Who is excited for the new iPhone?

[JazzBox]

I'm an Apple guy, but I'm not too impressed by this new iPhone: I would love to buy an iPhone with a nice real tele lens, not an electronic one, in order to shoot better videos.
Anyway, nice design and very good for photos: it is not an 1DC, but I think it is good enough for every day pics...

[sanveer]

4 minutes ago, Damphousse said:

What is even sadder is face recognition has been around on other phones and computers for ages along with wireless charging, 6+ inch screens, OLED, etc.

I'm not trying to bash apple but for $1,000 don't give me a grab bag of stuff that has been on phones for years and tell me it is "innovative".

I'm withholding final judgement until I see more in depth hands on reviews, but I can tell you right now a bunch of this stuff is already available on a ton of phones.

They can call their security system whatever they want, but it isn't better than Samsung or anyone else. It merely Integrates the Retinal Scanning wih Face Recognition, so their miss rate has been greatly reduced. But, as the presentation itself pointed out, it is Far From Perfect (/far from great).

I have had a few iPhones, and while they are good, they are in no way far better than Android (Mostly Samsung). Just because it's called Retina Display means nothing. And the top end iPhone X too doesn't even have QHD resolution. And I doubt whether it will beat the 1200 nits brightness of the Note 8 (which nay be great as a flash for taking pics). Or the display in any way.

I am hoping someone makes a 4k 10-bit 4-2-2 shooting smartphone that doesn't heat up after 5 mins; a Smartphone with an 24mm (or wider without fisheye), 50mm and 100mm equivalent zoom range (all at f1.8); and one that has like a proper 12bit RAW shooting mode that does atleast 15fps at 12MP resolution or higher. All 3 would make this an IDEAL smart phone that replaces most cameras for me. $999 is only fine if it doesnt slow down after a year. It should last a while atleast. 

[Trek of Joy]

Thinking about the 8+, my 6+ is getting little long in the tooth. The X doesn't offer enough over the others to wait, especially with 2 months of pore orders.

But the Hydrogen is looming, just would like to see what Red is planning with add-ons, what those will cost and when (if) they'll see the light of day.

[AaronChicago]

Will there be an iPhone 9? Or straight to 11? Im confused.

[DBounce]

The true depth camera system seems to be a groundbreaking technology. I would love to see that integrated in to a cinema camera. It seems like it eliminates the need for green screens altogether. We can only hope that Apple licenses this tech. I am sold. 

Yes Samsung screens look great, but for the first time in a long while I am seeing true innovation from Apple. Well done! Below is a demo of the Clips app that uses this tech...

 

[jcs]

17 minutes ago, DBounce said:

The true depth camera system seems to be a groundbreaking technology. I would love to see that integrated in to a cinema camera. It seems like it eliminates the need for green screens altogether. We can only hope that Apple licenses this tech. I am sold. 

Yes Samsung screens look great, but for the first time in a long while I am seeing true innovation from Apple. Well done! Below is a demo of the Clips app that uses this tech...

Depth cameras are cool. Worked with a company a few years ago doing background subtraction without a greenscreen (aka segmentation). It's a quite challenging problem when using an image-only camera. Here's PewDiePie using the version before I joined the company as CTO (I worked on later Playstation and Xbox versions. For iPhone/iPad we switched to alpha-channel overlays instead of background subtraction): 

 

The XBox version used the Kinect's depth sensor, however the depth resolution was pretty low, and thus the edges where still a bit blocky. The True Depth sensor on the iPhone X looks decent. I'm still happy with my iPhone 5S- plenty fast, looks good, fits in my pocket, and hasn't bent  . The iPhone X is the first iPhone in many years that I might consider getting, possibly as a development target for software products which use the advanced hardware features.

[Damphousse]

So when you are watching a video there is a chunk taken out of the right side of the video?  Surely there is a setting where you can horizontally squeeze the image so that doesn't happen.

[Samin]

After seeing all the keynote and seeing how that Face ID failed, right now I'm thinking more seriously about LG V30.

I don't need Face ID and I can't accept it that it is easier and more intuitive to use Face ID instead of Touch ID. Instead of spending millions on making emojis animated! they should have implemented that Touch ID somewhere in the phone!   

[IronFilm]

12 hours ago, OliKMIA said:

Still running on a Galaxy S4 which is more than enough for internet browsing, email and a few apps. Plus I can change the battery easily.

Wish I had an S4! I'm still using a Samsung J2! Ha

I'm using it for my casual vBlogging, but honestly a potato would do better at filming me than the J2's camera!!

