MacRumors

Apple's website now lists iPhone X availability at its retail stores in the United States and several other countries around the world.

Simply visit the iPhone X purchase page for your country from the list below, select a carrier if required, choose a color, and then click on "Pickup: Check Availability" below your desired storage capacity.

• Australia
• Canada
• France
• Germany
• Italy
• The Netherlands
• Spain
• Sweden
• United Kingdom
• United States

A window will pop open with iPhone X availability—if any—at nearby Apple stores based on your ZIP or postal code.

At stores where the iPhone X is available, customers can complete the checkout process and reserve the device for same day in-store pickup. We recommend bringing at least one valid government-issued photo ID with you.

At the time this article is published, for example, the iPhone X is available for pickup today at several Apple stores in the Los Angeles area. However, many countries outside of the United States don't have any stock today.

The tool is also a good indicator of iPhone X availability for customers who are planning to walk into a store and purchase one, although in most cases it's more convenient and guaranteed to reserve one for in-store pickup.

In the handful of countries outside of the United States listed below, Apple also resumed its similar Reserve and Pickup system today.

• Belgium
• Canada
• Mexico
• Switzerland
• United Arab Emirates
• United Kingdom

Starting at 6:00 a.m. local time across Canada, for example, the page came online and allowed customers to reserve their desired iPhone X configuration at a nearby Apple retail store at full retail price, with payment completed in store.

iPhone X supplies were depleted within just minutes, and the Reserve and Pickup page now advises customers to check back again at 6:00 a.m. local time tomorrow. If you refresh periodically, however, sometimes a few models appear.

iPhone X pre-orders began October 27 at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time, and within just minutes, shipping estimates slipped to 5-6 weeks around the world. The estimate has since improved to 3-4 weeks for orders placed today.

Given the long wait time for online orders, trying to purchase an iPhone X with in-store pickup or as a walk-in customer may be quicker options, and Apple's availability tool makes it easy to check supplies without leaving your home.

With the iPhone X now in the hands of thousands of customers around the world, many early adopters are putting Face ID to the test to see if Apple's facial authentication system is as secure as it advertises.

Apple says the probability that a random person in the population could look at someone else's iPhone X and unlock it using Face ID is approximately 1 in 1,000,000, compared to 1 in 50,000 for Touch ID, but it notes the probability of a false match is different for twins and siblings who look like you.

We've already seen that Face ID can be fooled by identical twins, and now a video shared on Reddit appears to confirm that Face ID can sometimes fail to distinguish between siblings who aren't twins but have similar appearances.

In the video, the sibling who set up Face ID on his iPhone X was able to unlock the device with his face as expected. Next, he handed the iPhone to his brother. Face ID didn't authenticate his brother's face upon first attempt, but once he put on a pair of black rim glasses, his face was able to unlock the iPhone X.

Apple has been very transparent that Face ID can be less reliable in these situations, so the video doesn't come across as a PR disaster in the making for the company. But, it does visualize that Face ID isn't 100 percent failproof.

For those concerned about the security of their iPhone X in these cases, Apple's only recommendation is to use a traditional passcode instead of Face ID for authentication. Unfortunately, at least for the time being, that means disabling one of the key new features of a smartphone that costs at least $1,000.

Update: A similar video has surfaced of two half-brothers unlocking the same iPhone X with Face ID. The younger brother is supposedly 14 years old.

Not only do the siblings look somewhat similar, but Apple said probability of a false match is also different among children under the age of 13, because their distinct facial features may not have fully developed. Perhaps the 14-year-old brother falls within that category, even if slightly older.

Update 2: In a follow-up video, the original brothers who posted on reddit reveal that Face ID initially failed to authenticate the second brother, but after inputting the passcode several times after failed attempts, it began to authenticate his face. The brothers' faces were close enough in appearance that Face ID worked as intended by "learning" that it should recognize both brothers as the same person.

The iPhone X is here! Apple Stores around the world opened up at 8:00 a.m. local time on November 3 and deliveries kicked off around the same time, getting the iPhone X into the hands of millions of customers today.

