Ten years after the iPhone, I started watching Apple conferences again

On January 9, 2007, Steve Jobs launched the groundbreaking iPhone at the Macintosh Expo held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Ten years later, no matter in terms of software or industrial design, existing mobile phones and popular mobile operating systems have completely broken through the software and hardware framework defined by the iPhone.

Ten years ago, Jobs led a team of thousands of people to create a groundbreaking product. Of course, at that time, Jobs was not sure whether the iPhone could really be "groundbreaking". Before the launch, Apple's team had worked hard for several years, but until the official launch, the iPhone was still a "test machine" and did not meet the conditions for market sales. There were various defects in both hardware and software, and even the demonstration was frightening. But Jobs couldn't wait any longer. He and his team knew that the iPhone was different, and they couldn't wait to show it to the world.

Apple Vice President Eddy Cue later recalled:

The iPhone is the culmination of Jobs’s experience and lessons learned over the years. This is the only exhibition I brought my wife and children to. I told them that this might be the biggest exhibition in their lifetime. You can feel the extraordinary nature of this exhibition.

Jobs said to his team, OK, let's change the industry. So he walked onto the stage and began his famous and brilliant speech. There is no doubt that the launch was a success. The iPhone is a widescreen iPod that supports multi-touch, a revolutionary mobile phone, and a groundbreaking Internet communication device. The emotions of thousands of Apple product enthusiasts at the scene reached a peak... But things are far from that simple. The first generation of iPhone was not smooth sailing. Not only was there little software, but the signal was also poor. Only 1.5 million units were sold in the first quarter.

Every time there is a revolutionary change, few people can see through time and see the future clearly. The same is true for the iPhone. Its release caused a stir among die-hard users, but everything else was calm, as if nothing had happened. However, ten years later, the cumulative sales of the iPhone exceeded one billion units, and new hardware categories such as the iPad and Apple Watch were derived. It can be said that the iPhone has changed people's lives.

Ten years later, I wonder whether the new generation of iPhone has broken the boundaries set by Jobs ten years ago.

Before we get into the topic, let’s talk about Apple Watch.

Apple Watch

I am a user of the first generation of Apple Watch. The battery has been exhausted. In addition, I wear the watch for a long time at work. Every night, before I rest, the Watch says I fell asleep first, and then turns off the screen and goes into a baby-like sleep. To solve this problem, I changed to Apple Watch 2. Now I am watching the Apple conference, and the battery is still 57%. I am very satisfied with it. Until tonight, Cook released Apple Watch 3.

On the night I got the Watch 2, Erye sent me a weird smile on WeChat and said, "According to inside information, Apple will release a brand new Apple Watch at this conference, and the marketing plan has been completed." I asked, "How new is it?" Erye said, "Totally new design" (laughing). At that moment, I was devastated. Is the dial going to be round?

Fortunately, the striking change in the appearance of the 3rd generation released this time is that there is an additional red dot on the crown. This is easy to do. Just make a sticker and transform it into the 3rd generation in minutes. In addition, what other changes are there? With the addition of LTE function and the previous GPS, Apple Watch can finally get rid of the iPhone and become an independent device that can make calls and push messages synchronously with an independent mobile phone. The 3rd generation Watch uses an embedded SIM card chip (eSIM card) to realize the communication function without destroying the original appearance of the watch. What is eSIM? It is equivalent to adding a mobile function to electronic devices. Users no longer need to buy SIM cards, but can directly use software registration or direct purchase to use their own operator network and packages. Does China support eSIM cards? I don’t know yet, but I believe it will be supported sooner or later. How late it will be, I don’t know.

In addition, the new generation of Apple Watch can better detect your health status. For example, it will alarm if your heartbeat is abnormal when you are not exercising. Erye said that Cui Jian used to sing "Only when you are in front of a girl is it real, and only when you break up is the pain real", but now it is not necessary. When you meet the girl you love, if the watch reports an abnormality, it is real.

