Another report has surfaced indicating Apple plans to launch its next iPhone with a built-in fingerprint sensor. This time KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo explains that a new home button design will be convex instead of the current concave design, to accommodate the fingerprint sensor. The sapphire component will prevent scratches, much like the sapphire camera lens cover currently found on the iPhone 5.
As MacRumors notes, Kuo has a decent track record offering information on upcoming Apple products. Kuo speculates that the iPhone home button provides the perfect place to use fingerprint sensor technology, and that Apple's use of AuthenTec technology would be advantageous. While many fingerprint sensors use optical recognition, this method can be affected by dust and other contaminants.