Julie’s gadget diary – It’s iPhone X day and I’m not feeling left out (really, I mean it)

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iphone x event 3

Today’s the day Apple fan boys and fan girls have been waiting for. It’s the day ordinary people can get their hands on the iPhone X. And when I say “ordinary”, I really mean you because I didn’t order one like I had originally planned after watching the Apple iPhone X unveiling event back in September.

But let me back up… This past summer I had a 3-month phonemance with an iPhone 7 Plus. Like most flings, the chemistry between us was good for awhile, but soon the initial attraction wore off and I found myself daydreaming about that cute little green Android. I ultimately had to sit down with the iPhone 7 Plus and have a talk that went something like this.

Me: “iPhone, you look really nice tonight, is that a new wallpaper?”
iPhone:
Me: “Look, I think you’ve been feeling this for awhile too… things just aren’t working out between us anymore.”
iPhone:
Me: “No, no, it’s me, not you. You’ve been great.”
iPhone:
Me: “You have a lot going for you, a great display, great apps, and great accessories. I’m just not feeling the spark between us anymore and I think it’s time to move on.”
iPhone:
Me: “iPhone, you’ll always have a place in my heart, but right now this isn’t our time.”

Whew, that was brutal. A few days later I traded the iPhone 7 Plus for an original Pixel XL and I haven’t looked back. Ok, maybe I did feel a few pangs of regret with the lead up to the iPhone X pre-order day, and the constant chatter about the iPhone X from fellow Gadgeteer writer Dave Rees. But none of the talk and online glam made me want to order one. I ordered the Pixel 2 XL instead and have been happily using it for the past 2 weeks.

Does that mean that I don’t want to get my hands on an iPhone X if only for a few fleeting moments of consensual fondling? No way. I’m The Gadgeteer after all and with that title comes a very high level of gadget curiosity. I will check one out. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon.

Those of you who are getting the iPhone X today, congrats! I hope you have a long and healthy phonemance. Let us know your first impressions in the comments below.

BTW, who else out there can’t seem to call the new iPhone the iPhone 10 instead of the iPhone “ex” all the time?

Dave: “Constant” (chatter) might be a bit strong of a word…Julie… 😉 But I have been pretty excited about getting my hands-on Apple’s next-generation iPhone. Like many others, I set my alarm for a few minutes before midnight last Thursday night and waited for the clock to strike midnight. Compared to some of the horror stories I’ve heard/read about pre-ordering an iPhone X (and yes I call it the EX both in my mind & verbally), my experience was relatively uneventful. The week passed painfully slowly but today is the day!!! I am picking up my package at UPS on my way to meet Ryan (Chapman, another Gadgeteer) at the mall where she is picking hers up from our local Apple Store. We’re doing lunch while checking out our fancy new smartphones. As I am sure many of you are, I’m pleased Apple has gotten into the full screen, OLED game because the likes of the Note 8 and Pixel 2XL are very tempting when compared to iPhone 7 or 8’s stale design. But to each their own, either way, there are many great smartphones to blow our hard-earned dollars on these days…I’m just glad I’m receiving mine day one 😀 .

22 thoughts on “Julie’s gadget diary – It’s iPhone X day and I’m not feeling left out (really, I mean it)”




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  2. My iPhone X space grey 256GB is on the way…. When I’m back from work, i hope it’s at home…. i hate my android phone (an old Samsung Galaxy Note 3), which I’ve been using since I have sold my 7 Plus.

  3. Well, I want one. I still really like my good ol’ iPhone 6 Plus, but the iPhone X looks like the phone I’ve been waiting for through several phone updates now. I’m just trying to figure out if I can get work to buy one for me. 😉

  4. The Apple X is a good start, but what is with the cutout at top of the screen? That is a serious design mistake. Look how nice the Samsung Galaxy S 8+ and Note 8 look.

  5. Waiting on UPS deliver my iPhone X. I haven’t upgraded since the 6 Plus so I’m pretty excited. I love my 6 Plus but I’m ready for the upgrade.
    I’m already anxious reading about people getting there iPhone X’s this morning and unfortunately for some reason my UPS deliveries usually don’t come until late afternoon or later. ☹️
    Hurry up UPS guy!!!

  6. I think you missed some detail. These are my actual Siri responses to your conversation. Looks like Siri was looking to move on as well. In the end Siri suggests you visit Apple. Is that Siri’s lawyer? pimp? Tinder page?

