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Document: WM-017 P. Webb
Category: Tech 2017.09.12
iPhone X is my dream phone
Abstract
This looks like everything I've ever wanted
Body
For as long as I can remember, I've always wanted a futuristic
communication device *that also looked the part*. Arguably, every
smartphone today fits the former description. The latter? A whole
bunch of *meh*. Sharp's Aquos Crystal[1] was the best contender
before the X IMO, but I don't use Android.
📸[Dat sweet design, dayum][IMG1]
Enter iPhone X[2], a device leaked by a disgruntled employee inside
Apple days before today's event. It *would have been nice* to have a
proper surprise but here in 2017, assholes are a dime a dozen.
Anyhoo, this futuristic communication device succeeds in looking like
such and that pleases me *immensely*. For context, I am currently
rocking a 256GB Jet Black iPhone 7 Plus. I purchased this phone and
configuration primarily for the camera…*and shiny body*.
My fiancé used to find my ~~constant filming~~ role as family
historian irritating but has come to accept it now, yahaha[3]! She
was pregnant with our son when I bought it and I correctly predicted
that most of my content would be of him. My daughter is becoming a
~~pain in my ass~~ tween and I don't want to miss out on her
development/funny moments as well. Believe it or not, I've filled my
phone at least twice over the past year and would've reached my
phone's storage limits a helluva lot quicker if I chose a
lesser capacity.
I explain all this to say I'm going to be one of those people
plunking down $1149 for the piece of mind 256GB gives me. Fight me.
(No really, some people seem pretty mad about the iPhone X on
Twitter) 🤷🏾♂️
I'm going to run down my favorite new features about the
*definitive* iPhone.
*BUCKLE UP GANG*
1. Cameras
Anyone who visits my Instagram page[4] can see that I clearly
*love* taking Portrait photos. While not perfect (Apple needs to
find a way to deal with curly hair), I can usually get some damn
good shots on a consistent basis. The optical image stabilization
allows me to run after my kids and get awesome action shots that
aren't blurry as hell.
For the X, Apple includes a *second* optical image stabilizer.
This will make my favorite kind of photo to take *even better*.
In additional to a better-looking Portrait mode, we gain a new
feature called "Portrait Lighting". Thanks to the extra sensors
Apple seems keen on packing into iPhone, Portrait Lighting allows
me to light my subjects in five different ways:
1. Natural Light
2. Studio Light
3. Contour Light
4. Stage Light
5. Stage Light Mono
These modes emulate studio lighting and of course, since this is
software it can (and will) improve over time. The X will
automatically optimize images as I take them. In theory that
sounds great but, I don't know just yet if I'll like how this
optimization happens.
When Apple initially introduced Portrait Mode, I've wanted it on
the front-facing camera and it's a reality now with the X (and
iPhone 8 Plus, the Plus model always has a better/extra camera
than the non-Plus model). FINALLY. Get ready for yours truly (and
aspiring Instagram models) to use this feature a LOT.
Another feature I'm particularly excited for is the capability to
shoot *4K video at 24fps*. This is cinema-quality videography, *in
my friggin' pocket*. Are you *kidding* me?! This, coupled with the
Steadicam[5] coming in the mail soon, is going to make my videos
*amazing*. I do believe I win for best family historian this year,
the holidays are gonna be cinematically *gorgeous daaaaahling*.
2. Face ID
📸[Internal shot of what makes Face ID possible][IMG2]
~~When Craig Federighi bungled the initial demo of Face ID, I~~
~~was concerned for obvious reasons. Then he tried several more~~
~~times and it worked consistently each of those times, which~~
~~leads me to believe he messed up somehow that first time (go~~
~~watch first impressions videos from people who were actually~~
~~at today's event, Face ID gets demoed in some.~~
Update from Apple to 9to5Mac[6]:
> "People were handling the device for stage demo ahead of time,"
> says a rep, "and didn't realize Face ID was trying to
> authenticate their face. After failing a number of times,
> because they weren't Craig, the iPhone did what it was designed
> to do, which was to require his passcode." In other words, "Face
> ID worked as it was designed to."
My main concern continues to be, *will this work for me?* I'm a
black man with a beard who wears glasses. *Snapchat doesn't think
I exist* most times, whereas my family can use Snapchat's
face-tracking masks without issue. While Apple's site shows a
brown man with/without facial hair, glasses, and a hat, I haven't
seen any press media showcasing dark-skinned people using Face ID
successfully. Color concern may be unwarranted since an infrared
camera, infrared light, and dot mapping is used but facial hair? I
look forward to tech reviewers testing this before launch. If
MKBHD doesn't grow a beard, *I* will be the one to test this for
myself (and share the results with you all).
Apple claims their Face ID neural networks/machine learning will
track your face's changes over time. It will be interesting to see
how it copes with people undergoing reconstructive surgery and
related facial matters.
