Well, the rumors were true. Apple has included a fingerprint sensor in its newest iPhones. It's hard to escape the conclusion that his is a big deal for mobile biometrics even though the biometric capability in the iPhone is limited to unlocking the device. Still, that's not nothing and I expect that eventually, app developers will be given access to the reader.
Even if they aren't, Apple's addition of fingerprint a sensor probably foreshadows their inclusion by all sorts of handset manufacturers. Motorola already has a history there; Samsung certainly won't be left behind as mobile ID surges forward; Microsoft/Nokia + Windows 8 will almost certainly join the fray; moreover, we'd expect all of those companies to have a more laissez faire attitude than Apple toward turning future fingerprint hardware over to third party developers.*
See also: The iPhone's fingerprint scanner: what you need to know (Yahoo)
*The preceding paragraph was revised on 24 Sept. 2013 it originally read, "Even if they don't, Apple's addition of fingerprint a sensor probably foreshadows their inclusion by all sorts of handset manufacturers. Motorola already has a history there and Samsung certainly won't be left behind as mobile ID surges forward. "