We got our hands on an iPhone X this morning and spent the day testing it out to get acquainted with all of the new features. Check out the video below to see a walkthrough of the unboxing process and Face ID setup.

Our video also covers the new Studio Lighting feature available on the iPhone X, plus it goes through all of the new gestures you're going to need to learn to navigate through the iOS 11 operating system. Without a Home button, there's a whole new workflow to learn that can take a couple of days to get used to. Once you've got it down, though, it seems to be a more intuitive navigation experience.

Face ID takes under 30 seconds to set up, so getting the iPhone X up, running, and ready to recognize your face is incredibly fast. Face ID also seems to work quite reliably, and the new Animoji feature that comes alongside Face ID is fun to use.

We're going to be taking a much closer look at the iPhone X and going over every new feature in detail both on MacRumors.com and on YouTube, so stay tuned and make sure to follow our YouTube channel if you don't already.

Apple this afternoon released a new beta of iOS 11.2 for iPhone X devices, allowing the latest flagship smartphone to be updated to the latest developer beta.

Registered developers can download the iOS 11.2 beta from Apple's Developer Center or over-the-air once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Developer Center.

Apple first released iOS 11.2 to developers and public beta testers earlier this week, but did not provide an iPhone X version. That left customers who had installed the iOS 11.2 beta on their previous devices unable to restore from an existing backup on the new iPhone X.

With the iPhone X beta now available, an iOS 11.2 backup can be installed on the device after upgrading to the new version of the software.

iOS 11.2 addresses an animation bug in the Calculator app that caused some numbers and symbols to be ignored when entered in rapid succession. The update removes the animations from the calculator app so calculations can be done quickly with no need to pause between entering numbers to obtain the correct result.

In addition to the Calculator bug, iOS 11.2 introduces a new Now Playing option for controlling content on the Apple TV in Control Center, redesigned camera emoji, and a new loading animation for Live Photos effects.

As customers around the world begin to receive an iPhone X, several early adopters have turned to the MacRumors discussion forums to unbox and share their first impressions of Apple's all-new flagship smartphone.

We've already seen iPhone X reviews from the media, but opinions shared by regular customers can provide additional insight. We've rounded up some early opinions about the iPhone X below, with very minor editing for clarity.

MacRumors forum member pudcraft shared an overwhelmingly positive review of the iPhone X. He said the device has a "very comfortable" overall size and an "absolutely beautiful" display. He added that Face ID is "really fast," but takes some time to get used to after upgrading from an older iPhone model.

It's fast. Like, really fast. I felt this took more getting "used" to than the removal of the home button. I am not used to lifting my phone and just swiping up because it is already unlocked. When I lift the device, I'm sort of expecting something, but without notifications displayed. I don't notice the unlock icon appear right away. Once you get used to it, it's as simple as lift and swipe up.

MacRumors forum member eoblaed said he tested Face ID while wearing a pair of polarized Maui Jim sunglasses, in conditions such as bright sunlight and partial shade while moving, and said "it worked every time."

"Same here!" replied kingneptune117. "I have a pair of Maui Jim Freight Trains. Face ID has no problems working with these sunglasses."

MacRumors user tatsumi upgraded from an iPhone 7 Plus and feels the iPhone X has "more comfortable one-handed usage," without compromising on camera quality or battery life. He said the TrueDepth camera system's sensor housing, often called the "notch," is something he "won't notice" going forward.

He added that the iPhone X's narrower screen width, equivalent to the iPhone 8, is something that he will need to get used to. MacRumors forum member Prissy likewise wrote that the iPhone X screen feels narrow.

A handful of threads have surfaced that claim the iPhone X's display is warmer with a yellower hue than previous iPhone models, even with True Tone and Night Shift turned off, and it may be more noticeable at certain viewing angles.

Apple shared a support document today that says if you look at an OLED display from an off-angle, you might notice slight shifts in color and hue. Apple said this is a characteristic of OLED display technology and is normal behavior.

In addition, there are some reports of possible isolated manufacturing defects, including a green line on one iPhone X's display and a piece of hair stuck behind the rear-facing camera lens of another. These types of issues generally pop up during any new iPhone launch, and affected customers should contact Apple.

