iPhone

Read the review. There’s a lot to process, lots of images to look through.

One tiny detail (out of many):

It is also worth mentioning that, thanks to the beefed-up processor, the iPhone XS Max is capable of displaying HDR images in real-time in the preview image, so what you see is what you get. As far as we are aware, this feature is not currently available from any of the device’s close competitors.

Computational photography is becoming a more and more important part of the smartphone camera space. This is certainly a strong point for Apple.

Follow the link, and just start scrolling. These are some gorgeous photos. If you’ve not felt the pull to upgrade to the iPhone XS, this will definitely tug that particular string.

Wired:

“Big picture, a warrant is required for the search of a device except in certain circumstances at the border,” says Greg Nojeim, director of the Freedom, Security and Technology Project at the Center for Democracy & Technology. In the newly reported Face ID case, police did have a warrant to compel 28-year-old Grant Michalski of Ohio to unlock his smartphone, and Michalski has gone on to face child pornography charges.

And:

“There might be less intrusion and physical coercion with forcing a faceprint versus a fingerprint.”

This is an important test case and precedent and this Wired article is an interesting read.

In related news, in New Zealand, Travellers refusing to hand over phone password at airport now face $5000 Customs fine. That’s one way to get folks to hand over the keys.

And finally, here’s how to disable Face ID:

https://twitter.com/JonyIveParody/status/1046743253985488898

You cannot be forced to reveal your passcode. But Face ID is a whole different issue.

Could you defeat Face ID simply by refusing to focus on the device? And does the law allow for you to be forced to unlock your phone using your face?

“The law is not well formed to provide the intuitive protections people think about when they’re using a Face ID unlock,” Jennings said. “People aren’t typically thinking [when they use Face ID] that it’s a physical act so I don’t have this right against self-incrimination.”

Current law, obviously, was written before Face ID was a thing. So I’d expect challenges to make their way up the appeals court ladder, possibly being decided by the Supreme Court. And I’d expect new laws to be crafted specifically to address Face ID.

Fascinating issue.

Reuters:

Hundreds of Russians braved the cold and rain to queue for days outside a Moscow phone store ahead of the release of the new Apple iPhones on Friday, but when the doors opened none stepped in to buy.

And:

Banking on strong enthusiasm for the phones, which have drawn days-long queues outside stores in Singapore, Sydney and elsewhere, the queue sellers set the price of the first place at 450,000 roubles ($7,000).

Basically, the queue sellers were banking on very limited stock. But:

The store manager called out ticket numbers to invite in the first buyers, but his calls went unanswered.

Eventually, ticket holder number 247 came to the door and Russian photographer Anatoly Doroshchenko, who had arrived that morning and didn’t pay for the right to queue-jump, became the first purchaser in Russia of one of the new phones.

Sad trombone.

Juli Clover, MacRumors:

Over the course of the last week, the front-facing camera in the iPhone XS and XS Max has been receiving a lot of attention because the selfies captured on the new devices are drastically different from those captured with the iPhone X or earlier iPhone models.

In a MacRumors forum thread and on Reddit, Apple has been accused of using a skin-smoothing feature or a “beauty filter” for prettier selfies from the front-facing camera.

And:

When taking a selfie in a situation where lighting is less than ideal, such as indoors or outdoors in areas with lower lighting, the iPhone XS Max appears to be applying a drastic smoothing effect that can hide freckles, blemishes, and other issues.

More to the point:

In full outdoor lighting the problem is less apparent, which has led to speculation that the skin smoothing is actually a result of some heavy-handed noise reduction techniques.

The iPhone intentionally applying a “beauty filter” without specifically calling out a setting just doesn’t click for me. Heavy handed noise reduction or, perhaps, over zealous Smart HDR sounds more likely.

Turning off HDR does not remove the smoothing effect, nor does tweaking any other camera setting, so if the ultra skin smoothing is a result of something like unintentional excessive noise reduction, it needs to be tweaked on Apple’s end through a software update.

Couple of things to look at here:

• Compared to China’s Selfie Obsession, this issue feels like a very small thing.

• Michael Tsai does a nice rollup of the articles relating to iPhone XS skin smoothing.

My instinct here is that we are seeing unintended consequences, perhaps driven by machine learning, rather than an intentional “beautifying filter”.

The whole identical twins logging into each other’s Face ID has been around since the beginning, but these two are just so delighted with their new “iPhone XS Plus” and the process of using their twin superpower to fool Face ID, thought it was worth sharing.

If anything, this shows how well Face ID works for normal people, even if they add a beard or a hat to their appearance.

I am really looking forward to adding a second phone number or data plan to my phone for traveling overseas. The sense I get is that this will take time to roll out to various carriers, but I would hope that would happen reasonably quickly.

The linked video takes you through the logic of Apple building a custom iPhone just for the Chinese market. You’ll get a quick look at the double-SIMS and the process of putting them in a Chinese iPhone XS, and lots more.

Very interesting. Note that the first two minutes is about Apple and China, then things switch to another topic.

