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Apple unveils iPhone X, other advancements

Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing, discusses features of the new iPhone X at the Steve Jobs Theater on the new Apple campus on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2017, in Cupertino, Calif. (Associated Press)
By Seung Lee Mercury News (San Jose)

CUPERTINO, Calif. – Ten years ago, Steve Jobs stepped onto the stage at the Moscone convention center in San Francisco to unveil the iPhone, not fully knowing the transformational power it would have on Apple, Silicon Valley, the internet and the entire world.

On Tuesday, his successor, Tim Cook, unveiled the company’s latest model, the iPhone X, in a state-of-the-art Cupertino theater named after Jobs.

“It is only fitting we are here in this place to reveal a product that will set the path for this technology for the next decade,” Cook said the company’s most expensive phone to date.

The iPhone X will have end-to-end screen display with a “Super Retina” display made of glass – and no home button. To unlock it, users can either shake the phone or swipe their finger up the screen. The iPhone X can be opened using facial recognition through new “TrueDepth” camera sensors on the front side, which Apple calls “Face ID,” replacing the fingerprint “Touch ID” feature.

Apple says it tested its new Face ID technology to prevent the cameras from being fooled by photographs and masks.

Pre-orders for the iPhone X will begin Oct. 27, and the phone will be available on Nov. 3. The 64 gigabyte-phone will cost $999.

Despite having more features, the iPhone X’s charge will last two hours longer than the iPhone 7’s, according to Phil Schiller, Apple’s vice president of worldwide marketing. The iPhone X will have wireless charging and is water- and dust-resistant.

Apple also announced the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, cheaper alternatives that are natural extensions of the existing models. Like iPhone X, these new phones have wireless charging, an improved portrait mode and the same new A11 “Bionic” processor as the X.

The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus will cost $699 and $799, respectively, and be available on Sept. 22.

Apple will also make its newest models for Watch and TV available on the same day. The Watch will have cellular connection, and the TV will be 4K-compatible.

Apple Watch Series 3 will allow users to answer phone calls, send texts and see map directions. Chief operating officer Jeff Williams announced the Watch will support third-party apps and can stream over 40 million songs via Apple Music.

The new Watch with cellular connection is priced at $399 – a non-cellular Watch will cost $329.

The iPhone 8, iPhone X, Watch Series 3 and AirPod earphones can all be wirelessly charged in a singular, new battery dock called AirPower.

With 4K compatibility, the Apple TV is revealing the company’s newfound ambitions to compete with Hollywood studios and streaming platforms like Netflix. The new TV app will also bring live sports and news, and iTunes will provide 4K movies at the same price at HD movies. The new TV will start at $179 for its 32 gigabyte version.

More than 1,000 people packed the Steve Jobs Theater Tuesday for the product launch. Media, Apple employees and tech luminaries, from Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, Laurene Powell Jobs and Pixar CEO John Lasseter, were spotted at the event.