Please do explain why you don't view Face ID as an innovation over existing technology.
I frequently unlock a phone that's flat on a desk that's at an arm's length. Now, to unlock, I suspect I'll need to lift and point that device towards my face in order to authenticate. Since I haven't tried the iPhone X yet, I'm not sure how liberal they are with the angle required to capture your face, but it seems unlikely this can be done with the device flat on a desk.
To me, that's unfortunate ... and it's a feature change that having TouchID integrated into the display, as was rumored to be their original intention, would have avoided.
I'm not certain I'm getting the phone. But if I do, it'll be for the camera. It's my number one use case of my phone, and it seems like it's got a great camera. I know there are good alternatives from Android, but I'm largely married to the Apple ecosystem.
Often this is fine because the new stuff is unambiguously great. Sometimes it's miserable. That's life as an Apple customer.
So don't worry: the Apple upgrade cycle really isn't that bad.
Microsoft SP4 have had that for 2 years (unlocking with 3D scanning of the face), so I'd not call it innovation. But regardless, a sensor on the back would be better IMO.
Although it wasn't particularly either when it was first introduced.
“Once you’ve added a fingerprint, subsequent scans of that finger are nearly instantaneous. Touch ID is way faster than “fast enough”. I’d call it “I can’t believe it works this quickly” fast. It’s also very accurate — only a handful of times over the past week have I had to try a second time, and each of those times, I hadn’t really squared up my finger with the sensor.”
I know many people regard DF as overly biased, but as I recall, the general reception for Touch ID was very positive. Let me know if you find a review that says otherwise.
Personal experience from having got a 5S at launch. And every iPhone with Touch ID since.
I'm expecting Face ID to be the same - kinda clunky but amazing on the X, almost frictionless on the XI, and then almost completely transparent on the XII.
EDIT: It is innovative to do things well for the first time.
This is all speculation of course - and likely outside of the scope of this conversation, hopefully I'm not detracting too much though :)
For example, if you have an app open in a folder, you'll have to press the home button 3 times: once to exit the app, another to exit the folder, and a third to go home (unless the messages app is on the dock, then you can press twice to reach it).
I'd be worried about messaging the wrong person, and I also have fat fingers so that's no help :(