Apple unveils button-less, $999 iPhone X

By Barry Eitel

SAN FRANCISCO

Apple unveiled three new iPhones on Tuesday, including the button-free iPhone X, at the 10th iPhone news event,

CEO Tim Cook first revealed the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, next iteration of the legendary smartphone. Then, telling the crowd that he had “one more thing”, Cook announced the release of the iPhone X, pronounced ten, that has no buttons and a screen that stretches from edge-to-edge.

“Over the past decade, we've pushed forward with innovation after innovation, bringing us to this moment, when we can create devices that are far more intelligent, far more capable, and far more creative than ever before,” Cook teased the crowd before the final announcement.

With a starting price of $999 for a 64 gigabyte version, the iPhone X is the most expensive iPhone ever.

With glass screens on the front and back, as well as a frame built of “surgical-grade” stainless steel, the iPhone X is resistant to dust and water. It also has the best display capabilities of any iPhone, what the company is calling “super retina.”

Instead of using a thumb print to identify its owner, iPhone X users will unlock their phones via facial recognition software, a feature called “Face ID.”

“For more than a decade, our intention has been to create an iPhone that is all display,” Apple’s chief design officer Jony Ive said in a statement. “The iPhone X is the realization of that vision.”

Essentially, the iPhone 8 is similar to the iPhone 7 but with better processors, batteries and cameras.

The company also announced the release of the Series 3 Apple Watch smartwatch and a new version of its Apple TV video streaming system.

The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus will be available in 27 countries Sept. 22, with preorders beginning Sept. 15. The iPhone X will be available in more than 50 countries Nov. 3, with preorders starting Oct. 27.

Shares of Apple were down slightly in afternoon trading following the announcement, sliding about 1 percent to around $160.