3. Hardware Design
📸[iPhone 4, is that you?][IMG3]
The iPhone 4 was a favorite to many and I remember the collective
sadness online when the iPhone 5 was released looking very
different from the 4. I had a Palm Pre at the time so I didn't
care, haha. The X has a glass back like the 4, but adds surgical
grade stainless steel for the sides and bottom. The phone looks
seamless and I'm curious to know how it feels in the hand.
I regularly give my son my phone while it's recording on the
front-facing camera because the results end up being pretty funny.
Being a year and some months old, he *does*
drop/throw/trip over/attempt to eat my phone so the extra sturdy
design of the X will be much appreciated (my 7 Plus is holding up
well though!). I'm thinking about creating a YouTube channel in a
few months to showcase #dadlife, and you may see some of
these clips.
According to Apple, normal ol' OLED wasn't good enough. They've
made a "Super Retina" HDR display with a million to one contrast
ratio, high resolution and brightness, wide color support, and
excellent color accuracy. In addition, the X gains "True Tone"
technology like the latest iPad Pro. This automatically adjusts
the color temperature of the screen to match the lighting
environment you're in, to reduce eyestrain.
4. Qi Charging
📸[Qi charging, never saw this coming][IMG4]
The glass back of the X enables wireless charging and to be
honest, I did not think this would actually happen. Of course, the
Apple-issued charging mat isn't coming until sometime in 2018 but
the fact that it's coming at all is great. In the meantime, you
can certainly purchase Qi charging pads from other manufacturers.
Apple says they've wanted ~~wireless~~ inductive charging since
the original iPhone and a decade later they've done it! *Cue
Android users saying they've had it first.*
Qi is an industry standard for wirelessly charging devices. One of
my best friends swears by Qi and remarked that some fairweather Qi
manufacturers are gonna come back into the fold (LG and HTC). I
hope Qi and USB-C take the tech industry by storm. One cable to
rule them all and wireless charging for the rest!
Clarification about Qi and AirPower, from John Gruber[7]
(emphasis mine):
> The best way to think of it is that AirPower is to Qi what
> AirPods are to Bluetooth.
>
> *AirPower is going to be a superset of Qi with a layer of
> non-standard Apple technology on top of it to make it better*,
> just like how AirPods are a superset of Bluetooth with
> non-standard Apple technology on top. So iPhone 8 and iPhone X
> can charge on any Qi charging pad, like the Belkin and Mophie
> ones that Apple promoted on stage. Likewise, AirPods can be used
> as a regular Bluetooth headset connected to any
> Bluetooth device.
>
> But AirPower can do things Qi cannot — it can charge Apple Watch
> and the upcoming new AirPod case. *Apple Watch and the AirPod
> case are not Qi devices — you cannot charge them on a Qi
> charging pad.* That's similar to the way AirPods (and the Beats
> headphones also equipped with Apple's W1 chip) can do things
> regular Bluetooth headsets cannot — in particular, the seamless
> pairing process, and the lower audio playback latency enabled by
> the W1.
>
> The main difference between the non-standard aspects of AirPower
> compared to AirPods is that *Apple is pledging to offer their
> improvements to the Qi consortium.* If the consortium accepts
> them, third-party companies will be able to make AirPower-like
> charging pads that do work with Apple Watch, the new AirPod
> case, and more.
I was confused about Apple Watch and AirPod cases charging on
Apple's pad because they didn't specify if only the *latest*
versions of those devices had Air Power capability, or if past and
present versions would work out of the box. I'm still unsure but
I'll update when I find out.
5. Animoji
🎥[iPhone emoji][VID1]
The TrueDepth camera on the X (in conjunction with the A11 Bionic
chip) analyzes 50 different muscle movements on your face and then
applies them to one of 12 pre-selected ~~emoji~~ Animoji. You can
record video messages with Animoji (and your voice!) and share
them inside of Messages. It should be possible to export these
videos outside of Messages too. I hope there's a way to create
your own Animoji (if you're a developer). I'd create a 3D version
of myself and use that Animoji exclusively.
Apple just made it so anyone can be a (generic) Pixar character.
6. Criticism
On social media today, I've seen people complain (some, vehemently
so) about the price of the phone and say things like, "This isn't
worth it", "iPhone eXtortion", "Just get a laptop", and so on. I
believe these people are reactionary and failing to see the bigger
picture. They see the price and think, "That price…for a
*phone*?", and stop their train of thought…*derail it* even. In
reality, *you aren't paying for just a phone*. You are paying for
a phone that rivals a DSLR camera and last I checked, those
cameras are *not* cheap but, no one complains about them (probably
because expectations of DSLRs haven't changed over their lifetime,
at least when compared to phones).
For me, my personal communication device is only referred to as a
phone because of legacy reasons (and it's shorter to say). It's
kind of like how floppy disks are still the universal symbol for
save but we sync now. Hell, *even the phone icon* is legacy.