MacRumors reader nia820 said he is "impressed" with the iPhone X, ranging from its glass finish and cameras to its OLED display and Face ID.

I've only had it for three hours but I'm already impressed by it. So glad I waited for the iPhone X instead of buying the iPhone 8. […] Let me tell you the camera doesn't do it justice. The color is much prettier in person. The glass really gives it a nice finish. The OLED display is absolutely gorgeous. Wish apple went OLED sooner. The colors have a nice balance. I've learned the swipe gestures already. Very easy to use. Face ID exceeded my expectations. I was wary of it, but it is snappy and quick to unlock my phone.

More first impression threads on the MacRumors discussion forums:

• "My iPhone X impressions so far" by Kart
• "Very impressed by the fast charging on the iPhone X" by The Game 161
• "Finally got mine!" by SIVIOKY

Apple this morning shared a new support document explaining how OLED displays work and that it is normal to see some screen burn-in over time and shifts in color when looking at the iPhone display from an off-angle.

According to Apple, when you look at an OLED display from a side angle, you may see shifts in color and hue, something that's a "characteristic of OLED" and "normal behavior."

Apple says that with extended long-term use, OLED displays can show "slight visual changes," which is also considered normal. The iPhone X has been engineered to be the "best in industry" at reducing burn-in effects, but Apple's support document suggests burn-in is still a problem that some users could potentially see over time.

This is also expected behavior and can include "image persistence" or "burn-in," where the display shows a faint remnant of an image even after a new image appears on the screen. This can occur in more extreme cases such as when the same high contrast image is continuously displayed for prolonged periods of time. We've engineered the Super Retina display to be the best in the industry in reducing the effects of OLED "burn-in."

With Apple referring to burn-in as normal behavior, it's not clear how this issue will be treated should it occur in terms of the one-year iPhone X warranty or extended AppleCare+ coverage. Typically, issues that Apple considers normal are not covered.

Apple's wording suggests screen burn-in is going to be a rare occurrence, but Apple does suggest users avoid displaying static images at maximum brightness for long periods of time. If there's an app that keeps the display on when the iPhone X is not in active use, the brightness level should be temporarily reduced using Control Center.

Making sure the iPhone X's display is set to go to sleep after a short period of time will also help prevent any burn-in issues, as it generally happens when the same image is on the display for a long time. Apple recommends setting Auto Lock to "a shorter time."

The iPhone X is now widely available across the United States, but some new iPhone X owners aren't able to start using their new phones due to carrier activation issues and congestion.

On the MacRumors forums, a number of AT&T users are complaining about activation problems, and there are also reports of activation issues on Twitter and reddit. Some AT&T customers are seeing long wait times for the activation process before it eventually fails with an error message.

The issue appears to be due to heavy congestion with so many new devices being released into the wild at once. Several of our readers have been able to get the activation process to work after multiple attempts, while others have gotten it to work after a restart or via iTunes. From MacRumors reader anthonymoody:

I called Apple. As another person posted, they had me shut down (hold the large button right side, then swipe to shut down) and restart (hold large button right side). It still didn't work. Told me to call AT&T, which I did. They confirmed their servers are slammed but gave me the automated activation phone number. I called it, system said it was activated (!) But still no joy on the phone itself.

I swapped SIMs with my prior phone...still no joy.

Connected to iTunes and after having to restart the process several times owed to errors (guessing servers getting slammed) I was FINALLY able to get it going - in fact it update to 11.1 and restored from an iOS 11.1 back up in one shot.

While most of the reports seem to be coming from AT&T users, there are also scattered reports from Verizon customers who are seeing activation problems.

Unfortunately, there appears to be no fix at this time beyond waiting or attempting the activation process over and over again. The problem should start to clear up later today as the servers become less crowded, but Apple and/or affected carriers may also be able to implement some kind of fix.

We'll update this post should we hear reports of the congestion clearing up.

Update: Verizon says that customers who purchased a Verizon iPhone X are not experiencing activation issues, but we have heard some reports from Verizon users who are indeed having problems. Verizon activation issues do not seem to be as prevalent as AT&T activation issues, though.

