Well-written article. People like Diaz and others with an axe to grind are not journalists, they’re kids wanting attention. Present the facts and let the reader decide.
I don't mind reviewers or blogger to make some critics, but it needs to be given in some context - eg. give an example, why is the solution competitors used better etc. Isn't it strange that we get more objective criticism from "apple sheep" bloggers than from haters? If I'd be a hater, I'd gather facts so my hating posts are not that easy to question... But of course, that is possible only in case that there are some facts to collect :-)
I was waiting for X but might go for 8 here are my 4 main concerns:
1. that no bezel makes it difficult to handle without touching screen [iPad 10.5 issue]
2. have heard problems about battery life despite it being bigger than the iPhone 8
3. is it really worth 20% more than an 8 when it is already redundant
4. wearing glasses I like touch ID and might not want to trade it for face recognition where you have to lift the phone in front of your face every time you switch on [biggest concern]
I was waiting for X but might go for 8 here are my 4 main concerns:
1. that no bezel makes it difficult to handle without touching screen [iPad 10.5 issue]
2. have heard problems about battery life despite it being bigger than the iPhone 8
3. is it really worth 20% more than an 8 when it is already redundant
4. wearing glasses I like touch ID and might not want to trade it for face recognition where you have to lift the phone in front of your face every time you switch on [biggest concern]
Most of those concerns seem to be misconceptions.
Only going for the 8+ could fix the "battery issue" cause any phone its size will have less battery.
You don't have to lift the phone yet you repeat a "meme"... You are misinformed.
It is peculiar that had Apple not put ear extensions on the screen to utilise the wasted space on each side of the sensors then no one would be bitching that 'they were unable to put the sensors under the display'. For every other phone with a small bezel on the top they could also say, 'they have a small bezel because they were unable to put the sensors under the screen', particularly with the Galaxy because it also has IR lights and cameras for Iris Recognition. Not only do we not hear that but we don't even hear 'the finger print scanner on the back just goes to show that Samsung were unable to put it under the display', which is in fact actually physically possible.
No, only Apple is the one who cannot put an array of sensors under the display, never mind that what really needs to be under the display is the fingerprint scanner that is on the back of any phone with a rear mounted fingerprint scanner. And people buy into this nonsense.
But apple simply uses wasted space on each side of the bezel and all hell breaks loose. Virtually no one gives them credit for utilising the bendability of OLED to remove the bottom bezel. Butthurt android apologists like to say "but samsung made apple's screen" but that actually makes it more remiss of samsung to not have worked out that they could fold their own display technology to eliminate the bottom bezel. Apple had to show them how to use their own tech.
We've had years of 'Apple can't innovate', and so they introduce Face ID which is the very definition of innovation in that they are the first in the universe to put that on a phone and in fact if you have a look at this pdf from the arXiv server Infrared Face Recognition it looks like Apple's miniaturisation of this technology is world beating work.
No. Just no. I can't forgive Apple for the abomination that is called "the notch." I'll be picking up an iPhone 8+ instead. They should have gotten inspiration from Samsung's Infinity display on how to do an edge to edge display.
My son took me through his campus building (Architecture in Victoria University of Wellington, NZ) today. Lots of students hovering over their laptops. Probably 95% MacBooks of various kinds, even though the department recommends Windows (for the software packages they use). So students use VMs. The first year Design students had an exhibition in another room - full of iMac computers and iPads. I don't see Apple spiralling into doomed failure here sorry Diaz.
Nice article. That paragraph about Google stuff is so true. Who the fuck is Diaz never heard of this cook before. Tech bloggers suck there buisiness model is based on clickbait.
This nonsense has been going on since the days of the PC -- witness the so called "debates" over Windows versus OS2: OS2 was clearly the superior operating system, but the bloggers trash talked it into oblivion.
It seems like the the first task is to understand the motivation behind the review. The Wall Street Journal (of all places) is a good place to start: Joanna Stern's tech reviews come off more as a gossip column rather than anything remotely related to impartial technical accuracy. But she is not the first at the WSJ to do this: Walt Mossberg also distorted and twisted reality to fit his goals -- and this can be seen in how his reviews have changed since he left the WSJ...
It is a shame: people rely on these reviews - but get spin and distortions of reality. That's probably OK if you know what you are getting: If you listen to FoxNews you get right wing spin -- if you listen to MSNBC you get left wing spin. That's ok -- you know what to expect and can adjust for it. But, the problem happens when the reviewer pretends to be honest and impartial but isn't.
There is really only a single cure: for honest reporting to report on and call out the spin, distortions and out right lies.
