X Marks the Spot — Apple Unveils the Future of iPhones
It’s hard to believe that just over 10 years ago, Apple changed the way we looked at phones and how we communicate with each other all together. The first iPhone was released on June 29, 2007. It was surrounded by so much buzz that it when on to make Apple one of the most valuable companies in the entire world. Since that day there have been over 14 iterations that have sold over 1.2 billion devices and with today’s announcement, it doesn’t look like that number is going to stop growing.
A touching tribute to Steve Jobs opened up today’s event followed by a few moments to talk about those affected by the latest hurricanes and how to donate via iTunes. Tim Cook then discussed the new Apple campus known as Apple Park (which runs completely on renewable energy), the Apple store (now referred to as Town Squares), and then moved onto the reason for the event — new Apple products.
First up for new devices was the AppleWatch. With 50% year over year growth since last year, the Apple Watch has moved into the #1 spot for watches worldwide. With Watch OS4 (available Sept. 19th) we’ll see improvements to the heart rate tracking including resting heart rate and recovery heart rate indicators. Along with the update to the OS, we’ll be seeing the AppleWatch series 3 with built-in 4G LTE cellular (using the same number as your phone), it will be both faster and more power-efficient, and there are new materials and bands. The Series 3 with cellular starts at $519 CAD ($399 USD) and the Series 3 without starts at $429 CAD ($329 USD). So far the cellular will only work on Bell and Telus networks and will be available starting September 22nd.
Also seeing an expected upgrade was the AppleTV which, much to everyone’s surprise, has earned Apple a 2nd Emmy Award for its remote with Siri controls. The 2 main things to take from this portion of the announcement were that Canada will be getting the AppleTV app with several Canadian Channels and that the new AppleTV 4K will now handle 4K HDR content. Pricing for the new AppleTV 4K starts at $229 CAD ($179 USD).
And then came the phones. 3 in fact. While much of what was announced we already knew from recent leaks, it was still just as exciting to see it announced.
The first to be announced were the 8 and the 8 plus. While normally these would be called the “S” versions of the 7, I believe the change in materials of the chassis are what prompted a whole number jump. Keeping the home button but with glass on both front and back, the 8 line-up sees improvements in the camera, speakers, display (Retina HD with True Tone display), and the speed of the CPU. Also new to the 8 and 8 plus are Augmented Reality and wireless charging (Qi standard). The 8 Plus will also get a new beta feature in its Portrait Lighting which create a professional lighting effect directly on the phone through live adjustments. Both phones will be water and dust resistant, have an A11 Bionic chip inside, and come in 64GB and 256GB options and Silver, Space Grey, and Rose Gold colours. Starting at $929 CAD ($699 USD) for the 8 and $1059 CAD ($799 USD) for the 8 Plus, they can be pre-ordered starting September 15th for delivery starting September 22nd.
Also much expected, though perhaps not the price tag for Canadians, was the 3rd phone announced today — the iPhone X (as in iPhone 10). Not sure where the 9 went but the X may be a reference to the 10 years since the first iPhone was launched. With this latest and greatest iPhone, we’re getting a whole slew of new things to go along with the hefty price. The iPhone X shares some similarities with the 8 Plus with the front and back glass, wireless charging, True Tone, the same back camera (but with dual optical image stabilization), and the A11 Bionic chip. It also shares the storage sizes of the 8 Plus with the 64GB and 256GB options.
From there things start to get interesting as we see a substantial design change with the removal of the home button and bezels giving us an edge to edge screen. As a result, we’re getting a bigger screen (5.8”) than the 8 Plus (5.5”) but in a smaller form factor (slightly bigger than the 8). Not only that, but the screen will be a Super Retina OLED display which is the first OLED display to show up in an iPhone. Along with the new screen we get a whole array of new sensors that are used to bring us new features like Face ID and Animoji.
Face ID will be used to replace the fingerprint sensor used in Touch ID. Instead, using the sensors to “recognize your face” through a mathematical model that tracks a multitude of points on your face so you can do all the things you used to do with Touch ID including Apple Pay and unlocking your phone. Face ID happens instantenously, even in the dark, and adapts as your face changes (i.e. growing a beard). It will also be available to 3rd party developers for other uses (3D selfies?). One of the more fun uses of these new sensors also comes with the introduction of Animojis. The sensors can track your facial and muscle movements to reflect your exact facial expressions and send them in the form of moving (and talking) emoji. All your favourites are there, including the poop emoji!
Obviously with the removal of the home button there will be some changes to the way we use the phone. Tap the screen to wake and swipe up from the bottom to access your home screen. To switch apps, swipe up from the bottom and stop. For Siri, press the side button. It’ll take a little bit of an adjustment but totally worth it. The iPhone X will also see an extra 2 hours of battery life which, to be honest, is almost enough in and of itself to upgrade to a new phone. Here’s the downside though. The 64GB option is $1319 CAD ($999 USD) and a whopping $1529 CAD for the 256GB. Even worse, you’ll have to wait. Pre-order isn’t until October 27th and the phones won’t arrive until at least November 3rd.
That being said, can it be November 3rd now? They can just take my money already— I’m ready for the X.
