Apple has ways of shaping the narrative around an iPhone launch, but the first week is when we really start to scratch the surface of what it's like to live with the new models.Â
The launch of an iPhone is quite the spectacle, especially at Apple's flagship New York City store on Fifth Avenue. Apple CEO Tim Cook and a bevy of other top executives gather to cheer on the first customers, take selfies and sign autographs. A slew of photographers gather in a press pen to capture these moments -- and some of those moments, like customers holding up newly purchased iPhones, are a little more crafted than others.
The first customer to walk out of the store with an iPhone 17 Pro poses with Apple CEO Tim Cook outside of the Fifth Avenue Apple Store in New York City.
In this week's episode of One More Thing, which you can watch embedded here, I go into the performative nature of the launch day and share a side of the story you don't typically see on a social media feed.Â
Now that anyone can get their hands on an iPhone, Apple loses some of the control of its messaging. Judging by some customer complaints of dings and scratches, the new iPhone has lost some of its launch-week luster.Â
I've taken both the iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro Max out for a spin for the past week. And as I share in this week's video, sometimes it takes a little nature walk to connect with what really matters in an iPhone: the camera.Â
I also share what I've learned from using various iPhone 17 series cases -- since you may want one to avoid your own "scratchgate" drama. Oddly enough, my Air with a bumper case saw the most damage so far. Maybe I'm just not cut out to treat phones as fashion items.
If you're looking for more One More Thing, subscribe to our YouTube page to catch Bridget Carey breaking down the latest Apple news and issues every Friday.