This may be a bit unpopular, but I need to say Diaz has some points. When he says "battery life that lasts for more than a few hours of usage, materials that are truly durable" both are on target. iPhone X's front & back glass is apparently easily damaged by dropping it, and it costs and arm and a leg to get such damage repaired. X also doesn't have any better battery life (unless you play color inversion tricks as AI disclosed) than previous models.
We should not fall over ourselves to claim a critic has no points just because he's shown bias in the past. Yes, he (for some reason) has many axes to grind, but ignore his critiques at your own peril, Apple. The rest of us want durable, long-lasting iPhones too.
the battery life of my iPhone X is amazing...best battery life of any mobile phone i have ever owned...even without adding AI’s tricks.
First, the Apple hater writers don't get paid to be right, they get paid to get hits. So, from their perspective, being correct is irrelevant.
Second, now that we have arrived in the era of alternative facts, there isn't much of a need for objective truth, nor a way for people who are talking past each other to find out what the truth is.
I have been using my iPhone X for about ten days now and have an observation about Face ID and what has been written by many reviewers (and not necessarily the “hater” variety). To me, the X is the first iteration of a true “learning machine.” In my experience the sensors and neural engine/network in the A11 are learning more and more about my face every time I use it. The phone seems to unlock now, in a variety of environments, somewhat faster than it did in the beginning. I think that this confirms what Apple has been saying about Face ID. It is an implementation of AI to authentic the user-that learns as time goes on. This is different than Touch ID which stored authentication information of a static fingerprint that does not change. I think it is a superior implementation of AI that will only get better over time/use; I don’t know why this is seemingly not so well understood by those who write these reviews when they comment on Face ID. Our experience with this aspect of the iPhone X is not static, and will change over time-for the better, I believe.
First, the Apple hater writers don't get paid to be right, they get paid to get hits. So, from their perspective, being correct is irrelevant.
Second, now that we have arrived in the era of alternative facts, there isn't much of a need for objective truth, nor a way for people who are talking past each other to find out what the truth is.
Objective truths: -Many real iPhone users (not all, but many) struggle with FaceID. Apple probably could have put touchID on the back but didn't -There is a camera bump -iPhones have never been known for fantastic battery life. At best, it's been good. Some Android phones have actual two day + battery life with average usage -the iPhone X has been called by many sites like CNET (not blogs and not Android biased ones) to be the most breakable iPhone ever -the iPhone X stops working in the cold sometimes -some iPhone Xs are getting the green line of death -its screen is less bright than the top of the line Samsung phones' -it's expensive -iPhone X users have complained about how multitasking is slower without a home button -there is no headphone jack -Samsung put a button beneath their screen, something Apple probably could have done -iOS gives the user less control over their phone's interface -the iPhone X actually has a slightly lower screen to body ratio compared to the top of the line Samsung phones who'd don't have a notch or as rounded corners (which take away from screen real estate in videos) -it has no open use of NFC -it has no back button (this isn't talked about as much, but this has been my complaint since the beginning. I don't want to look for a different way of going back in every app) -they could have switched over to USB C but (here is the opinion section starting) they probably wanted to keep lightning because proprietary jacks lead to more money, and jacks and dongles seem to be a big part of Apple's business
Opinion: -Some iPhone users only think it's great because they haven't seen how far behind they are compared to the best Android phones -It seems the author nitpicked a few complaints they could handle (though obviously couldn't) and ignored the ones they could not. There is a pretty clear iOS bias seen
Did you want more facts or is this enough to show you that complaints are real and not just coming from Android diehards. I use Apple computers and tablets used because they last and I don't need the features their competitors offer (and if I do, I have Parallels) so I don't hate Apple. I'm not saying Android is objectively better for everyone (though for the money, I'd say it's best for most), but don't tell me that critics are all lying since 'the iPhone X is by far obviously the best phone in the world' is objectively not true for all. For a company that prides itself on being more glitch free, iPhone X has had a lot of them!
To balance things out from my previous writing, I do appreciate Apple trying to catch up to what they've been missing, as them taking on wireless charging will make the world easier for us Android users who've had it for a while. I do also think that their phones have advantages to MacBook and iPad users (one of the main reasons I'd consider switching to iOS) though iCloud is prohibitively expensive and their port-less computers are causing me to consider switching away. As I'm writing this, I'm realizing that even this paragraph is backhanded, but my origin intent sincerely was not to be like this. Apple did a fantastic job when they introduced the iPhone. It was pretty objectively the best phone at the time. But they've started falling behind at the iPhone 4 and haven't seemed to be able to recover though most people enamoured by their marketing seem to miss this.
And no, I'm not a blogger who's paid for my writing. Just a middle class tech lover who wants the best for my money and whose opinion may differ from yours.
I didn’t know Diaz still existed in the tech world. He banned me from Gizmodo after we argued about some design element of iOS. He indeed acted liked a brat and I was making a point politely, which he didn’t like. I think he is not right in the head.
