GRAND APPLE REVEAL
High-end $1,000 ‘iPhone X’
APPLE’S BIGGEST iPhone upgrade in a decade will feature a brighter screen that covers most of the front, facial recognition, wireless charging, superior cameras and a $1,000 price tag.
The tech giant is expected to celebrate the iPhone’s 10th anniversary Tuesday with a new model that has more bells and whistles than a marching band.
Gone from the flagship phone, dubbed the iPhone X, is the circular home button featured on every model Apple ever made.
Gone, too, is the secrecy surrounding what is usually Apple’s biggest day of the year. Many of the details about the newfangled iPhone have already been released, and industry insiders say the leak has Apple’s fingerprints all over it.
This time around, customers will also get an Apple Watch with independent cell service, and an Apple TV with 4K video streaming.
But the biggest buzz will surround the iPhone X, a highend model with an an all-new look that drops the bezels around the display in favor of an edge-to-edge screen that covers nearly the entire front face of the phone.
Designers have done away with Touch ID in favor of 3-D facial recognition technology that even works in the dark, according to reports. But the new phone’s biggest feature is its four-figure price tag, which had some social media users making suggestions about what additions should be included.
“Apple’s new iPhone X is apparently going to cost more than a grand,” tweeted British broadcaster Tony Shepherd. “For that money I’d expect airplane mode to take me on friggin’ holiday!”
William Kelly, 28, of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, said price is no object, though, because he is already close to paying $1,000 for his iPhone 7 Plus with maximum storage.
“For me, my biggest priority is the camera,” said Kelly, who was window shopping at the Apple store in SoHo. “That’s one of the reasons I’ve kept up the last two cycles, because the cameras have gotten much better and better.”
Kelly admitted he is a little concerned about the security implications of a phone that can recognize your face.
“It’s a little creepy,” he said. “If Apple’s always watching in order to see if my face is there to unlock the phone, what else might they be recording?”
Baptiste Ellard, 32, who lives near the SoHo store, said he is psyched about wireless charging.
“That’s dope,” Ellard said. “Everyone is always worrying about their phone dying. I’m constantly on my phone. I’ve been Team Apple since day one, so I’m going to stick with them.”
Apple is also expected to introduce the iPhone 8 and the iPhone 8 Plus, upgrades to the current iPhone 7 and 7 Plus models.
The 8 and 8 Plus models are expected to be cheaper than the iPhone X. The 7 and 7 Plus models currently go for $649 and $769 respectively, for 32 gigabyte models.
Victoria Liao, 18, said Apple can keep its new phone out of her face. All she wants is a simple smartphone like her iPhone 6S Plus, the last Apple model to have a traditional headphone jack.
“I like the basic features,” Liao said. “I’m a basic person.”
Liao had some advice for Apple execs.
“Listen to customer input,” she said. “Listen to their feedback, and how they can boost up their Apple sales, instead of taking away some of the features that iPhone customers are used to.”