Update: AT&T says the activation problem is fixed. AT&T's statement: "Some of our customers experienced a delay activating their iPhone X. The issue was not specific to our customers and is resolved."

With the iPhone X now in the hands of Apple customers worldwide, Apple today uploaded a new iPhone X Guided Tour video to its YouTube channel, which is designed to provide an overview of all the new features in the iPhone X.

The four minute video covers a wide range of topics, including Face ID, Animoji, Apple Pay, and the list of new gestures that are needed to navigate through the iOS 11 interface on the new device.

Apple has used Guided Tours to help users adjust to new devices for years. When the iPad launched in 2010, Apple debuted several iPad Guided Tours, and Guided Tours were also used to walk users through the new features available on the Apple Watch when it launched in 2015. There were even Guided Tours for the original iPhone in 2007.

Guided Tours for the iPhone haven't been used for several years now, but because the iPhone X is such a radical departure from previous iPhones, there's a lot to get used to. The interface is entirely different because there's no Home button, and Face ID is also an adjustment for those used to Touch ID.

Developers and public beta testers who installed the iOS 11.2 beta on their devices earlier this week will be disappointed to learn that there's no iOS 11.2 beta for the iPhone X as of yet, and therefore no way to restore from an existing iOS 11.2 backup on a new iPhone X.

If you're running iOS 11.2 on your existing iPhone and create an iCloud backup, that backup is not going to be compatible with the iPhone X.

New iPhone X owners who want to restore from a backup will need to wait for Apple to release a version of iOS 11.2 for the iPhone X or downgrade back down to iOS 11.1.

It's not entirely clear when Apple plans to release a beta of iOS 11.2 for the iPhone X.

It could happen today now that the iPhone X is out in the wild and there are customers who can't restore, but Apple could also choose to wait until it's time for the second beta to be released, which means public beta testers and developers will be left over the weekend without a restore option.

The other alternative to restoring is to set a device up as new, but that requires re-downloading all apps and re-entering a lot of information, which is a time consuming process.

Out of the box, iPhone X models appear to have iOS 11.0.1 installed, so the iOS 11.1 update will need to be installed over-the-air or via iTunes after opening it up. When restoring from an iOS 11.1 backup onto an iPhone X, it appears the iOS 11.1 update will be installed on the device automatically.

Update: Apple has released a new beta of iOS 11.2 for the iPhone X.

Apple has revealed that "face with tears of joy" is the most popular emoji among English speakers in the United States.

The face topped Apple's list of the top 10 emoji, ahead of a red heart, loudly crying face, heart eyes face, face throwing a kiss, face with rolling eyes, skull, smiling face with smiling eyes, weary face, and thinking face.

Apple's chart isn't labeled, much to the disappointment of anyone who was desperately seeking emoji statistics.

Apple's list of the top 10 emoji is mostly consistent with public data available from Emojipedia and EmojiTracker, with the skull being an exception, according to Unicode's Emoji Subcommittee vice-chair Jeremy Burge.

Apple shared the chart in a recently published overview of its differential privacy technology on macOS Sierra and iOS 10 and later, which allows the company to collect and aggregate anonymized data from a large number of users while preserving the privacy of individual users.

The differential privacy technology used by Apple is rooted in the idea that statistical noise that is slightly biased can mask a user's individual data before it is shared with Apple. If many people are submitting the same data, the noise that has been added can average out over large numbers of data points, and Apple can see meaningful information emerge.

Apple says it uses local differential privacy to help protect the privacy of user activity in a given time period, while still gaining insight that improves the intelligence and usability of iOS and macOS features such as:

• QuickType suggestions
• Emoji suggestions
• Lookup Hints
• Safari Energy Draining Domains
• Safari Autoplay Intent Detection (macOS High Sierra)
• Safari Crashing Domains (iOS 11)
• Health Type Usage (iOS 10.2)

Apple has specifically developed a technique known in the academic world as "local differential privacy":

Local differential privacy guarantees that it is difficult to determine whether a certain user contributed to the computation of an aggregate by adding slightly biased noise to the data that is shared with Apple. But before adding this noise, it's necessary to define a data structure that captures a sketch of user input with a small number of bits. Apple currently makes use of two specific techniques.

