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Comment by asaph | Hacker News Reader

Apple just announced the iPhone Xs. Surgical grade stainless steel. 3 finishes: Gold, Silver, Space Gray. New glass. Waterproof, saltwater proof, even beer proof. 5.8" screen. Still has a notch like the iPhone X. Improved FaceID.

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I initially read it as bear-proof and was immediately skeptical. Beer-proof makes much more sense.

> ... even beer proof.

Is beer proofing that different from regular waterproofing? I can imagine juice leaving sugar residue and being sticky. Does beer have similar issues?

Ever spilled a full to the brim beer on your hands before? It can definitely be sticky.

Beer has sugar (alcohol) in it. It gets sticky like juice when it dries.

They didn't give much detail on the improved FaceID

They implied (and I think it’s safe to assume) it’s faster and more accurate.

What I’d like is a wider field of view. I can unlock an iPhonenwith Touch ID while it’s on a table without pointing it at my phone. Face ID couldn’t do that.

Minor issue, but it was annoying from time to time. Hopefully it’s better.

I wonder if they added official multi-person support, not just the ‘alternate appearance’ stuff previously announced.

Same stick-out camera

What I found interesting in the presentation was when they called the new iPhones uncompromising. I was thinking “what are you taking about? All engineering is comprise”. Stick out camera is a perfect example.

Pretty underwhelming. Is it a sign for the years to come? I am thinking about shorting AAPL.

It's a tock year.

Of course it's going to be underwhelming - the smartphone market is completely saturated, and the margins on technology advancements in the space are diminishing more and more over time. People are holding onto their devices for much longer these days and the mad rush to get the next best thing is waning. Personally I think this is a good thing as the market is reaching some sort of sustainable, stable ground and no longer in a huge "race to the bottom" as it were.

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