The project was completed faster than estimated, Apple says

Nov 2, 2017 08:26 GMT  ·  By

The iPhone X is almost here, with shipments to begin tomorrow, and now Apple can provide us with more details about how the company’s biggest iPhone overhaul to date came to life.

Speaking for Mashable, Dan Riccio, the SVP of hardware engineering at Apple, says the iPhone X was actually projected to launch in 2018, but thanks to how fast development of the device advanced, the company decided to release it this year.

“With a lot of hard work, talent, grit, and determination we were able to deliver them this year,” he explained, pointing out that Apple didn’t waste any time when working on the iPhone X.

Furthermore, he explains that Apple experienced absolutely no issues with Face ID facial recognition, basically denying rumors that the company spent a considerable amount of time designing prototypes of the iPhone X featuring fingerprint sensors placed in different locations.

“We spent no time looking at [putting] fingerprints on the back or through the glass or on the side,” the Apple official said.

iPhone X planned for 2018? That’s odd

Reports that reached the web earlier this year suggested that Apple’s first idea was to embed the fingerprint sensor in the screen of the new iPhone, but the project failed due to technical issues. The company was then said to be looking into several other options, including a fingerprint reader on the back, but it eventually decided to launch the device with facial recognition only.

As for the 2018 release date, there’s no doubt that’s indeed possible, but when looking at the timing and the name of the device, a 2017 launch seems more than just a coincidence that took place because the iPhone X was ready earlier.

This year Apple celebrates the 10th anniversary of the iPhone, so it simply makes sense for the firm to launch a major overhaul of the device. Without an iPhone X, how could Apple mark a decade from the first iPhone? Because everyone knows the iPhone 8 is barely an upgrade, let alone an anniversary model.