The “S” In iPhone 5S Stands For “Sensors”

Good post on the surprising potential of the sensors in the new 5s. The fingerprint sensor is, of course, quite intriguing as it unlocks easy access to a lot more security (setting a pass code is integral to the file-system encryption on the iPhone, yet few users do so because of the annoyance of entering it). But the real star may be the M7 motion coprocessor. It can continually monitor all sorts of physical data (accelerometer, GPS, compass, etc) while having a minimal effect on battery. All of the amazing features of geofencing, run tracking, location awareness, etc have been unlocked without a commensurate battery hit. That’s an impressive little upgrade.