First Impressions After Going Hands-On With New Apple Products
*By Hope King*
CUPERTINO, Calif. ーThe big takeaways for Apple's iPhone [event](https://cheddar.com/videos/apple-unveils-3-new-iphones-higher-prices) this year? Price and color matter, and the Apple Watch may finally be a must-have.
When Apple released the iPhone X last year, critics said it would be too expensive for customers, with a base price of $999.
Now, the priciest iPhone, the new XS Max, comes with a base price of $1,099 and will set you back $1,449 with the maximum available capacity of 512 gigs.
At its much-anticipated annual fall event, Apple announced three new iPhone X devices: an iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR, all with the edge-to-edge display and Face ID that once differentiated the X model.
Overall, the phones look and feel quite similar ー but again, the biggest differences are price and color.
With the iPhone XS Max starting at $1,099, Apple is selling its largest iPhone ever with a 6.5-inch screen. Compare that to the iPhone XS at 5.8-inch screen for a $999 starting price, and the iPhone XR with a 6.1-inch screen for $749. That's more than the base price for the original iPhone 8 when it was released last year. Now a $749 price tag is the "bargain" option.
To make the iPhone XR even more appealing, Apple introduced several vibrant colors unique to the model. There is a coral, pink, yellow, and blue version in addition to the classic black, white, and PRODUCT(RED) iterations.
What Apple seems to be saying here is, "We've got a phone for everyone." And that's likely a welcome message for investors, who worry about a smartphone market that is slowing down.
In addition, Apple will continue to sell the iPhone 8, starting at $599 and the iPhone 7, starting at $449.
One quick thing about the Apple Watch Series 4: I think Apple finally may have built a smartwatch that I've been waiting for.
The new models sport a larger screen and haptic feedback in the digital crown, both of which make scrolling around on the small device somewhat easier. Apple also added an electrocardiogram feature, which earned FDA approval. It's a game-changer that transforms the watch from a mobile device into a medical one. Good luck, Fitbit.
Okay, the stuff of business settled. Onto the event itself.
From my vantage point covering the event from the "Spaceship," a.k.a. Apple's headquarters, many more journalists than last year were present.
All the mainstream U.S. networks ー ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, Fox Business, Bloomberg, CNBC ー were with us on the risers; the press center was filled with digital outlets from all around the world, and the demo area was swarmed (as it always is) with familiar faces from the YouTube tech scene.
I spotted [Marques Brownlee](https://www.youtube.com/user/marquesbrownlee) and iJustine, just to name two.
I asked Brownlee what impressed him most (and least). Unsurprisingly ー at least to those who know and follow him ー Brownlee said he loved the iPhone XR in red and was a little mixed about the coral. Shrug.
I didn't get a chance to talk to iJustine but she, like many others, was glued to the gold Apple Watch and iPhone XS. There's just something about the color that resembles liquid gold.
All in all, compared to last year's event, Wednesday's announcement felt very different, mostly because this was an "S" year ー an in-between year for big model and design changes.
But if Apple can replicate the success of the iPhone X with more related devices, I think X marks the spot.
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E-scooter company Bird made its public debut on the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday. CFO Yibo Ling joined Cheddar to discuss what made the company launch a SPAC IPO now. Ling noted one of the deciding factors was the need to scale the business to help take "gas-guzzling cars off the road" by growing into more locations. "A large portion of our proceeds will go to fund expansion into these new geographies," he said.
Booking Holdings CEO Glenn Fogel joined Cheddar's "Closing Bell" to discuss the online travel company's Q3 earnings beat and the state of the travel industry. The earnings win was a sign that a sense of normalcy is slowly returning, according to Fogel, though he expressed disappointment in the Biden administration's delay allowing international vaccinated travelers into the country. He also predicted that elevated prices in areas like room bookings will remain high as travelers continue to pay more even as occupancy rates remain low.
Fintech firm NerdWallet made its IPO debut on the Nasdaq on Thursday. CEO Tim Chen joined Cheddar to talk about the decision to tap the capital markets now and explained the company's revenue model by taking a cut from financial products like credit cards and loans sold through the site. Chen also talked about the firm's stance on cryptocurrencies, noting it advises people to only invest what they can afford to lose. (Updated November 5, 2021 to reflect that NerdWallet went public on Nasdaq, not NYSE.)
New York City taxi drivers won a major victory to slash the cost of money owed for taxi medallions. The announcement follows a two-week long hunger strike at City Hall by some drivers to demand debt relief.
Moderna reported a massive miss on revenue in its Q3 earnings, taking in $5 billion versus the expected $6.21 billion despite sales of the COVID-19 vaccine. The pharmaceutical giant's stock dropped sharply on the news.
Joan E. Solsman, a senior reporter at CNET, joined Cheddar's "Opening Bell" to talk about Netflix moving to offer mobile video games for Android users as part of their subscription. She said this is likely one "baby step" for the streaming giant as it moves into the space. "You can see what Netflix wants to do eventually down the line is have these great ambitions to make their service be more than just passive TV, movies," she said. "They're moving more into merchandising, that they're moving more into in-person experiences. They're trying to broaden a way, which is a great thing to do when everyone keeps talking about metaverses."
CVS is working to become a major health care provider as the pharmacy chain adds doctors to its payroll, following a trend among pharmacies like Walgreens integrating more primary health care services.
Insurance tech company Lemonade is now offering automobile coverage, and CEO Daniel Schreiber joined Cheddar to talk about the company's commitment to not investing in "coal or other pollutant industries." He noted that the new product was incentivizing car insurance in "an environmentally responsible way." Schreiber also discussed expanding coverage beyond pet, life, and home insurance, and how it has impacted business since going public.
