Will Apple's iPhone X Alter The Face Of Smartphone Tech?

Published September 13, 2017 at 9:00 AM CDT

Apple CEO Tim Cook announces the new iPhone X at the Steve Jobs Theater on the new Apple campus on Tuesday in Cupertino, Calif. (Marco Jose Sanchez/AP)

The new iPhone’s out, and it unlocks not with a fingerprint, but with your face. We’ll take a look and see where mobile phone technology and competition are.

Like it or not, we live on our smartphones these days. Not everybody, but a lot of people. On Tuesday, from its new spaceship-shaped campus in California, Apple unveiled its latest versions: the iPhone 8, 8 Plus and iPhone X, the first $1,000 smartphone. Facial recognition to unlock it. Wireless charging. New screen. But there is competition. Samsung’s new Galaxy does not explode, and it’s pretty great, too. Up next, On Point: Apple, Samsung, more — and the state of smartphone competition right now.

Guests

David Pierce, senior staff writer at WIRED covering personal technology ( @pierce)

Aaron Pressman, senior writer at Fortune covering technology ( @ampressman)

Hal Hodson, technology correspondent at The Economist ( @halhod)

Tom’s Reading List

WIRED: Meet The iPhone X, Apple’s New High-End Handset — “First of all, the X looks like no other phone. It doesn’t even look like an iPhone. On the front, it’s screen head to foot, save for a small trapezoidal notch taken out of the top where Apple put selfie cameras and sensors. Otherwise, the bezel around the edge of the phone has been whittled to near-nonexistence and the home button disappeared—all screen and nothing else. The case is made of glass and stainless steel, like the much-loved iPhone 4. The notched screen might take some getting used to, but the phone’s a stunner. It goes on sale starting at $999 on October 27, and it ships November 3.”

Fortune: Apple’s Next iPhone Is Already Facing a Stronger Field From Samsung, LG, and Sony — “Apple will unveil its newest iPhones in one week, and possibly an upgraded smartwatch, as well. But the rest of the industry has been trying to anticipate Apple’s moves with new phones and watches of their own. And the competition is bringing more useful new features to consumers than ever.”

The Economist: What machines can tell from your face — “The face is not just a name-tag. It displays a lot of other information—and machines can read that, too. Again, that promises benefits. … But the technology also threatens.”