As we wait for the official launch of iPhone X on November 3rd, 2017, something bizarre happened regarding the amount of time Apple allocated authors to come up with a genuine review of the Smartphone. It has been reported that three reported based in the US and another one based in the UK weren’t supplied with handsets until October 31st, 2017 lunchtime.
This means that the reporters had very little time to assess the phone and come up with a detailed review about it. However, experts say that this was Apple’s strategy to avoid any adverse iPhone X reviews before its official launch. With the amount of time allowed, the reporters could only come up with their personal opinion about the phone rather than detailed reviews.
Freedom to Decide
Well, Apple acted within its rights, and since the phone isn’t publicly available yet, nobody can question its restrictive policy. However, this development casts a dark shadow over the value of these reviews to potential buyers and limits the ability of a person making a well-informed decision.
Previously, Daring Fireball’s John Gruber had questioned the decision of the giant Tech Company to offer review units to unknown YouTube Channels rather than engaging Tech reporters who are knowledgeable and experienced in the field of in-depth reviews
Earlier on, the Wall Street Journal had highlighted all the review choices and had indicated that the company was favoring celebrities and YouTube personalities when it comes to reviewing the yet-to-be-released iPhone X over the most experienced review columnists who have been reviewing its products for a long time.
A Deviation from the Norm
The decision contradicts the position of Apple on reviews but why did the company decide to it anyway? Was it trying to avoid negative reviews that would have a significant impact on the sales of the handset? Is there something wrong with the device that the company is trying to hide from the buyers?
First, there is nothing wrong with Apple sending its products to where it likes for review and choosing to review it on a YouTube Channel is a perfect way of utilizing the new media. However, the problem is the company deliberately chose to ignore channels with considerable audiences to properly engage the reviewers.
Secondly, the instant reactions that the company was advocating for can only focus on describing the new features of the iPhone X which would set the trend for online discussions. A detailed review would highlight both the pros and cons of the gadget. Perhaps, this is what the company avoided as it prepares to start shipping millions of the device to overseas immediately after its official release on November 3rd, 2017.
With a limited time to write a detailed review, the experts were left with a single option of comparing it to the older iPhone models including iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus which were released barely a month ago. The fact is that the latest model has much more in common with the older versions.
Limited Time
The amount of time allowed couldn’t be sufficient in producing detailed information in critical areas where the consumers are interested such as battery life, software performance, in-depth camera performance in different environments and head-to-head comparison with the other leading models from various brands.
If there are any flaws with the gadget, they the possibly won’t be detected within the limited period. Some experts at sellmymobile.com are already foreseeing a bug-ridden iOS that was hurriedly launched to beat the stiff market competition. Both the hardware and software of iPhone X were untested which raise more questions.
Other experts are already hinting at the possibility of the Smartphone running hotter than the older models when subjected to long hours of computing. The restriction of reviews is a Hollywood practice that is usually adapted when there is fear of the critics’ words hurting sales. As everyone waits for the big launch of iPhone X, experts are waiting to see if Apple was scared of the negative impact that detailed reviews could have on the sale of their latest Smartphone model.
