Apple’s iPhone X
A dramatic shift & an amazing device
After many years of being a PLUS guy (6+, 7+ and 8+) have been using the iPhone X for about a week. There has been a lot of excitement around this device and had to try this for myself and I have been getting comfortable with this new device (and new way of working) for the last week. The last week have also shown a decrease in wait time to about one week from when an order is placed.
A few dramatic physical changes to the iPhone:
No home button. I do find myself occasionally pressing the bottom of the screen only to realize there is nothing there. That being said, true to Apple, most of the use and changed process is 99% intuition. Swipe up, hold, press and hold, app switching all is surprisingly easy to adjust to.
FaceID is amazing. Lift, look and swipe up and I’m in. A lot like the early iterations of TouchID — it was so fast I was never positive it was actually working. 1Password has implemented FaceID (same thing, open the app, look at it and I’m in). Same with ApplePay. Select payment type, double-tap on the sleep button and FaceID confirms purchase. Of course many questions still arise around the way this works, could it could be vulnerable and malicious workarounds BUT still amazing. I registered my face, took off contacts and put on my glasses worked. Cold days and scarf around my neck, works. Wow! Another interesting change is you can only have one face (unlike TouchID).
The screen is beautiful. I started with “I was a PLUS guy”. I’m big, have larger hands and always seemed to muddle through typing on the smaller screens (I wonder regularly how I worked with the older iPhones efficiency). The X screen size (essentially MORE real estate as the plus phones — 5.8” v 5.5”) is astounding. Smaller overall form factor but very comfortable to type on. Without a doubt a step in the right direction for the video technology advances from the retina displays.
iPhone X app updates are noticeable. I did not think much of this prior to getting the X (with the top notch for the cameras). Now, any app that has not been updated for the iPhone X screen (are you listening Google Gmail) is CLEARLY behind. Even for apps that just stretch the black bar that much higher are noticeable and welcome when launching on the iPhone X.
I used the iPhone 8+ for a little longer than a week. The processor (A11 Bionic) is the same as the X and wow, again a noticeable difference in launching apps and using multiple apps. Looking forward to the next generation iPads with these technologies included.
The iPhone X is a clear example of where the technologies are going. Quick response, clear and crisp imagery. A solid improvement but for many, the iPhone 8 is an amazing update (and readily available). As with many new technologies, generation one is loads of fun for me but for many others, a few more months may not be a bad idea.
