Apple’s Revolutionary New Releases

Alexis Santoro, Managing Editor, Current News Editor

On Sept. 12, Apple conducted its annual Keynote presentation, introducing their new releases for the coming year. Among those announcements were two new iPhones, the iPhone 8 and the iPhone X, which is being released in celebration of the iPhone’s tenth anniversary. Apple has made many new improvements to both the performance and design of the iPhone with these new releases.

The iPhone 8 was officially released on Sept. 22, starting at $699, and it is available in gold, silver, and space grey. Similar to previous models, Apple is also selling a version of the iPhone 8 with the larger screen called the iPhone 8 Plus. The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus both come in two different capacities, 64 and 256 gigabytes, unlike previous models that also came with 32gb of storage. Consistent with the iPhone 7, the iPhone 8 is water and dust resistant, and does not have a headphone jack.

In terms of design, both the front and back of the iPhone 8 is entirely glass. However, unlike previous models, the glass is significantly more durable. This completely glass display also enables wireless charging. However, these new charging pads are not included with the purchase of the phone. Apple has not yet released their own charging pads, however they are working to release one in the future. As of now, they can be purchased by numerous technology companies, such as Mophie and Belkin, with prices ranging from $10 to $60. However, the iPhone still supports the traditional lightning charger, which makes it much easier to charge the phone while using it. In terms of performance, the iPhone 8 also runs on an A11 bionic chip, with makes it much faster than previous models and improves display.

Apple did not stop there. In celebration of the 10 year anniversary of the first iPhone, Apple is also releasing the revolutionary iPhone X, which will hit stores on Nov. 3 and will be available for presale starting on Oct. 27. Starting at $999, this phone has an edge-to-edge screen display that comes in both silver and space grey. The iPhone X shares many of the same features with the iPhone 8, including water and dust resistance, the A11 bionic chip, and an entirely glass exterior.

The iPhone X also has many features that significantly set it apart from previous models of the Apple phones. One of the most noticeable differences is the lack of a home button, which is something that Apple has always included.

The most remarkable new feature of the phone would have to be its capability to use face identification as a form of password protection. The iPhone X uses state-of-the-art camera sensors to detect facial features in order to unlock the phone, or use Apple Pay. Due to the phone’s capability to detect facial features and movement, Apple also released a new platform to express emotions called “Animojis” in which a person can bring emojis to life. This program enables users to use their own facial movements to control those of an emoji.

As always, Apple is revolutionizing the technology industry and is continuously exploring new ways to improve the performance of smart phones. After introducing the first iPhone 10 years ago, Apple has pioneered in the technology industry and has paves the way for the future of smartphones.