Cliff Notes: Apple Keynote September 2017

Rumors about the new iPhone have been running rampant for months now. Questions have been lingering in the industry: What features will it have? What will the security issues be? Will there be new screens? New parts? All glass? Metal? How will this affect the independent repair business?

The two-hour Apple keynote in the Steve Jobs Theater provided answers to many questions, and shed light on what the brand has in store for the 2017/2018 season.

Here are a few of the big announcements they made that we thought were worth noting:

Apple Watch 3

The LTE and cellular antennas are built into the screen of the watch, meaning the phone no longer needs to be near the watch to be fully functional
Calls, SMS, email, and Siri functions will be available through the watch, again, not dependent on phone proximity
Access to 40 million songs on Apple Music without using data
Previous Apple Watches have responded via text on the screen, but now Siri can talk out loud
A heart rate monitor can send alerts to person wearing the watch, and even emergency contacts for AFib patients
The Apple Watch 3 is set to launch at the same time as iOS4

The addition of parts like cellular capability and the barometric altimeter, it's impressive that the actual size didn't increase from the size of the Apple Watch 2. Like the iPad, we expect the Apple Watch to have a separate cellular plan, making us wonder how much more a customer will pay on their monthly bill.

More features means more to fix, and with phone proximity not influencing the function, the watch will likely never leave their wrist. This could lead to more breaks, especially when tracking activity without the need of a phone. Also, we’re anticipating Apple Watch 3 accessories to fit Apple Watch 2, meaning separate accessories for both iterations will not be needed - however, this is speculation.

Apple TV

4K capable
Uses the same A10x Fusion chip as the iPad Pro
Live TV and sports can be streamed from the app
If someone purchases movies through Apple TV, they receive a free 4K upgrade, if applicable
4K or 1080p movies are the same price

We can’t imagine this is going to cause waves in the repair business, but if you happen to see one, it now takes the same chip as the iPad Pro.

Apple iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus

Respective 4.7” and 5.5” LCD Retina screens for the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus
New 12 megapixel camera, dual and telephoto lens camera available on the Plus, similar to the iPhone 7
True Tone color matching software
Wireless charging (finally) available on 64g and 256g models using a brand new-to-Apple integration that allows QI charging

This is an immense relief to the industry because LCD screens mean affordable aftermarket alternatives will still be available soon, without the huge price tag of OLED. We will live to see another generation of iPhone repairs yet!

With a retail price of $699-$799 on iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, the speculations about massive OLED replacement part costs, logic board-paired screens, and frameless curved chassis will not be the case for the majority of new iPhone users in the next couple years, which might be a disappointment for underwhelmed Apple users, but a huge sigh of relief for independent repair.

iPhone X (iPhone 10)

5.8” OLED Super Retina display - 2436 x 1125 pixels, 458 ppi
“Face ID” security, which scans and memorizes your face to unlock (instead of Touch ID); this works in the dark and is adaptive using machine learning
On-device processing, so your personal information does not have to be verified through a data center where personal info is stored
Dual 12 megapixel camera with vertical alignment for enhanced AR (augmented reality) and optical image stabilization games and app experience (on the back, front 7 mp)
ANIMOJI recorded facial map messaging (not available on the iPhone 8)
Wireless QI charging

This is the phone that the iPhone 8 was heavily speculated to be. Amidst all of the rumors of supply chain issues and OLED problems, we were wondering how Apple planned to release a phone with such questionable supply issues.

The larger implications of these new phones are still largely left up to speculation. Stay tuned here for more information and industry insight on the new iPhone 8, QI wireless accessories, Apple Watch, and the iPhone X from our industry experts and engineers. If we know Apple at all, the adventure with these new additions is just the beginning.