Ha, he banned me as well when I commented one of his articles where he was talking about journalistic standards or something, soon after the iPhone saga. The man is a petty petty individual.
No. Just no. I can't forgive Apple for the abomination that is called "the notch." I'll be picking up an iPhone 8+ instead. They should have gotten inspiration from Samsung's Infinity display on how to do an edge to edge display.
So the notch is an abomination, but a massive forehead (and chin) are perfectly acceptable to you. Makes perfect sense¡
First, the Apple hater writers don't get paid to be right, they get paid to get hits. So, from their perspective, being correct is irrelevant.
Second, now that we have arrived in the era of alternative facts, there isn't much of a need for objective truth, nor a way for people who are talking past each other to find out what the truth is.
Objective truths: -Many real iPhone users (not all, but many) struggle with FaceID. Apple probably could have put touchID on the back but didn't -There is a camera bump -iPhones have never been known for fantastic battery life. At best, it's been good. Some Android phones have actual two day + battery life with average usage -the iPhone X has been called by many sites like CNET (not blogs and not Android biased ones) to be the most breakable iPhone ever -the iPhone X stops working in the cold sometimes -some iPhone Xs are getting the green line of death -its screen is less bright than the top of the line Samsung phones' -it's expensive -iPhone X users have complained about how multitasking is slower without a home button -there is no headphone jack -Samsung put a button beneath their screen, something Apple probably could have done -iOS gives the user less control over their phone's interface -the iPhone X actually has a slightly lower screen to body ratio compared to the top of the line Samsung phones who'd don't have a notch or as rounded corners (which take away from screen real estate in videos) -it has no open use of NFC -it has no back button (this isn't talked about as much, but this has been my complaint since the beginning. I don't want to look for a different way of going back in every app) -they could have switched over to USB C but (here is the opinion section starting) they probably wanted to keep lightning because proprietary jacks lead to more money, and jacks and dongles seem to be a big part of Apple's business
Opinion: -Some iPhone users only think it's great because they haven't seen how far behind they are compared to the best Android phones -It seems the author nitpicked a few complaints they could handle (though obviously couldn't) and ignored the ones they could not. There is a pretty clear iOS bias seen
Did you want more facts or is this enough to show you that complaints are real and not just coming from Android diehards. I use Apple computers and tablets used because they last and I don't need the features their competitors offer (and if I do, I have Parallels) so I don't hate Apple. I'm not saying Android is objectively better for everyone (though for the money, I'd say it's best for most), but don't tell me that critics are all lying since 'the iPhone X is by far obviously the best phone in the world' is objectively not true for all. For a company that prides itself on being more glitch free, iPhone X has had a lot of them!
To balance things out from my previous writing, I do appreciate Apple trying to catch up to what they've been missing, as them taking on wireless charging will make the world easier for us Android users who've had it for a while. I do also think that their phones have advantages to MacBook and iPad users (one of the main reasons I'd consider switching to iOS) though iCloud is prohibitively expensive and their port-less computers are causing me to consider switching away. As I'm writing this, I'm realizing that even this paragraph is backhanded, but my origin intent sincerely was not to be like this. Apple did a fantastic job when they introduced the iPhone. It was pretty objectively the best phone at the time. But they've started falling behind at the iPhone 4 and haven't seemed to be able to recover though most people enamoured by their marketing seem to miss this.
And no, I'm not a blogger who's paid for my writing. Just a middle class tech lover who wants the best for my money and whose opinion may differ from yours (and who may also want to open the eyes of some iSheep who don't know what they're missing out on.)
For us old timers this is simply business as usual. I’ve been using Apple products since 1982, thirty five years. When the Apple ][ was around it was the nascent PC crowd that hated Apple. When the Mac came into being it was the Amiga (Commodore) that was going to crush Apple. There’s always been doom lurking just around the corner for Apple according to people who hate the company for some reason. Apple’s durability, stubbornness, tenacity, force of will, work ethic, forward thinking, are juts some of the reasons I stick with Apple and its products.
Comments
No, only Apple is the one who cannot put an array of sensors under the display, never mind that what really needs to be under the display is the fingerprint scanner that is on the back of any phone with a rear mounted fingerprint scanner. And people buy into this nonsense.
But apple simply uses wasted space on each side of the bezel and all hell breaks loose. Virtually no one gives them credit for utilising the bendability of OLED to remove the bottom bezel. Butthurt android apologists like to say "but samsung made apple's screen" but that actually makes it more remiss of samsung to not have worked out that they could fold their own display technology to eliminate the bottom bezel. Apple had to show them how to use their own tech.
