iPhone X Could Be Produced Again

Ever since the first rumors of the iPhone XS, we've heard rumblings that the iPhone X would be discontinued. That was true, but could now be reversed. The iPhone X could be put back into production and we can attribute that to the poor sales of the iPhone XS and iPhone XR [Source: The Wall Street Journal]. If true, we could see a lower priced iPhone X that may be able to entice customers. The iPhone X is a fine smartphone. I personally love mine without taking a second glance at the iPhone XS. So, if Apple sold this phone a few hundred less than the iPhone XS, many people might consider it instead of the iPhone XR.

iPhone X Display Repair Program

As an iPhone X user, I haven't experienced any of the issues described here (yet), but apparently, a lot of people have been experiencing issues where the iPhone X's touch screen becomes unresponsive. In addition, this has been going on for a while with some users, so Apple has decided to launch the iPhone X Display Module Replacement Program. Any user experiencing the issues described should go to an Apple Authorized Service Provider or Apple Store for a repair at no cost.

Smartphones Outpacing Lithium-Ion Technology

Lithium-ion batteries are the life-force of most portable devices today. They made alkaline batteries (AA, AAA, etc.) nearly obsolete. Why find a C battery for your flashlight when you can just use your iPhone? According to the The Washington Post, smartphone technology may be advancing too fast for lithium-ion batteries, which brings into question whether an alternative should be used soon. The iPhone XS was ranked a worse battery than the iPhone X. The full chart is below. Take note of the color of the bars. Gray bars represent 2017 phones while blue bars represent 2018 phones.

iOS 12.1 Add Battery Performance Management to More Devices

Battery Performance Management was introduced earlier this year in an update following controversy about performance throttling. iPhone X, iPhone 8, and iPhone 8 Plus were not affected by this change. However, iOS 12.1 added Battery Performance Management to these devices. This is interesting because this feature is only relevant for older devices, so we now see when Apple sees fit for devices to have this feature.

iPhone X Cases May Not Be Compatible with iPhone XS

While most iPhone X owners won't likely be upgrading to the iPhone XS, it is still good to know that their cases are not compatible with each other [Source: Daring Fireball]. This is because of slightly different camera sizes, by about a millimeter or two. While this change is minimal, it's enough to say the wrong case won't have a perfect fit.

iPhone X's Lack of Evolution

Always at the back of my head for the past year, I remember an obscure statement from Jony Ive. He told Wallpaper* the following:

And because of the fluid nature of software, this product is going to change and evolve. In 12 months' time, this object will be able to do things that it can't now. I think that is extraordinary. I think we will look back on it and see it as a very significant point in terms of the products we have been developing.

After the iPhone XS announcement, I thought I was the only one who remembered this statement. Maybe I dreamt it and Jony Ive never said that. But then EverythingApplePro on YouTube mentioned this in his newest video. The iPhone X has not done anything worthy of the term "evolve." And the iPhone X was the perfect device to see evolve. EverythingApplePro cited concepts of an always-on display thanks to the iPhone X's OLED display, a dark mode, dynamic effects like sound waves on music, and a notification-sized Siri. Clearly, there was a lot of room for change and evolution, but Apple clearly wanted us to forget. iPhone X was a special phone because it was the epitome of change that served as Apple's vision into the future, but as also a testament to the foundation that the original iPhone created.

Another iPhone X Clone

A while back, we looked at what was probably the biggest iPhone X clone, at least it was back then. We have a new contender and it's from Motorola. Like the Xiaomi Mi 8, the Motorola P30 copies the iPhone X right down to the lava lamp wallpapers and marketing images. There isn't much to distinguish the Motorola P30 from the iPhone X. There's the logo on the back and the logo on the bottom on the front. Aside from a few minor design choices and the OS, they're practically identical. We'll see which phone will be next to hop on this bandwagon.

Image Credit: MacRumors

iOS 12 Makes Closing Apps on iPhone X Easier

In iOS 11, the iPhone X had an exclusive “feature” that made it easy to close many apps in a row, but tedious to close just one. You would hold your finger on the icon and tap the red icon to close it. In iOS 12, this is revised to the simple swipe up without holding down on the icon. This is much easier, especially when you only have one hand free. This was confusing to many iPhone X users who didn’t read up on all of the new gestures. 

The Biggest iPhone X Clone

As much as some Android phones like to mock the iPhone X's notch, you can't deny that it has become very popular with Android phones in recent months. When I saw the image below, I took a double-take several times. The font was a bit thinner, there were one too many buttons on the side, and the camera was a bit off, but other than that, it looked just like an iPhone X. Even the glass back, flash positioning, and the status icons were just like the iPhone X. This is the Xiaomi Mi 8. It also has a feature similar to Animoji and Face ID. Even the marketing in the image below looks similar to images of the iPhone X. Xiaomi phones are currently not available in the U.S.

Retro iPhone X Cases

As mentioned earlier, the iMac is now 20 years old. Spigen is celebrating with some iMac-themed cases for the iPhone X. They're candy colored, just like the original iMacs. They look stunning, with lots of detail put into them. There are five colors total. You can order them on Indiegogo starting at $25 with free shipping.

iPhone X App Support

Apple is informing developers that all app updates submitted after July 2018 (no specific date was given) must be built with the iOS 11 SDK and support the iPhone X's larger display. Recently, all new apps submitted had to be built for the iPhone X, but this date only applies to updates. This is normal, and ensures that developers are taking advantage of the latest technologies. For those who use outdated apps on their iPhone X, hopefully this enforcement will either update or get rid of any apps that aren't optimized.

iPhone X was the World's Most Popular Phone

According to Strategy Analytics, the iPhone X was the world's most popular smartphone last quarter. This comes after news that the iPhone X underwhelmed Apple. If this is accurate, that's great news for Apple. Despite this, I still think the price needs to go down, which I'm fairly confident it will. I see more and more iPhone X models in the wild. Hopefully this also encourages developers to ensure their apps work well on the iPhone X.

