Apple's future is not the iPhone X

These days, there isn't actually much Apple can do to reinvent or reinvigorate the smartphone

The new iPhone X.
(Image credit: Apple)

Yesterday, Apple unveiled its newest phones, the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, and also the iPhone X. In true Apple form, the event was all pomp: It happened in the brand new Steve Jobs theater at the company's new headquarters, replete with a touching tribute to the man for whom it was named. The talk of blending liberal arts and technology was a testament to Apple's belief it makes things that are less gadgets than creative or even life-saving tools. And then of course, there were the products themselves: The iPhone X in particular, with its front composed entirely of a new screen, seemed lustworthy, expensive, and arguably best in class. It is that mix of showmanship, cutting-edge tech, and humanity that has endeared this company to so many.

But Tuesday's event was, as Apple announcements go, also a strange one. First, the details had all been leaked days earlier, removing any notion of surprise. What's more, despite the new iPhones being perfectly alluring and very hyped, there was little on display that was actually radically new. The announcement was thus Apple at both its best and its worst, both impressive for what was showed, yet also annoying for the overblown rhetoric about a glorious future for the smartphone which happens to look very much like its past.

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Navneet Alang

Navneet Alang is a technology and culture writer based out of Toronto. His work has appeared in The Atlantic, New Republic, Globe and Mail, and Hazlitt.