Apple’s iPhone 11 Off to a Solid Start at Launch

Apple’s new iPhones hit store shelves on Friday, and early signs point to a successful launch.

As with previous iPhone launches, the impending release of the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max drew lineups of Apple fans starting on Thursday evening in major cities such as Berlin, London, Singapore, Sydney, and New York. On Fifth Avenue in NYC, Apple was keen to showcase a redesigned flagship store, and CEO Tim Cook was on hand to greet early customers when doors opened on Friday.

Looking to a more solid predictor of success, analysts have suggested that strong pre-orders for the iPhone 11 in particular – the cheapest of the bunch at $699 – indicate a solid position for Apple going into the holiday shopping season. Reviews have also been positive, with a fairly solid consensus that the basic iPhone 11 model is a solid piece of work thanks to features like an advanced imaging system and long battery life.

Reviewers have also appreciated the iPhone 11’s improved Face ID system – when they’ve mentioned it at all. It’s a relatively minor upgrade, with the system operating a bit faster and from more angles; but the response is a far cry from the hype Apple was able to generate when it first launched Face ID a couple of years ago with the iPhone X.

Speaking of biometrics, no one seems to miss Touch ID, the fingerprint scanning system that Face ID has replaced on Apple’s recent iPhones. There are, nevertheless, rumors that Apple is working to bring an in-display version of Touch ID to future iPhones – possibly as early as next year – but at this point, it doesn’t seem like such a move would necessarily be a response to customer demand.

Sources: CNBC, Gizmodo, Wired, The Verge, Apple