Strings of software code inside of the leaked operating
system, first detailed by Apple news website 9to5Mac, show the expected three
new phones will be called the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X
Apple Inc.’s most important new phone for years will be
called the iPhone X, according to a leak of the company’s latest mobile
operating system on Saturday.
Strings of software code inside of the leaked operating
system, first detailed by Apple news website 9to5Mac, show the expected three
new phones will be called the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X. App and
game developer Steven Troughton-Smith discovered the names in the software and
tweeted about it on Saturday.
The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus are successors to the current
iPhone models, while the iPhone X is the premium version with an all-new
design, crisper OLED screen, improved cameras, and a 3-D facial recognition
scanner for unlocking the device.
The “X” in the iPhone’s name may be a reference to this
model being a special 10th anniversary edition. The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus will
look similar to the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, but include faster processors,
Bloomberg News has reported. The new devices will be unveiled at an event on
Tuesday. An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment.
Listen to Bloomberg’s Decrypted Podcast on How a Crisis
Almost Derailed the Original iPhone in 2007
The leak comes not long after Apple accidentally published
early HomePod speaker software that provided details on upcoming iPhone
features. Apple chief executive officer Tim Cook has criticized news reports on
upcoming iPhones this year, saying the articles dented sales of current models.
Still, expectations are running high for a blockbuster holiday season: In a
recent survey by RBC Capital Markets, almost two-thirds of respondents said
they would buy a new iPhone model sight unseen.
The leaked operating system corroborates earlier Bloomberg
News reports that the premium X device will replace the usual Touch ID
fingerprint scanner with a face unlock feature. Apple will call the enhancement
Face ID, according to the code. The sensor will also be used for scanning a
person’s facial expression and converting that into animated emojis for
messaging, the code shows.
Bloomberg recently reported that the premium model will lack
a home button and instead use a series of gestures for controlling the device.
The leaked software also sheds more light on an upcoming
version of the Apple Watch that has its own cellular connection (existing
models have to be tethered to an iPhone). An 4 August report by Bloomberg
described this feature.
The code also includes a photo of the new Watch, with a red
button on the side and dots in the middle of the screen to show cellular signal
strength. The image and the leaked code indicate the device will be capable of
making phone calls without an iPhone in range and that Apple will announce new
colors, including a grey ceramic and a new gold tone. Bloomberg
