iPhone X: Imitation Is Not Innovation - 1

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Amazing!

“You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” (Inigo Montoya, The Princess Bride). The only thing amazing about Apple’s epic event was how disappointing it was. Not from a product specification point of view. There’s not much more you can do with a handset in 2017. All you can hope for is a little better screen, a slightly faster processor, a slightly better camera, better storage, and slightly better battery life. What bothers me more is the self-hypnosis at Apple and the company’s delusional notion that if they say something, I will accept it as true.

Apple got up on stage and called old technology new. The company claimed ownership of ideas that are not its own and, worst of all, it sounded like everyone had read (and believed) too many Apple press releases. This level of arrogance is not surprising. Apple is one of the most valuable companies in the world. Maybe they can afford to believe their own press. What surprised me was Apple’s lack of innovation. At some point, it’s going to catch up with them.

Since You’re Buying One Anyway, Which Should You Buy?

If you have an iPhone older than a 6s, then getting the 8 or 8 Plus is a logical step. Both the 8 and 8 Plus are reasonably priced and featured. If you have a 6s or later, the X is the only device to consider. It’s not $999, it’s $1,149 for the 256GB model. Unless you never take pictures or videos, 64GB simply is not enough internal storage. I will be buying mine directly from Apple on the “new iPhone every year plan.” It will cost me $49.01 per month including Apple Care. That’s grudgingly up approximately $6 per month from my iPhone 7 Plus payment. The alternative is a mind-blowing, full-featured Samsung Galaxy Note 8, which is the phone of choice for Android people and also happens to be the “inspiration” for the iPhone X. Sorry, Apple, Samsung did all of this last year and I can use my regular earbuds.

And, since you’re going to buy one anyway, here’s a brief about everything Apple announced at their iPhone X event.

One More Thing

Hey, Tim, where’s the USB Type C connector? What possible justification can you have for not replacing the nonstandard Lightning connector with a MacBook and out world–compatible USB Type C connector? Last year, Apple told me that USB Type C was the future. This year you said the iPhone X is the future. Why does iPhone X connect me to the past? A metaphor? Perhaps.

Named one of LinkedIn’s Top 10 Voices in Technology, Shelly Palmer is President & CEO of Palmer Advanced Media, a strategic advisory and business development practice focused at the nexus of technology, media and marketing with a special emphasis on data science and data-driven decision making. He is Fox 5 New York's on-air tech and digital media expert and a regular commentator on CNBC and CNN.

Go Shelly Palmer (on Twitter as @shellypalmer)