Apple’s iPhone X is still a few weeks from its release, but over the past several days, it’s been all the company’s design chief can talk about.
In recent days, Apple design chief Jony Ive discussed his company’s upcoming flagship smartphone, the iPhone X, in two separate interviews. In one, he made clear that the iPhone X was a work in progress that took Apple years to get right. In the second, he suggested the iPhone X is the new standard-bearer for Apple’s smartphone design and that it is already inspiring designs of future smartphones.
Ultimately, Ive ignited excitement in the Apple universe over what he and his staff have planned next.
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But there was more about the iPhone this week, including a report saying Apple (AAPL) may have big plans for its Face ID fingerprint scanner.
Read on for our look back at the biggest Apple news of the week:
This is Coins2Day’s latest weekly roundup of the biggest Apple news. Here’s last week’s roundup.
- Speaking at the New Yorker TechFest conference recently, Apple’s Ive said that it took five years for Apple to take the iPhone X from concept to final product. He added that the company had prototypes that didn’t work, and “for the vast majority of the development cycle, all we had were things that failed.” The iPhone X will start shipping on Nov. 3.
- In an interview with Japanese fashion site Brutus Casa this week, Ive said that the iPhone X has spawned “a lot more big ideas” that his company is currently working on. He didn’t say exactly what those big ideas were, but he hinted that they may find their way into future iPhones. He called the iPhone X the “beginning of a new chapter” in iPhone development.
- Following dozens of allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault and harassment, Apple pulled the plug on an Elvis Presley biopic it was reportedly working on with The Weinstein Company, according to a report. Apple hadn’t announced the show, but it was said to be working on it behind closed doors before the Weinstein allegations were made public.
- Security researcher Felix Krause said this week that Apple’s iOS mobile operating system allows app developers to create pop-up boxes that look identical to those from Apple requesting a user’s Apple ID password when they want to buy an app or access their iCloud storage. Krause fears that malicious app developers could dupe unsuspecting victims into handing over their passwords by creating pop-up boxes that look like legitimate Apple alerts. Apple has not yet responded to Krause’s concerns.
- Apple is working on augmented reality technology that makes virtual objects appear as if they are in the real world, allowing users to interact with both at the same time. But CEO Tim Cook said this week that his company won’t sell augmented reality glasses anytime soon. Cook said that the technology that powers the glasses, including screens that display the content, isn’t yet ready. He said Apple would only release augmented reality glasses when it’s confident the user experience is top notch.
- A report from Korean-based news outlet The Investor this week said that Apple is considering making it possible to use a digital stylus with the iPhone in 2019. The feature would allow users to digitally “write” on the screen to annotate documents, take notes, and more. Apple only offers stylus support in its iPad Pro tablet, thanks to its Apple Pencil stylus.
- Apple will stop integrating its Touch ID fingerprint sensor in all iPhones starting next year, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo wrote to investors this week. He said that Apple has committed to its Face ID facial scanner instead and wants to bundle that feature in next year’s phones. Like Face ID, Touch ID is designed to verify a user’s identity and give him or her access to iPhone and its software. The biometric tools can also be used to verify purchases through Apple’s Apple Pay mobile service.
One more thing… Chip maker Qualcomm this week petitioned China to ban iPhones from sale in the country. Qualcomm, which is battling Apple over chip royalties, argues the iPhone maker is violating patents in its smartphones.
