Full of tricks? Exploring the meaning behind iPhone "X"

Although the world predicts that Apple will release the iPhone 8 this year along with the upgraded iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, it may also change the naming rules and name the new product "iPhone X" instead of iPhone 8. Since the iPhone 4S came out, Apple has been using a fixed naming rule for smartphones. The two-year naming cycle has proven to be very successful. In this case, why would Apple change the naming rule? So let's talk about why the next generation iPhone will be called iPhone X.

1. Apple’s 10th anniversary is of great significance

As we all know, 2017 is the tenth birthday of the iPhone, so it is of great significance.

At the Macworld conference at the Moscone Center in San Francisco in 2007, Steve Jobs first unveiled the iPhone to the world: a large-screen touch-screen iPod, a revolutionary mobile phone, and a groundbreaking Internet communications device. Since then, the iPhone has led the smartphone industry to continuous innovation and progress...

iPhone mobile phone products

For a period of time after Jobs' death, many people doubted whether his successor Cook could continue to lead Apple. Although Cook has delivered a good performance over the years, Jobs' mark has gradually faded away from Apple products, especially the core iPhone.

What makes people feel the most deeply is that Cook's behavior is becoming more and more like a businessman. While making Apple more and more valuable, he is also bringing more and more problems to Apple. Judging from every generation of iPhone released after Cook took over, there will be more or less some problems, and some problems are even very serious, such as the iPhone abnormal shutdown incident that caused a sensation last year, which was simply unimaginable in the Jobs era.

Even the latest iPhone 7 series had a lot of problems after its release, so Apple fans are questioning whether this is still the same Apple as before? Time has come to 2017, which is the tenth anniversary of the release of the first generation of iPhone. Whether it is for Apple fans who have been sticking to iPhone all these years or for Apple itself, the tenth anniversary is of great commemorative significance. Apple naturally wants to come up with a product that crosses the era.

In addition, people have always had the idea that the original naming method of Apple's iPhone corresponds to the frequency of major updates of iPhone products every two years. For example, the iPhone 6 has changed a lot compared to the iPhone 5, and the middle generation iPhone 5s has only improved its internal configuration, and the appearance has remained almost unchanged. This rhythm started with the iPhone 3G in 2008.

Apple's 10th anniversary edition named iPhone X?

But it is obvious that the product released by Apple this year will definitely not be named like this. After all, Apple certainly does not want to release an upgraded product of the previous generation iPhone on its tenth anniversary.

In the past year, Apple's performance was not very good, and the company also needs to readjust its image through the new products released this year. In addition, the "X" here refers more to the Roman numeral "X", which is 10, which also echoes Apple's previous OS X.

2. To better distinguish product lines

The biggest change in the iPhone in 2017 is probably the screen. The new iPhone will finally bid farewell to the LCD technology that has been used for many years and replace it with the more cutting-edge OLED. According to the existing information, Apple is very likely to launch three sizes of iPhone products, namely the 4.7/5.5-inch iPhone 7s (tentative) and the 5-inch iPhone X (tentative). As a special version of Apple's 10th anniversary, the latter will not only be equipped with double-sided glass, but also support wireless charging and have an OLED display, which will also have a huge impact on the entire industry. In addition, this version of iPhone equipped with an OLED screen is a new change, so the name should be different from the ordinary version of the iPhone.

To differentiate the product line, the 5-inch iPhone will be equipped with an OLED screen

Widely used OLED panels can be divided into two categories, using different color gamut technologies. Many mobile phone displays released last year use the Adobe RGB color gamut, but there is also a more advanced DCI-P3 color gamut. Apple is expected to use the DCI-P3 color gamut. Due to the wider color gamut and higher brightness, this will greatly increase the pixel density of the 5-inch iPhone display, and the display resolution may be between 2160x1080 and 2880x1440 pixels.

There are claims that this year's three iPhones will be named iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone 8 Pro, or more commonly, a combination of iPhone 8/X, iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus. But no matter which combination Apple uses to name its products, one thing is certain: since Samsung cannot meet Apple's large-scale OLED screen supply needs in the early stage, in order to better distinguish product lines, OLED screens will only be used in a small part of Apple's new products, and this new product is likely to be the 5-inch iPhone X.

3. Keep pace with competitors

Every year, the release of Samsung's S series flagship and Apple's new iPhone is the annual drama in the mobile phone industry. Last year, due to the failure of Samsung Note7, consumers' expectations for Samsung S8 reached an extreme. On the other hand, the industry generally believes that Apple will release a mobile phone with a completely new design, which may be directly named iPhone8 to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the birth of Apple mobile phones. Coupled with the postponement of Samsung S8, the release time of Samsung S8 and iPhone8 is directly shortened, and the strong smell of gunpowder is self-evident.

iPhone's new name won't lag behind competitors

But doing so will also leave trouble for the future. If the 2017 iPhone is named iPhone 8, then the 2018 iPhone will most likely be named iPhone 8s, and the numbers in the names of Apple's iPhones will fall behind those of its main competitor, Samsung, whose new flagships may be named Galaxy S9 and Note 9. This will give consumers the illusion that Samsung has surpassed Apple.

Of course, this does not mean that consumers will judge the quality of a phone based solely on the number after the phone, but it does have a certain impact, which is why Samsung skipped the Note 6 and released the Note 7 last year. We are not saying that Apple cannot continue to use the existing product naming rules, but I think this solution is a bit too messy for Cook and his team.

4. Create surprises to stimulate users to buy

According to the news from the industry chain, the new iPhone is named iPhone X because Apple intends to change the naming rules. The naming rules of the previous iPhone 5, 5s, 6/6 Plus, 6s/6s Plus, 7/7 Plus, etc., do not seem to surprise users (they all feel like routines), and iPhone X is the name that Apple prefers at present. Although it has not been finally confirmed, if it really comes true, it can make the products look more distinct and easier to distinguish, which is the primary consideration for Apple to change the name of the iPhone.

iPhone renaming may rekindle users' desire to buy it

In the past year, Apple was not satisfied with the sales of iPhone. In the survey of users, it was found that most users believed that the iPhone in the past two years had not brought innovation from naming to products. Now Apple intends to use a new naming rule to stimulate users' desire to buy. The names of "mini", "Plus", "Pro" and so on commonly used in the industry are mainly to follow Apple, which also shows from the side that Apple is indeed a master of naming.

As for how to ignite people's enthusiasm for the new iPhone, Apple plans to start with changing the name in order to give people a sense of uniqueness. It is said that the name "iPhone X" is the most preferred one among Apple's current alternatives, but it has not been officially confirmed. However, many rumors in the past have finally come true, so we might as well look forward to it. Although using the name change as a means to attract people to buy is somewhat ridiculous, for Apple fans, changing the name may achieve unexpected results.

In conclusion:

If the next generation of iPhone really changes the past naming habits, no matter what it is called in the end, it means that the official confirms that the original upgrade and improvement rhythm has been completely changed. People may not necessarily welcome such a change. After all, it means that the naming rules that they have been accustomed to for many years are gone, and the iPhone seems to have to go in an unknown direction. But think about it carefully, product naming has always been a key part of the marketing mix, especially in the Chinese market, where consumers are very emotional, and often changing the name may make the product popular. As for Apple itself, the tenth anniversary iPhone should be more innovative. It is obviously more meaningful to start with product naming than to keep lengthening the "face".

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.