Time Magazine’s annual unordered list selected by its editors have started off by giving the iPhone X in the top ’25 Best Inventions of 2017.” Time is calling it “A Smarter Smartphone” as the title on the list. Reading through the list, it starts by quoting Apple SVP of hardware engineering Dan Ricco where he said, “I look at the design as something we really wanted to do since day one.”
In the article, they highlight the sophistication of the iPhone X as one of the driving factors. They talk about the OLED screen “that stretches from edge to edge,” and also reference the A11 Bionic, as well as the Neural engine as the “processor optimized for augmented reality.” In addition to those mention, Time talks about the TrueDepth array and Apple’s Face ID system, the “camera smart enough to allow users to unlock the phone with their face.”
While the magazine talks about these features, they also say that Apple wasn’t the initiator of these technologies introduced. They say that “some of these features first arrived on devices from Samsung and LG,” which is absolutely true. Apple may have perfected some of those features by releasing them after they’re complete, but companies such as Samsung and LG previously released them first.
A large portion of the iPhone X mention is dedicated to discussing how to switch from Touch ID and Home button to Face ID and gestures. Time is also quick to point out Apple’s decision to remove the headphone jack from the iPhone 7 to this situation where the home button was removed in favor of gestures and Face ID.
Time also brings up the price point of the device where Ive’s justification is brought up. Jonathan Ive advises that “As you would expect, there’s a financial consequence to integrating the sheer amount of processing power into such a small device.” Both Ive and Ricco didn’t mention anything about future iPhones, but Ive suggests “We have a clear vision” for the next device generation, and that the iPhone X is “in some sense a completion of a chapter.”