We've had years of 'Apple can't innovate', and so they introduce Face ID which is the very definition of innovation in that they are the first in the universe to put that on a phone and in fact if you have a look at this pdf from the arXiv server Infrared Face Recognition it looks like Apple's miniaturisation of this technology is world beating work.
The best revenge is to simply be successful.
It seems like the the first task is to understand the motivation behind the review. The Wall Street Journal (of all places) is a good place to start: Joanna Stern's tech reviews come off more as a gossip column rather than anything remotely related to impartial technical accuracy. But she is not the first at the WSJ to do this: Walt Mossberg also distorted and twisted reality to fit his goals -- and this can be seen in how his reviews have changed since he left the WSJ...
It is a shame: people rely on these reviews - but get spin and distortions of reality. That's probably OK if you know what you are getting: If you listen to FoxNews you get right wing spin -- if you listen to MSNBC you get left wing spin. That's ok -- you know what to expect and can adjust for it.
But, the problem happens when the reviewer pretends to be honest and impartial but isn't.
There is really only a single cure: for honest reporting to report on and call out the spin, distortions and out right lies.
First, the Apple hater writers don't get paid to be right, they get paid to get hits. So, from their perspective, being correct is irrelevant.
Second, now that we have arrived in the era of alternative facts, there isn't much of a need for objective truth, nor a way for people who are talking past each other to find out what the truth is.
To me, the X is the first iteration of a true “learning machine.” In my experience the sensors and neural engine/network in the A11 are learning more and more about my face every time I use it. The phone seems to unlock now, in a variety of environments, somewhat faster than it did in the beginning. I think that this confirms what Apple has been saying about Face ID. It is an implementation of AI to authentic the user-that learns as time goes on. This is different than Touch ID which stored authentication information of a static fingerprint that does not change.
I think it is a superior implementation of AI that will only get better over time/use; I don’t know why this is seemingly not so well understood by those who write these reviews when they comment on Face ID. Our experience with this aspect of the iPhone X is not static, and will change over time-for the better, I believe.
Objective truths:
-Many real iPhone users (not all, but many) struggle with FaceID. Apple probably could have put touchID on the back but didn't
-There is a camera bump
-iPhones have never been known for fantastic battery life. At best, it's been good. Some Android phones have actual two day + battery life with average usage
-the iPhone X has been called by many sites like CNET (not blogs and not Android biased ones) to be the most breakable iPhone ever
-the iPhone X stops working in the cold sometimes
-some iPhone Xs are getting the green line of death
-its screen is less bright than the top of the line Samsung phones'
-it's expensive
-iPhone X users have complained about how multitasking is slower without a home button
-there is no headphone jack
-Samsung put a button beneath their screen, something Apple probably could have done
-iOS gives the user less control over their phone's interface
-the iPhone X actually has a slightly lower screen to body ratio compared to the top of the line Samsung phones who'd don't have a notch or as rounded corners (which take away from screen real estate in videos)
-it has no open use of NFC
-it has no back button (this isn't talked about as much, but this has been my complaint since the beginning. I don't want to look for a different way of going back in every app)
-they could have switched over to USB C but (here is the opinion section starting) they probably wanted to keep lightning because proprietary jacks lead to more money, and jacks and dongles seem to be a big part of Apple's business
Opinion:
-Some iPhone users only think it's great because they haven't seen how far behind they are compared to the best Android phones
-It seems the author nitpicked a few complaints they could handle (though obviously couldn't) and ignored the ones they could not. There is a pretty clear iOS bias seen
Did you want more facts or is this enough to show you that complaints are real and not just coming from Android diehards. I use Apple computers and tablets used because they last and I don't need the features their competitors offer (and if I do, I have Parallels) so I don't hate Apple. I'm not saying Android is objectively better for everyone (though for the money, I'd say it's best for most), but don't tell me that critics are all lying since 'the iPhone X is by far obviously the best phone in the world' is objectively not true for all. For a company that prides itself on being more glitch free, iPhone X has had a lot of them!
To balance things out from my previous writing, I do appreciate Apple trying to catch up to what they've been missing, as them taking on wireless charging will make the world easier for us Android users who've had it for a while. I do also think that their phones have advantages to MacBook and iPad users (one of the main reasons I'd consider switching to iOS) though iCloud is prohibitively expensive and their port-less computers are causing me to consider switching away. As I'm writing this, I'm realizing that even this paragraph is backhanded, but my origin intent sincerely was not to be like this. Apple did a fantastic job when they introduced the iPhone. It was pretty objectively the best phone at the time. But they've started falling behind at the iPhone 4 and haven't seemed to be able to recover though most people enamoured by their marketing seem to miss this.
And no, I'm not a blogger who's paid for my writing. Just a middle class tech lover who wants the best for my money and whose opinion may differ from yours.
That's a lot of lies for one post.