Phones these days are flat slabs of metal, only medical and
government facilities have classic telephones.
Another bit of criticism I've seen is regarding the ease of which
law enforcement can forcefully obtain access to someone's iPhone
X. The owner could be handcuffed while a police officer holds the
phone to their face and then swipe to unlock the phone. As a black
man in America, I find this to be the *only* valid criticism I've
seen thus far. Just a few days ago though, I found a solution for
that! It requires you to be observant and proactive but I tend to
have my hand on my phone when I see police anyway…
Juli Clover reported[8] about the "SOS Feature" in iOS 11 for
MacRumors (emphasis mine):
> Emergency SOS is activated by pressing on the sleep/wake button
> of an iPhone five times in rapid succession. When the requisite
> number of presses is complete, it brings up a screen that offers
> buttons to power off the iPhone, bring up your Medical ID (if
> filled out) and make an emergency 911 call.
>
> Along with these options, there's also a cancel button. *If you
> hit the sleep/wake button five times and then hit cancel, it
> disables Touch ID and requires a passcode before Touch ID can be
> re-enabled.* Touch ID is also disabled if you actually make an
> emergency call.
>
> This is a handy hidden feature because *it allows Touch ID to be
> disabled discretely* in situations where someone might be able
> to force a phone to be unlocked with a fingerprint, such as a
> robbery or an arrest. With Touch ID disabled in this way, there
> is no way to physically unlock an iPhone with a finger without
> the device's passcode.
>
> It's also worth noting that *there's no real way to tell that
> Touch ID has been disabled in this manner*.
After reading this, I tested it immediately and it works like a
charm. I advise anyone with law enforcement concerns to practice
this when you upgrade your phone to iOS 11 or get the iPhone 8/8
Plus/X. It's probably a good idea to do this while going through
customs as well.
- 2017/09/16 update:
TechCrunch interviewed Craig Federighi[9] and here's how the
above feature works on iPhones 8 and X (emphasis mine):
> On older phones the sequence was to click 5 times [on the
> power button], but on newer phones like iPhone 8 and iPhone X,
> *if you grip the side buttons on either side and hold them a
> little while — we'll take you to the power down [screen]. But
> that also has the effect of disabling Face ID.* So, if you
> were in a case where the thief was asking to hand over your
> phone — you can just reach into your pocket, squeeze it, and
> it will disable Face ID. It will do the same thing on iPhone 8
> to disable Touch ID.
It's worth noting that the squeeze can be of either volume button
plus the power button. I'm going to test/practice this when I
get mine.
Closing Thoughts
I'm excited.
Like the original iPhone, I think iPhone X heralds a new era in
smartphone design, development, and creative possibilities and I
can't wait to get started. The AR games demoed at the event bored
me, but ARkit demos on Twitter are *amazing*. I'm looking forward
to seeing who creates the breakout AR app everyone's gotta have. I
think there's opportunity for nearly every app to offer something
interesting in the AR space, if only for demo purposes.
I'm looking forward to upgrading to an Series 3 Apple Watch. The
cellular version is not for me as I'm hardly ever far away from my
phone (and I don't jog). I like the improved heart rate monitor
and since my son's birth I've become more interested in my overall
health. My Pebble Time is also showing its age by slowly breaking
down so upgrade time is soon.
All in all, it was a great event. Leakers don't deserve happiness.
I'm going to download Final Cut. 🕸
References
[1] <https://www.amazon.com/Sharp-Aquos-Crystal-Sprint-Silver/dp/B00NWYANAI>
[2] <https://www.apple.com/iphone-x>
[3] <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMgK_E6_GAE>
[4] <https://www.instagram.com/spacemanfresh>
[5] <https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tiffencompany/steadicam-volt-smartphone-stabilizer-shake-free-vi>
[6] <https://9to5mac.com/2017/09/13/face-id-demo-fail-details>
[7] <https://daringfireball.net/2017/09/iphone_x_event_thoughts_and_observations>
[8] <https://www.macrumors.com/2017/08/17/ios-11-emergency-sos-disables-touch-id>
[9] <https://techcrunch.com/2017/09/15/interview-apples-craig-federighi-answers-some-burning-questions-about-face-id>
[IMG1] <https://🔥.pixels.wtf/blog/image/2017/iphone-x-dream-phone-a.jpg>
[IMG2] <https://🔥.pixels.wtf/blog/image/2017/iphone-x-dream-phone-b.jpg>
[IMG3] <https://🔥.pixels.wtf/blog/image/2017/iphone-x-dream-phone-c.jpg>
[IMG4] <https://🔥.pixels.wtf/blog/image/2017/iphone-x-dream-phone-d.jpg>
[VID1] <https://🔥.pixels.wtf/blog/video/2017/iphone-x-dream-phone-a.mp4>
|