[Drew Allegre]

FYI, the face ID failed in the keynote because the phone requires you to enter your passcode once a day.  They'd forgotten to set up the demo phone for the demonstration.  It wasn't actually a failure of face ID.  

[Samin]

24 minutes ago, Drew Allegre said:

FYI, the face ID failed in the keynote because the phone requires you to enter your passcode once a day.  They'd forgotten to set up the demo phone for the demonstration.  It wasn't actually a failure of face ID.  

Yes I know most probably that was the lock after the first boot and it needed the pass key. We should wait and see how its going to be in real life, but still not a valid point! The thing is Apple is calling Touch ID to be a gold standard (They said it during the keynote) yet it fails to include it in it's flagship phone! The annoying thing is they don't believe on what they say either so why should I?.

Probably next year with more advanced technology they will bring back the Touch ID and will cook different story to cover this story. 

P.S: I am not a Apple hater! I have both iOS and Android devices for my job. I just don't like it when they think we are stupid.

[Drew Allegre]

5 minutes ago, Samin said:

Yes I know most probably that was the lock after the first boot and it needed the pass key. We should wait and see how its going to be in real life, but still not a valid point! The thing is Apple is calling Touch ID to be a gold standard (They said it during the keynote) yet it fails to include it in it's flagship phone! The annoying thing is they don't believe on what they say either so why should I?.

Probably next year with more advanced technology they will bring back the Touch ID and will cook different story to cover this story. 

P.S: I am not a Apple hater! I have both iOS and Android devices for my job. I just don't like it when they think we are stupid.

I agree.  Face ID seems like a gimmick and actually a downgrade in terms of practical functionality.  Apple has been almost as frustrating as Canon the past few years.

[Damphousse]

1 hour ago, Drew Allegre said:

I agree.  Face ID seems like a gimmick and actually a downgrade in terms of practical functionality.  Apple has been almost as frustrating as Canon the past few years.

Using a biometric lock of any kind in the US is dumb.

Quote

The Fifth Amendment, which protects people from incriminating themselves during legal proceedings, prevents the government from compelling someone to turn over a memorized PIN or passcode. But fingerprints, like other biometric indicators—DNA, handwriting samples, your likeness—have long been considered fair game, because they don’t reveal anything in your mind.

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/05/iphone-fingerprint-search-warrant/480861/

[jonpais]

11 hours ago, Damphousse said:

Using a biometric lock of any kind in the US is dumb.

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/05/iphone-fingerprint-search-warrant/480861/

Bad for criminals, more convenient than memorizing and typing secure passwords for the rest of mankind. The mere fact that law enforcement officers attempting to unlock a phone makes headline news shows just how uncommon the practice is, though that may change in the future.

[Damphousse]

10 hours ago, jonpais said:

Bad for criminals, more convenient than memorizing and typing secure passwords for the rest of mankind. The mere fact that law enforcement officers attempting to unlock a phone makes headline news shows just how uncommon the practice is, though that may change in the future.

Police shoot innocent people pretty regularly here in the United States.  I'm pretty sure they do illegal searches all the time.  I love photography and videography and I have been illegally stopped and questioned by the police because they think taking pictures or videos of random stuff on a public street is probable cause.  These guys make up new laws in their heads all the time.  It is a global problem for photographers.  Every photography forum I've ever lurked in gets a thread every so often on dealing with police that think taking pictures is illegal.

You also realize most encounters with the police no matter how bad don't get reported.  Most people are happy to escape with their lives and no permanent damage.  It is extremely hard and expensive to go up against the police.  A lot of Americans are barely making it.  They don't have the time to hire an expensive lawyer and take off of work to go on a crusade.  Not to mention the retaliation factor.

And you alluded to another issue.  Most people don't have and use biometric locks on their phones.  It is only hitting the paper now because it is new mass market tech and the case law is in it's infancy.  It is also in the news because people assume it is just like a PIN code.  It is alarming because of the false sense of security.

I am not a criminal but I have sensitive information on my phone for work that by federal law I am supposed to keep secure.  I don't even want to contemplate what would happen if any of it leaked out because a cop did a search.  I also have a robust personal life.  I don't want some cop sitting in his squad car rummaging through my phone perusing the racy texts and images my girlfriend has sent me and looking up her address and phone number.

Finally another reason these searches aren't necessarily leading the news every night is because we are currently trying to figure out what is up with police shooting innocent people.  "A cop looked at my phone" just doesn't get people's back up like "a cop shot me for no reason".

