I thought any change in heart rhythm was considered an arrhythmia.
  • cstross 17y ago
    I suspect arrhythmias are commoner than you think. A large proportion of us will suffer from one at some point in our lives. Failure scenario: you're having a mild heart attack, but you can't call an ambulance because your phone doesn't recognize you! (If this biometric is routinely used as a password-substitute, what are the odds that by the time you really need it, you've forgotten the password you used when you set up your account?) Yes, a workaround for emergency services is feasible, but your average first half attack has a duration measured in hours, comes with a variety of symptoms the victim is unfamiliar with, and many folks' first response is to try to self-diagnose or ask someone about it, rather than to instantly realize "OMFG, I'm having a heart attack, ER now". Way to go if they're locked out of all the possible online sources of information that might tell them what's going on! (And I really don't think Apple will be wanting to jump through the medical device certification hoops for OSX and the iPhone, given what the regulatory regime is like ...)
    • derefr 17y ago
      Easy enough: require that any computer using biometrics (of any kind, not just this one) also have the guest account enabled.
      • cstross 17y ago
        Now we're into patching design errors by applying work-arounds. That always ends well.
    • george_morgan 17y ago
      Android phones already have an “emergency call only” option on the unlock screen. Now, a phone that self-diagnoses an emergency is heading into interesting territory…
  • Vivtek 17y ago
    I don't know - but I'm not really 100% sure Apple knows, either.