Fingerprints are Usernames, not Passwords
All these academic arguments about the security of fingerprints are interesting but completely are detached from the day-to-day use of TouchID.<p>I've been using it for about a week or so now. It's incredibly convenient. It unlocks my phone almost instantly. It prevents random people near by phone from being unable to unlock it. If a thief got their hands on it, they'd have a few attempts to unlock it with a fake fingerprint, and then they'd have to enter my code. And if they fail to enter my code 10 times, the phone is wiped.<p>All in all TouchID basically removes almost the entire burden from the security of having a locked phone. It's actually faster to unlock my phone with TouchID than codeless swipe to unlock, so it's a no-brainer to turn it on. It doesn't matter that the NSA probably has my fingerprints, in practice it prevents most people from getting into my phone in a way that is transparent and easy to use. If the spooks want my data, they can already get it.