Another benefit of Apple Watch 3 is that next time when Taiwen calls you while you are swimming, you can tell him that he is busy designing the latest product features and asks him to speak up if he has anything else to say. It’s ok, I’m hanging up. I’ll just shake my wrist and continue swimming:)

iPhone

Anyone who stayed up late to watch the press conference can say this: I missed out by staying up late to watch the replay. Apple's confidentiality mechanism can no longer return to the Steve Jobs era, and almost all the details of the iPhone have been spoiled.

The models released this time are as spoilers suggest: iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X. X is pronounced as ten, a noble Roman numeral to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the iPhone.

The iPhone 8 series can be said to be an upgraded version of the 7. Perhaps the double-sided glass design made Apple abandon the idea of ​​7S. Apart from that, there is no obvious change in the appearance of 7 and 8. If you add a case, you may not be able to tell that it is an 8 at all.

Needless to say, the phone is of course the smartest and most powerful chip ever, but the camera protrusion problem is still not solved. The front and back of the body use the most durable glass panels on the iPhone so far, and the new deep space gray, silver and gold appearances are respectively equipped with aviation-grade aluminum metal frames of the same color. The expected wireless charging function is pleasing to the eye. You can just put the compatible iPhone, Apple Watch or AirPods on the surface of AirPower and charge it directly. If you change your phone, all the cables may be useless (smile).

The powerful performance of this iPhone in various fields can be summarized in two sentences: I originally just wanted to buy a mobile phone, but I also got a powerful camera, camcorder and game console for free.

The most expensive iPhone in the 8 series is 7988. If you don’t like the iPhone X below, and if you like the familiar formula and taste of the old iPhone, 8 is a good choice.

Finally, let’s talk about iPhone X. Mr. Cook said that iPhone X is the future of mobile phones. From my point of view, the door to the future has not yet opened. The advertising slogan on the official website says:

We have always had an idea in mind, looking forward to creating an iPhone that has a full screen, allowing you to be completely immersed in it while using it, as if you have forgotten its existence. It is so smart that your every touch, touch, word, or even a glance will get a telepathic response from it. And this idea has finally become a reality with the arrival of iPhone X. Now, let's meet the future.

My imagination used to be:

The front panel is a complete piece of glass, with no earpiece, no sensor slot, no physical Home button, just a complete, round, brilliant 3D glass surrounded by a narrow frame, and the screen accounts for more than 90%, perhaps 95%. The earpiece, sensor and other functions will be replaced by physical technologies such as ultrasound.

But the reality is this:

The legendary "bangs" have appeared. It integrates various sensors, speakers, and facial recognition functions, but in any case, in the eyes of users with a little obsessive-compulsive disorder, this is an imperfect gap. If I use this phone, my attention will be distracted by this bangs for a long time.

From the Home button to Touch ID to gestures, this path is like a person's growth. When everything matures, people will be nothing. The most classic Home button design of the year is about to make its curtain call, replaced by gesture control. Swipe up from the bottom to return to the home screen. Swipe up and pause to display all open apps. Press and hold the side button to ask Siri questions. Double-click the side button to pay securely with Apple Pay.

So the question is, how to unlock the phone? Apple has provided Face ID this time, and the era of face recognition has officially arrived! Your face will become the only ID recognized by the phone. Due to the integrated neural network chip and deep recognition system, you can't unlock it with a photo, but as long as it is your own face, it is said that it can be recognized no matter you are fat or thin, have a beard, shave, are bald, dim or bright, old or rejuvenated.

Some readers said that the number of girls who buy X will probably decrease sharply, after all, it is difficult to unlock the phone after removing makeup. I don't think so. What I am worried about is the Apple Pay function. If I spend a lot of money, I lean forward to check the amount, click, and pay. Who can I complain to?

iPhone X will be available for pre-order on October 27 and will be available for sale on November 3. The highest price is... 10,000 yuan.

Mobile phones have officially entered the 10,000 yuan era!