Neil Hughes
Apple's forward facing TrueDepth camera system, which powers Face ID on the iPhone X, won't make it to the company's rear facing cameras next year, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities.
Ming-Chi Kuo had previously predicted that Apple would push to introduce TrueDepth on the rear camera starting in 2018. But on Tuesday, he changed that forecast, saying that Apple will instead focus on launching new models on time with stable shipments.
One particular focus for Apple next year, according to Kuo, will be "reducing costs and selling prices." The $999 starting price of the iPhone X reflects the new advanced and costly technology Apple is introducing with this year's flagship handset.
Kuo also expects that Apple will expand the iPhone X lineup to provide "more product lines to attract more customers." It has been rumored that a Plus-sized iPhone X model with a 6.46-inch edge-to-edge display could be in the works for 2018.
But Apple won't need to bring TrueDepth to the rear camera next year, Kuo believes, because its current camera systems are so far beyond competitors.
"We believe iPhone X's integrated advantage of 3D sensing & full-screen design is ahead of competitors by at least one year; thus there is no need for significant upgrades in 2018," he said.
He still thinks TrueDepth will come to the rear camera eventually, as it would help improve augmented reality applications with improved 3D sensing capabilities. The TrueDepth camera on the iPhone X includes infrared for 3D mapping a user's face for secure logins.
AppleInsider has a pre-release iPhone X and is currently putting the handset through its paces for our full, in-depth review.
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
AppleInsider Staff
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8 Comments
This analyst sounds more like a weather guesser the more he talks.
Didn't one analyst say that Apple's 3D depth-sensing tech was ahead of competitors by two years? This analyst only puts Apple's advantage to one year. I suppose the next analyst will claim Apple's 3D depth-sensing tech will only give Apple a 6-month advantage. These analysts are always guessing (and missing). I don't think there's anyway to tell how much advantage Apple has because we don't know what other manufacturers are working on. There's also the cost of that tech which might prevent rivals from moving into 3D depth-sensing tech immediately. I'm certain that if Face ID is fast and accurate, and customers like it, all the flagship Android smartphones are going to follow as quickly as possible to adapt the same technology. Then some jackass is going to claim Apple is still trailing way behind Android manufacturers. It's almost impossible for one company to keep ahead of a dozen rivals in every aspect of hardware. It would be prohibitively expensive to load every possible new feature into one smartphone. I personally don't think there's any need to do it. Most consumers likely wouldn't require such a thing.
Apple doesn't even know what's possible next year that's why they're DEVELOPING new products.
Or does Ming actually believe the iPhone team finished the X2 and are taking a year long vacation?
Another lui non sicatur from so called kuo
he should branch out into horoscopes