Unveiled, 3-camera iPhone . . . for the self ie generation
APPLE unveiled its new ‘selfie generation’ iPhone last night, at a lower price than previous models after it was accused of alienating customers.
The iPhone 11, which will cost from £729, has two cameras at the back and an enhanced video camera at the front – and is made using stronger glass to prevent screens smashing.
Apple claims it is powered by the fastest chip ever fitted in a smartphone, lasts all day on one charge and will withstand having coffee or fizzy drinks spilt on it.
The second camera allows users to take wider pictures, including group shots that do not accidentally cut friends out.
The model also has a slow motion video camera. A more expensive version, the iPhone 11 Pro, will have an extra lens at the back for telephoto shots.
The drive to pull in customers who largely use their phones to share pictures has also led Apple to install a shortcut that means a selfie can be taken in just one click from the home screen.
With the iPhone increasingly used to watch videos or listen to music, it has been designed with immersive sound, with Apple promising a cinema-like experience. To attract younger customers, the handset comes in six colours including pink and yellow.
British analyst Ben Wood, chief of research at London-based CCS Insights, said at the event in Cupertino, California, that the new phone ‘will allow users to get to new levels of narcissism’.
The iPhone 11 which will go on sale next week at $699 in the US, a huge drop from the $1,099 price tag on last year’s iPhone XS.
It will cost more in the UK – starting at £729 for the basic iPhone 11 and rising to £1,049 for the iPhone 11 Pro. Apple has struggled to shift its handsets in recent months after experiencing a slowdown in emerging markets. With prices reaching four figures, the phones had become a luxury for many, critics warned.
And although few buy an iPhone outright, often paying a monthly fee to their network, some were reportedly turning their backs on Apple for cheaper brands.
The price cut is likely to be seen as a way to win back buyers. Apple is also offering customers a discount if they trade in their old handset.
Chief executive Tim Cook said Apple TV, the company’s new £ 4- a- month streaming service being launched to take on Netflix and Amazon, will be included with new iPhone and iPod purchases.
Ru Bhikha, mobiles expert at price comparison site uSwitch. com, said: ‘ Expectations were low ahead of the launch of the iPhone 11. But what Apple revealed will give fans something to salivate about.’
‘New levels of narcissism’