Apple should have better been known for giving you a loaf of bread and taking your plate of sandwich. Yea, you heard that right. The American technology giant has been known for its revolutionary and audacious moves that have redefined the way we see and use phones, subsequently paving the way for what is now referred to as smartphones. From the launch of the first iPhone whose selling point was its ability to harmonize the power of internet, phone and mp3 into a touchscreen device that pave the way for the eventual demise of phone keypads, to the removal of the headphone jack. Apple has always given us something to cheer about but at a cost that is never mentioned.


Just when the dust generated by the removal of the headphone jack on iPhone 7 is beginning to settle in, Apple has decided to remove the fingerprint sensor but just so you do not complain, it introduced the Face ID and said it is the new way to unlock your phone and authorize payments. This sounds good and I am tempted to believe that this, just like so many other Apple technologies, will be a hit. However,I am curious to know if this was done to better customers' experience or because Apple found itself in a tight situation and needed an easy way out?

I will like to start my analyses from iPhone7 since it signifies where major changes that affect customers started- the removal of the headphone jack. At the launch of the first iPhone, Apple fans were thrilled when Steve Jobs said there is no need having your keypads sitting there, occupying space even when not in use, and ultimately reducing the size of your display. This problem was addressed by the multi-touch screen on the iPhone. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of the removal of the headphone jack on the iPhone7. In short, they were complaints and controversies generated by its removal but as usual, they were not enough to deter Apple. Since one cannot point to an issue that was resolved by the removal of the headphone jack, my question is why was it removed in the first place? In the words of Apple executive Phil Schiller, " It comes down to one word- courage. The courage to move on and do something better for all of us.” Now, the question is did Phil say what that "something" was? I think it was more of the introduction of something expensive- the earpods. An expensive accessory that hangs loosely on your ears.

Apple said removing the 3.5mm headphone jack allowed Apple to meet the IP7 water resistance threshold, added a 14% bigger battery on the 4.7-inch model and brought about more advanced camera technology. Really? Even with the charging port still there? The IP7 water resistance wasn't affected by that? Okay. Just when users were beginning to accept that, the iPhone X is here and as usual, a major feature has been left out.


The iPhone X comes with the revolutionary Face ID, something Apple described as "Your face is your secure password". The Face ID is a new technology that will allow users to unlock their devices as well as authenticate payments by simply looking at their devices. To further justify the inclusion of this feature, Phil Schiller said "The chance that a random person could use their fingerprint to unlock your iPhone is about 1 in 50,000. What are the similar statistics for Face ID? One in a million. The chance that a random person in the population could look at your iPhone X and unlock it with their face is about one in a million." Hmmmm. Is this really about the Face ID or about making users not question the removal of the fingerprint sensor? To me, it seems more of the latter.

Before I go into why the fingerprint sensor was removed, let’s compare the Face ID with the Touch ID. Without going into the momentary failure of the Face ID at the launch, I would like to reference two statements credited to Apple that contradict themselves. One on Apple's website reads "your face is your secure password" while Phil admitted on the other statement that the unlikelihood of someone unlocking your phone is "lower if that person shares a close genetic relationship with you" and "if you happen to have an evil twin, you really need to protect your sensitive data with a passcode." My face is my secure password yet I need to protect my phone from an evil twin with a passcode? So Face ID is not secure after all. With fingerprint sensor, you have ten fingers to choose from. In the event that the chosen finger gets compromised, a user can always use another finger but with Face ID, you are stuck with one face. What do you do when someone's face unlocks your device? Sadly, nothing! You are back to square one- using passcodes.

Now, what is the hidden truth behind the introduction of the Face ID and why was the fingerprint sensor removed? Apple said "Our vision has always been to create an iPhone that is entirely screen." This statement explains it all. To achieve an all-glass iPhone, two things were sacrificed: the fingerprint sensor and the home button. Did I hear you say Apple could have taken the home button to the side (as in the case of some Android devices) and the fingerprint sensor to the back (as in the case of the Galaxy S8). Yea, but Apple already has the volume and ring/silent buttons by the side, and the all-glass back of the iPhone X meant Apple couldn't put a fingerprint sensor at the back. So what is the way out? Apple couldn't possibly sell us a phone of that magnitude with just passcode as the means of authentication. This is where Face ID came in. Used as a means to escape from the dilemma that an all-glass design put Apple into, and not necessarily an advancement in technology.
Continuing in this trend of component removal, in the future, Apple will sell us a piece of glass as an iPhone. My take: sell us a piece of technology, not a piece of art.
Source: http://www.timigate.com/2017/09/apple-iphone-x-truth-apple-wont-tell-you.html