The Morning After: Wednesday, September 13th 2017
Can you really put a price on animated poop emoji?
Hey, good morning! Today you wake up to three new iPhones to choose from -- just don't mention the iPhone 9. We've crammed yesterday's lengthy showcase into 13 minutes of evocative language and imagery, spec-sheet chest beating and, erm, retail announcements.
Apple's $999 iPhone X packs an edge-to-edge display and dual cameras
Apple CEO Tim Cook just unveiled the biggest redesign of the iPhone we've seen yet. The iPhone X (that's "ten") is dominated by a massive screen that takes up the entire front of the display. Just as on Samsung's Galaxy S8, the bezels are barely there, though the iPhone X has a cutout at the top of the phone to allow for the front-facing camera and sensors. The lack of bezels means the phone isn't that much bigger than the iPhone 8, yet the display is bigger than the iPhone Plus models with 5.7 inches of screen to paw at.
Apple's iPhone 8 and 8 Plus wrap more power in a glass-backed design
After all those tantalizing leaks, you won't have to wait much longer to handle one. Both iPhone 8 models, which mark a return to glass-backed design, with a powerful-sounding new processor inside, will go on preorder September 15th, with a launch date of September 22nd. The major takeaway is the addition of Qi wireless charging on both, as well as even more camera improvements. For the bigger iPhone 8 Plus, prices start at $799, while iPhone 8 shoppers will have to contend with an entry-level price of $699. And yes, all three colors (silver, space gray and gold aluminum) will be coming to both phones. We got to play with both.
How does the iPhone X fare against the best phones of 2017?
Bezel-less phones are here. But Apple faces internal competition as much as external. Why buy the iPhone 8 Plus when the iPhone X comes a little later? Or why spend hundreds more on Apple's highest-specced phone when Android rivals can do similar for less. Chew over these facts, my friend.
No disrespect to the iPhone X, but the biggest news of the day may have been about Apple Watch. This third revision is upgraded with an eSIM and LTE connection, which means it's able to work independently of the owner's phone for extended periods while maintaining the same case size. It's also ready for phone calls or streaming from Apple Music all by itself, and even with a new dual-core CPU, Apple claims it can manage 18 hours of battery life under normal use. The Series 3 with GPS starts at $329 while adding built-in LTE pushes the price up to $399.
Apple TV 4K is here, along with cheaper 4K movies
Apple finally unveiled a 4K and HDR-ready version of its living-room box, but what's most important is the video that will flow through it. Once you've purchased a 4K TV and this $179 box, all of your iTunes purchases (unless they're from Disney) will be automatically upgraded to 4K if available, and Ultra HD movies cost the same amount as HD. Nice, right?
Nintendo's NES Classic Edition is coming back in 2018
Nintendo says that due to demand, it will resurrect the tiny retro console in 2018. Shipment timings are yet to be announced, but this is big news for fans who thought they were going to miss out after the console began disappearing from store shelves. Until then, you'll have to make do with that tiny Super NES Classic Edition, which lands at the end of this month.