Quote

Newly released footage from Clark County Sheriff's Deputy Jake Shaw's body camera shows him drawing his service weapon during a traffic stop and firing two shots at what he thought was an approaching, gun-wielding assailant. One round struck the man in the abdomen; the other buzzed past.

But the man was not an attacker. It was Andy Grimm, a photographer with the local newspaper, the New Carlisle News. Shaw realized his mistake as he ran toward Grimm, who was screaming on the ground.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2017/09/05/officer-shoots-ohio-newspaper-photographer-after-confusing-his-tripod-and-camera-for-a-gun/?utm_term=.ccd6fce8e29f

Quote

The Trump administration is increasingly allowing federal border agents to seize and search -- sometimes violently -- the mobile phones and laptops of thousands of U.S. citizens and lawful immigrants as they enter the country, two advocacy groups said in a lawsuit.

The searches at airports and land borders are being carried out without warrants in violation of the Constitution’s privacy and free-speech provisions, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation said in a complaint filed Wednesday in federal court in Boston.

Ten U.S. citizens and one immigrant are represented in the suit -- among them a military veteran, a journalist and a NASA engineer, the rights groups said in a statement. Several of the citizens are Muslims or people of color.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-13/trump-administration-sued-over-phone-searches-at-u-s-border

Quote

LA to Pay $50K to Detained Photographers and Teach Deputies That Photography is Not a Crime

https://petapixel.com/2015/03/07/la-to-pay-50k-to-detained-photographers-and-teach-deputies-that-photography-is-not-a-crime/

Quote

Woman Awarded $1.12M After Being Arrested While Taking Photos Outside a Military Base

https://petapixel.com/2014/12/12/woman-awarded-1-12m-arrested-taking-photos-outside-military-base/

When I was 15 years old I believed all the things they told me in civics class.  But as I've gotten older and more experienced I realize it doesn't matter if you are innocent when you are standing on the side of a deserted highway with an aggressive cop.  You can quote the Constitution all you want but you can also end up a corpse before your loved ones ever see you again.

It is scary that people are walking around with cameras and video cameras and assuming because they know in their heart of hearts they are innocent nothing bad will happen to them.

[jonpais]

Glad I just renewed my visa for another year then! Five years in Vietnam, not once pulled over by the police.

[deezid]

Not for me:

• Monobrow YIKES
• Still worse screen to body ratio than LG (V30) and Samsung (S8 and Note8)
• Confusing gestures
• No fingerprint, and FaceID probably not reliable with hints of sweat/makeup or in sunlight
• Ugly camera bump
• Still very limiting (though becoming better over the years -> files) iOS
• No 10 bit HDR video recording
• No headphone jack
• No Always On display
• No fastcharging unless you invest further $84 

What I like though:

• 4K60p
• iOS backup and update support
• front camera seems nice
• the OLED will be properly calibrated for sure
• Stereo speakers

 

[tweak]

iPhone X - "All your base are belong to us".

[Andrew Reid]

The main thing for me is the lack of headphone jack and DAC options. The S8+ has a personalised EQ that adapts volume for your hearing, so if you're down on a certain frequencies vs others you can boost those frequencies and get better perceived audio quality. It actually works. I have tried it vs the Chord Mojo DAC. The internal DAC isn't as good as the Mojo but this helps.

With the Audiofly AF180 IEMs it's a joy to listen to. Can't say the same about my dull sounding iPhone 7 with dongle.

Music is important to Apple and yet all they have to show for their efforts is a dongle and Beats.

They are nowhere near satisfying the needs of audiophiles.

And on the OLED front - the S8+ delivers all I need there, why should I pay $1000+ to Apple just to get the same or equal feature I already have?

It remains to be seen whether the front dual camera setup beats the Galaxy Note 8 as well, but I am happy shooting on the S8+ in RAW. Does the iPhone X have RAW in the built in camera app or does it need a third party app?

4K 60fps H.265 is one thing. Nice to see, but doubt it'll make me shoot more serious video on a phone.

iOS is still better engineered than Android though. More secure and better under the hood. Attracts higher calibre of devs and apps on average. More innovative software for sure. But in day to day use, to be honest now Android is not far off in terms of the overall experience and battery life.

[hoodlum]

41 minutes ago, Andrew Reid said:

It remains to be seen whether the front dual camera setup beats the Galaxy Note 8 as well, but I am happy shooting on the S8+ in RAW. Does the iPhone X have RAW in the built in camera app or does it need a third party app?

The below sample image from the iphone 8 has the same 3.99mm focal length as the iphone 7.  That would suggest the sensor size (1/3") has not changed, so I would not expect much improvement in IQ.