In iOS, information being shared with Apple for the categories of data that are protected using Differential Privacy is visible under Settings > Privacy > Analytics > Analytics Data, in entries that begin with "DifferentialPrivacy."

In macOS, users can launch the Console app and view the information under the Differential Privacy category of System Reports.

Apple's differential privacy overview provides many more technical details about the technology, including info about the Count Mean Sketch technique that allows Apple to determine the most popular emoji.

Apple today celebrated the launch of the new iPhone X by sharing some images of customers around the world buying and trying out the smartphone for the first time.

Apple Stores globally open at 8:00 a.m. local time to allow customers to pick up their reserved devices and make walk-in purchases, and Apple posted pictures of customers at Apple Stores in Dubai, Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo, and Sydney.

Years in the making, the iPhone X (pronounced "iPhone 10"), is Apple's latest and most advanced flagship device to date, featuring a 5.8-inch OLED display, Face ID facial recognition, wireless inductive charging, and a faster A11 Bionic processor.

Initial demand for the smartphone appears to be strong, with long lines forming outside Apple Stores around Europe, Asia, and Australasia, following advice from the tech giant that people get to stores early if they want to be in with a chance of purchasing the smartphone on launch day.

Large queues have been seen in Singapore, Madrid, Amsterdam, Belfast, Edinburgh, and Liverpool. Outside the Apple Store in Regent Street, London, a line of several hundred people snaked right around the corner. Stores are just now beginning to open in the U.S., where queues were sighted across the country overnight and have been growing ever since.

The only exception seems to be in Belgium and France, where due to anti-terrorism restrictions, Apple is not selling the iPhone X to customers there without a pre-order or pickup reservation.

Meanwhile, customers in New Zealand and Australia were first to receive their shipped iPhone X pre-orders today thanks to time zone differences, and now customers across Asia and Europe have been following in kind.

In the United States, the first iPhone X deliveries will take place on the east coast starting at 8:00 a.m. iPhone X pricing starts at $999 for the 64GB model, with the 256GB model priced at $1,149.

Stay tuned to MacRumors for more coverage of the iPhone X launch throughout the day.

iFixit has completed an iPhone X teardown, providing a closer look inside the device, including its new TrueDepth camera system, stacked logic board, L-shaped two-cell battery pack, and Qi-based inductive charging coil.

Like every other model since the iPhone 7 Plus, the iPhone X is a sideways-opening device. A single bracket covers every logic board connector.

iFixit said the miniaturized logic board design is incredibly space efficient, with an unprecedented density of connectors and components. It noted the iPhone X logic board is about 70 percent of the size of the iPhone 8 Plus logic board.

The extra room allows for a new L-shaped two-cell battery pack rated for 2,716 mAh, which is slightly larger than the iPhone 8 Plus battery.

iFixit's teardown includes some high-resolution photos of the iPhone X's new TrueDepth camera system that powers Face ID and Animoji.

For those unfamiliar, a flood illuminator covers your face with infrared light. Next, the front-facing camera confirms a face. Then the IR dot projector projects a grid of dots over your face to create a three-dimensional map. Last, the infrared camera reads this map and sends the data to the iPhone X for authentication.

Like the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, the inside of the iPhone X's rear shell is affixed with an inductive charging coil based on the Qi standard.

Other components in this iPhone X include Apple's custom A11 Bionic chip, 3GB of LPDDR4x RAM from SK Hynix, 64GB of flash storage supplied by Toshiba, Qualcomm's Snapdragon X16 LTE modem, and a Cirrus Logic audio amplifier.

Some minor changes: Apple's Taptic Engine continues to be a linear oscillator vibration motor, the earpiece speaker has been shifted down, and the Lighting connector is said to be more greatly reinforced with a wider bracket that screws into the sidewall of the iPhone X's stainless steel frame.

iFixit gave the iPhone X a so-called repairability score of six out of a possible 10 points. It said a cracked display can be replaced without removing Face ID's biometric hardware, but it added that fussy cables tie unrelated components together into complex assemblies that are expensive and troublesome to replace.