5 things Apple failed to mention at its keynote
In the two-hour long Apple keynote, the California company made many announcements and presented numerous products. That part was no different than the 2018 iPhone event. But Apple did keep quiet about some things. We’ll tell you what the five important things that Apple didn’t address.
AirPower
Last year, when Apple first introduced iPhones and the Apple Watch with wireless charging technology, AirPower was also introduced. The charging mat was supposed to be able to wirelessly charge an iPhone, a Watch and in special cases the Airpods all at the same time. That doesn’t sound too complicated, since many manufacturers sell Qi charging mats for up to three devices, and do so quite cheaply. There was no word from Apple about the mat, either at the keynote or afterwards. At the moment, it seems as like the AirPower is no longer on the market at all. Why? We have no idea.
AirPower must be well and truly fucked. No one at Apple will say a word about it, even off the record. And as a result they didn’t even mention inductive charging during the event, even though the XS and XR both charge faster than the X.
— John Gruber (@gruber) September 12, 2018
The round Apple Watch
My colleague Fabien is very enthusiastic about the Apple Watch 4, and that was probably clear in his article. But he wouldn’t have been the only one who would have been thrilled if Apple had also shown a round Apple Watch that would have looked a bit more like a classic watch. The ring on Apple’s invitation and the “Gather round”message made many experts and fans hot for a round Apple Watch, but they'll all have to settle for the rectangular design.
The iPhone SE 2
The iPhone SE was Apple’s surprise in Spring 2016, and it turned out that such a small smartphone - the display measures just 4 inches - is still in demand today. But apparently, Apple wanted to part ways with it, since contrary to some rumors in the run-up to the event, Tim Cook and friends didn’t introduce the iPhone SE 2 along with the other three new iPhones. And it doesn’t look like the mini iPhone with its retro charm will ever get a new edition. What a shame...
Bye bye, dongle
One big thing Apple didn’t mention was the fact that iPhones will no longer come with the dongle that acts as an adapter to a minijack port. This means that it's that much more difficult to use wired headphones. And that’s not just if you buy the newer models. The same is true if you now purchase an iPhone 7, 8, or X. This appears to be Apple’s not so subtle way of trying to coax customers to purchase a pair of AirPods. Alternatively, you can hand over an extra $9 to Apple for the dongle just so you can use your favorite wired headphones.
What does the R stand for?
Apple announced the iPhone XR and didn’t disclose the most important detail: what does the letter “R” stand for? We’ve seen the S as a suffix before, but the R? What’s that all about? R could be “reduced”, “rich”, “real”, but also “radical”, “rainbow” or “revolution”. Serious Apple, you owe this to your fans!
Maybe you can tell me, what do you think the “R” in the iPhone XR stands for? And will the charging mat or the iPhone SE 2 be on the market at some point?
I understand that it may be helpful for us Android users to know what Apple 💩 are doing. It's fun to see how Apple 💩 users are dumb enough to buy into the massive rip off - though it does leave a horrible taste coming up my throat at the way you flirt with Apple 💩 not too educate us excellent Android users,no it's because Apple 💩 pay your "journalists" lots of money to promote them.
SAMSUNG RULES 😜
PEACE 🖖
Hi Mark, can we please finally move on from this Apple vs. Android nonsense? And no, we have not been payed by Apple by any means...
The big miss? They were going to drop the price on their devices. LOL
Agreed. The lowest priced 2018 release iPhone is $50 more expensive than last years.
Launch events are hype and PR. Advertising. Why would you expect real details or disclosure. Reporters should take a much more skeptical and nuanced view of such events. Develop some skills finally.
Way to go Apple, no dongle in the box and no SE2? Glad I was never a fan. Plus in 2018 the iphone6 has a better display than the XR model 1792×828, yikes! 750.00?