Tim Cook on iPhone X Sales

During Apple's earnings call, Tim Cook elaborated on iPhone X's sales numbers. While he didn't provide any concrete data, he mentioned the phone is doing well. He did admit sales weren't what he wanted, making a football analogy. He said that the iPhone X is a "Super Bowl winner" that Apple wanted to win by a few more points. Cook also mentions that the iPhone X sold better than both iPhone 8 models each week.

The Need to Lower iPhone Prices

iPhone X was way over-stocked in the post holiday season. The phone that brought so much change while serving as a culmination of ten years of iPhone has hit a roadblock. The main barrier in iPhone X is clearly the price. I think Apple's headed in the right direction with the LCD model that's rumored to come out this year, as well as the iPhone 8 line, but I think they're not understanding their audience. Normal people want an iPhone at a normal price. They likely don't care about LCD vs. OLED. A larger display might not mean much. In addition, the lineup is too confusing. I remember when the iPhone lineup was simple. If you ask what the newest iPhones were, you would hear the the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X are the newest models. Why is there no iPhone 9? What makes the iPhone X so special? A lot of unnecessary confusion is brought to the consumer. They may be confused as to why the iPhone X is so expensive, especially if they don't understand OLED technology. Apple needs to cleanup their lineup this year. Make the iPhone X-style display standard, but don't force OLED technology and cut prices. Make a more legitimate reason to upgrade to the high-end model than just OLED and Animoji.

iPhone X Satisfaction Rates

According to John Gruber, the iPhone X has a 97 percent satisfaction rate. However, breaking down this data further reveals something interesting. Looking feature by feature, there are great ratings across the board, with almost every feature above 80 percent satisfaction. All but two: Portrait Selfies and Siri. Portrait Selfies comes in at a fair 60 percent, but Siri is at 20 percent. I believe this is another sign to Apple to get Siri up to snuff with its competition. With Alexa, I don't have to memorize every feature. I can ask it, and I typically get a response, especially with trivial questions. With Siri, my commands are scripted. I ask things I know I'll get a response to. Anything from that will return a Bing search. In iOS 12, I'd love to see Siri finally catch up with its competitors.

Apple Wanted a Gold iPhone X

Documents from the FCC reveal that the iPhone X was supposed to release in a gold color [Source: MacRumors]. This document was filed in September, which suggests that the gold color may have been axed at the last second. Despite this, rumors have surfaced lately about a potential release of a gold iPhone X. I honestly don't think it would be in Apple's best interest to release it now, especially after the release of the PRODUCT(RED) iPhone 8.

Why There's No Red iPhone X

Whenever there's any coverage on the new PRODUCT(RED) iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus models, people seem to wish there was a PRODUCT(RED) iPhone X. Personally, I think Apple wouldn't want to waste money making it in red. While tech journalists may have some demand for a red iPhone X, consumers likely won't be willing to buy a new, expensive iPhone just to have it in red. No one was really holding off on buying an iPhone X because of a red color. A red folio was a good middle ground. Owners of the iPhone X can easily swap out their case for a new look without having to buy a new iPhone and prospective owners can focus on two simple, yet striking colors. I will say that I'm not a fan of the iPhone X folio. I opted for a regular leather case because the folio feels very cheap for the $99 price tag. It feels like a regular leather case glued onto a foldable case. Regardless, it's nice that Apple gave iPhone X users a chance to get a PRODUCT(RED) accessory for their iPhone.

Apple Tying Up Loose Ends

Apple has been looked at as trying to catch up and stay relevant in recent years. I even accuse them of it. However, there is an important trend that has been very implicit in Apple's product launches. Apple is very different than its competitors because it makes software, but doesn't license it or make it open source. Android can often look more appealing to a user because of the variety of options that are available from so many different phones. These phone makers have much less at risk when they introduce a new phone. Meanwhile, the iPhone hasn't had any radical change until the iPhone X with its new display. Any new changes to the design have to be very well thought out for Apple, otherwise, iOS is no longer unified and developers become more frustrated. With Apple redefining an edge-to-edge display with its signature notch, we see two types of responses from Android. Either phones that brag about having no notch or phones that embrace the notch. In fact, this has led Android development tools to simulate many different sizes of notches. As one could imagine, this is much more frustrating for Android users and developers because the chances of an app being fully optimized for these phones is much less than an app being fully optimized for iPhone X. Being able to take a trend like this and capitalize on it like Apple has could be a big win for Apple, albeit subtle. This is just one example of Apple's strategy to regain relevance. The slashing of the iPad's price will likely be a big slap in the face at Chromebooks, and the idea of a cheaper Apple notebook coming soon could help shred more marketshare away from Chromebooks as well. Apple tying up these loose ends and capitalizing on their competitors' mistakes and pricing helps Apple products appeal more to the average consumer.

Blush Gold iPhone X

A rather sketchy rumor from leaker Ben Geskin states that the iPhone X will release a Blush Gold color. It looks like a take on the Rose Gold color from previous iPhones. However, what makes me skeptical is how he states “stuff can be canceled.” Don’t get me wrong, that could be 100% true, but it seems like an odd thing to state. 

Support for iPhone X

iPhone X support will be mandatory soon, but many apps still do not support the new screen size. In a great article, MacRumors reached out to some app developers to see their status on making their apps optimized with the iPhone X. Looking at the article, it seems that most have active plans to update their apps. I believe the App Store guideline for iPhone X support is really pushing this. This will be in effect starting April 2018. I highly recommend checking out the article to see a complete list of the apps.