Mike Wuerthele, AppleInsider:

Noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has weighed in on early sales of Apple’s new products, and is seeing massive demand for the iPhone XS Max over the iPhone XS, with Apple Watch Series 4 demand so high that supply constraints may extend unless Apple brings on more assemblers.

And:

In a note seen by AppleInsider TF Securities’ Ming-Chi Kuo is seeing between three and four times the demand for the iPhone XS Max versus the iPhone XS.

And:

Worldwide, the 256GB model of the iPhone XS Max is reportedly most popular, with the 512GB one suffering from a “serious shortage” because of low NAND flash supply.

And:

As a result of channel checks, Kuo is expecting about 19.5 million Apple Watches shipped before the end of the year, up from 18 million.

Astonishing sales. Apple has this down to a science.

Lance Ulanoff:

Schiller, along with Graham Townsend, Apple’s senior director of camera hardware, and Sebastien Marineau-Mes, Apple’s vice president of software, sat down late on the afternoon of iPhone XS launch day to peel away the veil of secrecy surrounding at least one part of Apple’s iPhone technology matrix: how they design and develop their photo and video capture hardware and software.

While a lot of this post was conveyed in the Apple keynote, what I found most interesting were the little nuggets from the callout quotes from Phil Schiller, Graham Townsend, Sebastien Marineau-Mes, and photographer Pete Souza.

Glenn Marston:

When Apple’s website reappeared after shutdown for the company’s Sept. 12 product event, it displayed a list of the new X-Series iPhones.

Eliminated from Apple availability were the regular- and large-size iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s, which had been introduced in September 2014 and September 2015.

Also missing was a unique small phone, the iPhone SE. Based on the body of 2012’s iPhone 5, it had been the only remnant of the compact early iPhones.

And:

One should not assume that Apple has sworn off small phones. They are favorites of smaller folks, plus a segment of women that eschews the grand purse and those of both genders who prefer to travel light with clothes trailered tight.

Apple might have intended no inference other than limiting new iPhones to those in the minimal-bezel, Face ID form of the X series.

With that in mind, Apple should produce an iPhone XR Mini as a follow-on to the iPhone SE.

I’ve been thinking about the loss of iPhone SE form factor. Is Apple undervaluing people with small hands, and small wrists? The Apple Watch is getting larger (thinner, but longer/wider), even though there are plenty of people who wish for a smaller case size.

And, as Glenn points out, Apple has eliminated the last vestige of the smaller iPhone form factor, the iPhone SE. Is this the end of the line for the SE? Or is this, possibly, a supply chain issue?

Apple has unified their iPhone line in a number of ways. All the new phones (XS, XS Max, XR) use Face ID and have the corresponding notch and lack of a home button. And all the new phones are based on Apple’s 7nm A12 Bionic chip.

The XS and XS Max went on sale in Apple Stores this morning (8a, your local time). But, likely due to supply chain constraints, the iPhone XR will not be available for pre-order until early morning October 19th (12:01 am PT).

No complaints there, this is smart product rollout. But could those limitations have informed Apple’s decision not to release an iPhone X with the smaller iPhone SE form factor?

Could this also be an engineering issue? The notch is a relatively fixed size. Could fitting the Face ID hardware, etc. (the notch assembly) in the smaller iPhone SE footprint be problematic? Could that be the reason Apple has not announced an iPhone X updated SE, or, as Glenn put it, an iPhone XR Mini?

Seems to me, Apple is proceeding logically here. The first steps were to unify the product line and ramp up production of the 7nm A12 Bionic chip, to ensure that the iPhones XS, XS Max, and XR are all available to customers who want them.

Once those needs are met, and if they can solve the engineering problems (problems being speculation on my part) of fitting the notch contents in a much smaller package, might we see an iPhone X version of the SE? I really hope so. I’ve got a whole family of iPhone users who prefer that smaller footprint.

Lots of great insight here. One particular such nugget:

This past year with the iPhone X I’ve had a lot of difficulty with vertical panoramas. I’ve shot so many over and over trying to get everything sharp, but the focus seems to degrade as I continue upward. After talking with Apple engineers, I’ve learned it was not an issue of focus depth but of the accelerometers inside the device and how they are tuned to read your motion.

The iPhone XS fixes this problem. Combined with the new Smart HDR, I’ve shot a bunch of vertical panos that are exposed beautifully and tack sharp from top to bottom. Check out the vertical panos below and note the fixed focusing issue and the insane exposure improvement from iPhone X to iPhone XS.

Smart HDR seems like a big gain for the new camera. This is a terrific post. Keep an eye out for the closeup comparisons between the iPhone X and iPhone XS cameras.

Malcolm Owen, Apple Insider:

The iPhone XS is similar in terms of size to the iPhone X, sharing the same length, width, and thickness with last year’s model. While this may mean that most cases made for the iPhone X will fit the iPhone XS, a report from Macotakara notes the slightly larger camera section on the back may be too big for cases where the camera cutout is made with the iPhone X’s dimensions in mind.

