Apple held its most highly anticipated event of the year on Tuesday, and it did not disappoint. This is what AAPL stock owners have been counting on for all of 2017: the 10th anniversary iPhone, officially dubbed the iPhone X. Sept. 12, 2017, for better or worse, will go down in Apple’s corporate history as a massive launch.
Here’s what you need to know about the iPhone X’s new features.
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The iPhone X is priced at $999 and is available for ordering Oct. 27. It will ship on Nov. 3. Apple stock, which was up 38 percent in 2017 going into today’s announcement, wavered as CEO Tim Cook unveiled the company’s newest flagship phone.
Here are some key details investors (and consumers!) should know:
What are the biggest changes to the iPhone X? Actually, there are quite a few changes to the iPhone X. To name just a few:
— A bigger screen: The screen is 5.8 inches instead of 4.7 inches, despite the phone itself being the same size.
— Edge-to-edge display: The way the larger-screen-same-size-phone dynamic is even possible is because Apple, following the lead of Samsung, decided to do away with the bezel entirely and make the entire front of the phone a screen. This means that …
— Apple did away with the home button: The functions of the home button will now be performed by hand gestures. All you have to do is touch the phone to wake it up.
— Super Retina display. As expected, it’s an OLED display technology, the first iPhone to ever to do so.
— 3D facial recognition capabilities: Called Face ID, now all you have to do is look at your phone to unlock it! The technology is propelled by artificial intelligence, specifically machine learning and neural networks. The neural engine can perform over 600 billion operations per second. The future is here. “It learns who you are and adapts to you over time.” It works at day or night, and cannot be spoofed by photographs or masks.
— 3D facial recognition, working with apps: While 1 in 50,000 people could fool your iPhone with Touch ID, but they’ve improved to 1 in 1,000,000 with Face ID. You can also use Face ID to more quickly use Apple Pay, E-Trade and Mint.
— Wireless charging: AAPL has finally cracked wireless charging for its smartphones, although the charging accessory may come separately — and could cost around $80.
— Animated emojis: Last but probably first on for many, the iPhone X comes replete with animated emojis, which you can control with your own face.
— Greater battery life. The iPhone X would have two hours more battery life than the iPhone 7.
How much will the iPhone X cost? The iPhone X will retail for $999, which is precisely what most Wall Street analysts expected. It’s the most expensive version of the smartphone ever, a price ostensibly justified by the litany of futuristic new features. Many originally thought the phone would be called the iPhone 8.
But will the iPhone X really cost $999? Probably not. That is to say, this new iPhone launch isn’t just the biggest event of the year for Apple, it’s the biggest event of the year for wireless carriers, too. Analysts expect major carriers like Verizon Communications ( VZ) and AT&T ( T) to subsidize the price of consumer iPhone purchases with promotions that maintain and attract network subscribers.
The biggest promotions, however, could come from the smaller carriers, T-Mobile ( TMUS) and Sprint Corp. ( S), who are aggressively trying to take market share from the Big Two. Expect a flurry of advertisements later today and this week.
But today wasn’t just about the iPhone X. Apple actually released a few other products, notably:
Two more iPhones. The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, which will retail starting at $699 and $799, respectively. There will be two models of each, a 64GB and 256GB model. These price points were slightly higher than the $649 and $769 analysts expected. You can order both starting Sept. 15; they’ll both ship on Sept. 22.
They are new and improved iterations of last year’s iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus models, but given their lower price points, clearly don’t come equipped with nearly the functionality the iPhone X does. “The most durable glass ever in an iPhone,” the company said of the phones’ sleek material.
The phones are powered by a brand-new chip, A11 bionic. The “most powerful, smartest chip ever in a smartphone” Apple says. The phone also includes an Apple-designed GPU that will power augmented reality apps and machine learning apps. Of course, the company also bragged about the improved camera; the iPhone 8 will have a single camera while the iPhone 8 Plus will have a double camera.
Apple Watch Series 3. The newest installment of the Apple Watch actually makes quite a leap from the Watch 2, even though Watch sales rose 50 percent year-over-year last quarter, Cook said.
The Apple Watch Series 3 allows for cellular connectivity — you can make audio and video calls — boasts a front-facing FaceTime camera and contains a dual-core faster processor and more energy-efficient display. For the first time, Siri will actually be able to speak through the Watch. The regular model will start at $329, while Apple Watch Series 3 with cellular will start at $399. You can order both starting Sept. 15, with availability on Sept. 22.
Health will also be a main focus of the watch; the company emphasized smart activity coaching, new features for swimmers, and the ability to detect arrhythmia in the presentation.
Cellular connections will also change the way users listen to music, with the ability to stream over 40 million songs from your wrist.
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Apple TV 4K. Starting at $179, Apple’s set-top box is getting an upgrade, and is now capable of 4K video. It’s also available on Sept. 15, and ships on Sept. 22.
4K has four times more pixels than typical high-definition TVs. It’s also enabled with high dynamic range (HDR), which gives viewers higher quality pixels. The CPU will be twice as fast and graphics will be four times as fast as the previous Apple TV. Movies will be available on iTunes at 4K HDR quality for the same price as HD movies.
Live sports is coming to Apple TV “later this year” according to executive Eddy Cue.
Augmented reality compatibility. The iPhone X is specially designed for augmented reality and AR apps, which is probably smart given the insane popularity of Pokemon Go last year, which brought the capabilities of AR to the attention of the masses. On iOS 11, ARKit is a framework for developers Apple created to enable great new games to be created.
Each iPhone is “custom-tuned for augmented reality.” Apple showed off an AR app that superimposed constellations on the night sky, all you have to do is point your camera at the heavens. There’s also spatial audio in the AR games — if you go close to the action, the sound increases.
“It’s like you’re not just playing the game, you’re in the game,” one presenter said.
Qi, a wireless charging standard, will work with iPhone 8.
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Apple (AAPL) iPhone X Event: Everything You Need to Know originally appeared on usnews.com
