I've spent about a week with iPhone X now.
While I doubt the world needs another review of Apple's latest device, every time people see it they have questions, so here's a few thoughts I've been keen to jot down.
When you work in the software world, it's easy to get so caught up in the latest gadgets, innovations, and ideas that you forget most people in the world don't live and breath tech every day.
Last weekend, I popped home to Kent to celebrate bonfire night, let off fireworks, burn an effigy of Harvey Weinstein, and talk iPhone X with my extended family.
A conversation with my uncle
So, how’s this one different to your old iPhone?
Well. It’s got no home button. It’s just all screen.
Oh right…
Yeah! So you used to use your fingerprint to unlock (like an animal) – you now use your face.
So does it actually work?
Yeah! It really does! Look let me show you!
Tries Face ID. Points it to my sister – nope. Points at me... – It works!
(This was a far more successful demo than at the Apple keynote)
Oh cool, so is that the difference then?
Well, no, that’s not all, you can now use the tech behind Face ID for loads of other cool camera stuff – like… erm… well it’s got Animoji.
Animoji?
...
Yeah, let me show you...
So this is what we've done with the world's most advanced technology? Talking poop?
To a lot of people, iPhone X is simply "this year's iPhone".
They haven't watched the keynote. They haven't studied the Apple site in detail for ridiculous amounts of time. They haven't been tuned in to MacRumors for months.
Thank God for that – most people are far more grounded and sensible with their time than me.
My last iPhone was an iPhone 6 – I was thrilled to get this device back in 2014. That iPhone introduced one of the biggest changes to the lineup – a highly anticipated larger device with a larger screen.
But in the three years since then, Apple's "lack of innovation" has seen a swathe of incremental improvements compounding to make switching from iPhone 6 to iPhone X a huge step up in experience.
Face ID
Touch ID is an action. Face ID is invisible.
We talked a lot about "courage" last year when Apple removed the headphone jack launching iPhone 7. Arguably it took even more courage to remove Touch ID in favour of a totally new, unproven technology as the primary way to authenticate iPhone X.
On day one, I'll be honest – I had a few hiccups with Face ID. I didn't realise how often I unlock my phone when it's very low compared to my face. I wear glasses too – and when I first set it up, I didn't have them on.
After a few hours of mild frustration, I set Face ID up again, and since then I haven't