It is likely the camera bump has been expanded to accommodate a new larger sensor for the wide-angle camera in the iPhone XS, which features an increased pixel pitch.

If you already have an iPhone X and a case, good to know, but not much you can do about this. But if you are buying a case for the iPhone XS, keep this in mind. Make sure the case is specifically built for the iPhone XS, and not sold as a one size fits all.

Delicious.

Another grab-a-hot-beverage, put your feet up read. And read you should. Lot’s of great detail here.

Follow these steps:

• Jump to the site hotspot3d.com. That will show you the current default, comparing the iPhone XS and the iPhone XS Max. Tap and drag to rotate the rendered images. Be sure to go left/right and up/down.
• Once you’re done playing, tap the “Apple iPhone XS” label (upper left corner), then tap the iPhone 8 Plus. You should then return to the main screen, with the iPhone XS Max and iPhone 8 Plus, side-by-side. Rotate as you like.

This is an interesting tool, but it makes a specific point. The iPhone 8 Plus and the iPhone XS Max are almost identical in size (the Max is actually just a smidge smaller), but the Max has a much, much larger screen, even taking the notch into account.

Enjoy.

Check this tweet from Speedsmart.net. In particular, take a look at this image:

For each carrier, the top part of the image is the download (top) and upload (bottom) speed of the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max (I read this as, both models have identical speeds).

Below that set of bars is a smaller set which show the speeds for the iPhone X. These are tremendous speed increases. I’d love to see some verification of these tests from other iPhone X and iPhone XS users, but if these results are accurate, and mobile speed is an issue for you, that’s a compelling reason to upgrade.

The headline overstates this a bit, but even so, this is absolutely worth knowing.

Chris Smith, BGR:

When Apple unveiled the new iPhones last week, it revealed that all of them support a feature called “Express Cards with power reserve,” without really explaining what it was.

It’s a brand new iPhone feature that will let you use the NFC chip even when the battery life is dead. It might not sound like a big deal, but if you’re using your iPhone to pay for transit, or get access to your building, then it really is.

The details are laid out in Apple’s iOS Security Guide:

If iOS isn’t running because iPhone needs to be charged, there may still be enough power in the battery to support Express Card transactions.

Supported iPhone devices automatically support this feature with:

• A transit card designated as the Express Transit card
• Student ID cards with Express Mode turned on

Pressing the side button displays the low battery icon as well as text indicating Express Cards are available to use. The NFC controller performs express card transactions under the same conditions as when iOS is running, except that transactions are indicated with only haptic notification. No visible notification is shown.

This feature isn’t available when a standard user initiated shutdown is performed.

The idea of being able to use your Student ID to get back in your dorm room when your phone is dead is a brilliant little detail. I’m guessing there are other NFC use cases that apply here as well.

Yesterday, we posted a link to some gorgeous shots taken by former White House Photographer Pete Souza. In the post, we referenced “Austin Mann’s Petapixel post”.

Here’s a link to the Petapixel post, with some gorgeous shots, dripping with color. Both galleries really do the new iPhone XS camera justice. A worthy upgrade, especially if you are using an iPhone short of the iPhone X or iPhone 8 Plus.

Benjamin Mayo, 9to5Mac:

When Touch ID debuted with the iPhone 5s, the home button became cryptographically paired with the display and logic board. Replacing an iPhone screen and digitiser without going through Apple’s proprietary calibration process would result in an iPhone with a new screen, but non-functional fingerprint sensor. The same is true with the Face ID biometric system introduced with iPhone X.

And:

Until today, Apple has needed to distribute bulky repair equipment to its own Apple Store repair centers and authorized resellers to affirm that the 3D Touch system is working correctly.

And:

Apple has now managed to achieve all the calibration steps using software alone, dropping the need for dedicated physical hardware to be installed at repair locations.

Makes me curious how they solved this problem. The good news is, screen repairs are now going to be much easier to schedule, with a much faster turnaround.

You can use two cellular plans with your iPhone Xs or iPhone Xs Max, a nano-SIM, and an eSIM. An eSIM is a digital SIM that allows you to activate a cellular plan from your carrier without having to use a physical nano-SIM. Here’s how to set up and use a cellular plan using an eSIM.

Follow the headline link to the Apple knowledge base article (big hat tip to Loop follower and furniture maker J. Leko) and dig in.

Side note: The new iPhone branding is all over the place. In this post, it’s “Xs”. On Apple’s front page, it’s “X?”, and on a variety of other pages, it’s “XS”. I think Apple is going for “X?” and, if typing the s-in-a-square is not practical, “Xs”. I suspect the “XS” was inadvertent and will slowly disappear.

Benjamin Mayo, 9to5Mac:

During the highs of BatteryGate, Apple reduced official battery repairs to $29 each through 2018, down from $79. Apple has now updated the page with details of what will happen from January 1st, 2019.

The prices are going back up, but not quite to the level that they were. Battery repairs for iPhone X, iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs will cost $69. Repairs for all older iPhones will cost $49.

Read the post for all the details.