It’s hard to find too much from Tuesday’s event that stands out now, thanks to all of the leaks that spoiled the party. However, there were still some details and omissions that we didn’t all see coming, and some other things have become clearer in context. Let’s take a look at a few that I noticed going back over it all.
One of the most common media tropes regarding Apple and the iPhone is how “behind” the device always is and how the company no longer delivers any innovation. They never release anything new., right? There’s never been anything in an iPhone that an Android phone didn’t pull off first. Everyone in the tech media outside of Apple blogs says it, so surely this must be true. All Apple innovation ceased the moment Steve Jobs passed away. This is what we are all told over and over and over and over and over and over. And believe you me, the haters are out in full force today, as usual after an Apple event.
According to a report by Engadget, Apple has added some flexibility to its iPhone Upgrade Program ahead of today’s iPhone X announcement. Just a few days ago, I was wondering if Apple would start pushing this program more, and this is definitely a positive sign.
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Unless you’ve been living under a rock (or maybe concerned with serious, real life issues like deadly hurricanes), you have probably heard that someone at Apple spilled the beans this weekend. The iOS 11 Gold Master is out in the wild ahead of Apple’s event on Tuesday, and with it, most of Apple’s secrets and surprises, as well. It has been picked over by the tech media and developers and we now know a huge chunk of what Apple will show us on Tuesday. If you don’t like spoilers, read no further.
On July 20, I wrote an article about what we then were referring to as the iPhone 8 and ways that Apple may have been involved in those rumors to either sow misinformation or to control the media narrative about the device. One of the things I addressed in this article was Tim Cook’s comment five years ago that Apple would be doubling down on secrecy. At the time I wrote my post, Apple was coming off the great success of keeping all the details of iOS 11 completely hidden leading up to their WWDC Keynote, and it looked like Cook had made good on his promise of controlling all the information outside of the leaky supply chain.
I brought up the iPhone Upgrade Program a couple of weeks ago, asking whether it is time for Apple to unveil a version for the Apple Watch. However, with the announcement of the new iPhone Edition/X imminent, it is time to focus on Apple’s true flagship, and its existing upgrade program. I think that this particular launch presents a unique opportunity for Apple to grow their iPhone Upgrade Program and foster an even closer relationship with their customer using the anticipation of this highly anticipated tenth anniversary version of the iPhone.
I came close to writing what would have been a “me too” article yesterday on the report by KGI covering Samsung’s dominance of the OLED display market and the resulting higher iPhone display prices. I even started typing before I ultimately decided to delete it. There’s nothing wrong with being one of many to report on the same news, and anytime KGI and/or Ming Chi-Quo have something to say, it is definitely notable Apple news.
The issue I had wasn’t with the “me too” part. It was with the natural assumption that the iPhone Edition’s price is Samsung’s “fault.” I even put that in my original headline at first, before backtracking and thinking about it. Then, after thinking a little more, I just backed away from the keyboard for the night. While it seemed natural to blame Samsung for the Edition’s price increase, based on what I believe about politics and economics, I don’t actually believe it’s true. And I STILL almost fell for buying into it.
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I have been a Plus owner since Apple first went big with the iPhone 6 Plus, and I haven’t looked back. There is no way I would return to the traditional size iPhone at this point. The bigger screen fits the way I use the phone perfectly, especially when I am in the field at work. Also, the fact that the bigger phone also comes with a bigger battery has meant I haven’t needed a Mophie battery case for the last three years. After my time as a Plus user, I am completely sold on the concept of the large-screen phone.
If you are an Apple fan, you’ve probably already heard that the company has officially shifted the responsibility for Siri from Eddy Cue’s Services Group over to Craig Federighi’s OS Group. On the face of it, this may not seem like a big deal, but looking beyond this one event to the context of many other changes in the last year, I feel like it will be, and I’m not alone in thinking that.
It also could easily be interpreted as a failure on the part of Mr Cue, who has done wonders for stabilizing and incrementally improving Apple Maps, iCloud, and Apple Music. Despite his successes in other areas, it is difficult to ignore the stagnation and lack of direction for Siri under his watch. Based on recent comments from both former and current Siri team members, it seems that there has been a lack of effective leadership, direction and emphasis on the service over the last several years. That period of time has seen all of the other major voice assistant platforms catch or surpass Siri in both accuracy and capability.