    Me: “iPhone, you look really nice tonight, is that a new wallpaper?”
    iPhone: “Thank you. It’s nice to be appreciated.”
    Me: “Look, I think you’ve been feeling this for awhile too… things just aren’t working out between us anymore.”
    iPhone: “I’m not sure I understand.”
    Me: “No, no, it’s me, not you. You’ve been great.”
    iPhone: “I’m glad you think so.”
    Me: “You have a lot going for you, a great display, great apps, and great accessories. I’m just not feeling the spark between us anymore and I think it’s time to move on.”
    iPhone: “Why, thank you!”
    Me: “iPhone, you’ll always have a place in my heart, but right now this isn’t our time.”
    iPhone: “Allow me to direct you to Apple’s rather fabulous website”

  7. What Dave fails to mention is the few days at the beginning where he thought he was getting his a week from launch. He has definitely been converted to the dark side of the iPhone.. he ordered his before me, and mine was coming day 1 and his was not!

    But, Day 1 arrived and he got his. We both set up our phones at the Apple store.. me waiting to go home and restore my device, him restoring at the store. Mine went very painlessly as I had all the time in the world at home. He had to update to the newest iOS to update, and that took a while. Keep that in mind, anyone who has the newest iOS 11.1 and who plans to update in store.. you will need to do that first and it will take some time.

    Otherwise, so far I am enjoying it. Dave is enjoying it, and basically we spent our lunch hour fidgeting with the new toy and/or talking about the new toy. First impressions are really good on my end. Wonderful screen, great to hold, and zippy! Only thing I am not digging so far is that it’s a little harder to take screenshots due to having to hold down a left and right button and not a left and home button, but that’s pretty minor.

    Oh, and my mom loves the animojis I’ve been sending her.

  8. Read on article in the Washington Post that said that the phone’s name is officially spoken as the iPhone Ten, not iPhone X.

  9. Cornelis Steinitz

    Hi Julie,

    about an hour ago I returned my iPhone X (64 GB) to our local Apple Store. I’ve had it since Saturday and it was a constant pain with the phone. Not having a home button is a pretty big deal.

    The swiping gestures on the X are, to say the least, frustrating and definitely not for me. I don’t see this as compatible when using the phone on a daily basis.
    Upper left diagonally down: daily message center, Upper right diagonally across: shortcut center, lower bar, swipe up: open lock screen and/or close app, lower bar pull down: reachability. lower bar halod an pull up: pops up all open apps….
    All this reaching around, when usually I would just press or double press or just swipe from the bottom upwards got me to where I wanted to go is just “more” than “less”. After all Steve Jobs said, he wanted the iPhone to be used with one hand – the X doesn’t do it.
    It’s just too much reaching around and eventually you are more than just once, using both hands.

    Face ID worked surprisingly well…most of the time…but not all of the time. In very dark conditions there was a lag of 1-2 seconds and having to tilt the phone to get it to scan correctly.

    After a few days I did not feel comfortable with the phone and this morning, I traded it off for an iPhone 8.
    The X, for me stands for hands-off (in more ways than one) ?

    Cheers

    1. Cornelis, Thanks for sharing that! I’ve yet to see or hold an iPhone X in real life. I think I’d like the size of the phone and I don’t think all the swiping would bother me since I’m used to that. But someone coming from an earlier iPhone would definitely need an adjustment period.

      1. Cornelis Steinitz

        Don’t misunderstand me. I have been switching from IOS to Android and back for years like you 🙂
        The swiping across the screen is not that complicated on Android as it is on the X, just because you have the “back”, “home” and “apps in use” buttons with Android at the bottom.
        On the iX you have minimal room (bottom swipe) to get 3 gestures going. That’s a pain.
        Right now: a Samsung S8+ and an X side by side: the Samsung wins hands down on virtual button positioning and swipe gestures.
        You know the drill, “if Steve were here today…” :-)))

        1. I almost got a chance to see an iPhone X at SAM’s Club today. I should say that I “did” see one, but the battery was dead. It wasn’t on display but was behind the counter and when I asked to see it, it was dead. They plugged it in but it wouldn’t boot up because the battery was so dead. Oh well…

          I understand what you mean about the swipe area. Since the X is smaller than the previous iPhone model, that could get tricky.

          1. Cornelis Steinitz

            The iPhone X is actually a bit larger than the 7 and the 8, but, yes, smaller than the “plus” Models.

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