Yesterday, a leak suggested that Apple was on the brink of announcing a (PRODUCT)RED finish for the latest generation of iPhones. Now, the leak has been confirmed in Apple’s announcement.
It’s just over a year since the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus (PRODUCT)RED special edition smartphones were revealed, reviewed here on Forbes. Those were the first (PRODUCT)RED phones from Apple. And now, the next contributors to the Global Fund which supports HIV/AIDS programs have been officially unveiled and, as predicted, they are (PRODUCT)RED versions of the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus.
What does it look like?
A whole new iPhone design arrived last September with the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, which has meant the (PRODUCT)RED edition has required a new design approach, too, specifically because the latest iPhones have glass, not aluminum, backs.
As a result, the new iPhone has a strikingly different look. The aluminum edge band looks similar to the iPhone 7, but that’s where the similarity ends. This time around, there’s no antenna band visible at the phone’s corners as that runs under the glass on the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus. Anodized aluminum is matte, but glass, of course, is not, making for a bright, eye-catching finish.
Last year’s iPhone (PRODUCT)RED handsets looked significantly classier in the flesh than they did in photos and it may be the same this time. It’s clear that the glass back has a rich, sultry shade and the absence of the antenna band around the top and bottom (seen in the iPhone 7 images from last year further down the page) is a definite improvement, too. I’ll reserve final judgement until I see the real thing, and will report back then, but these images are certainly a promising start.
What about the Touch ID button?
Good question. Last year, Apple decided that though the edge and rear of the iPhone 7 (PRODUCT)RED would be decidedly, well, red, the ring around the Touch ID button wouldn’t. It was the same silver color as on the silver iPhone 7. Similarly, the Apple logo on the rear of the phone, which is made of stainless steel rather than aluminum, was uncolored, unlike on the regular iPhone 7 models where the logo was color-matched to the aluminum around it.
This year, Apple has taken a whole new approach and, specifically, responded to those critics last year who said the (PRODUCT)RED phone would look better with a black instead of a white frame around the display. The frame is now black and the TouchID button is black to match.
Last year, the logo really jumped out at you because it was a contrasting shade. And Apple has gone down the same route this year, too, so that logo is still an attention-grabber.
What, no iPhone X (PRODUCT)RED?
No, that’s right. The reason for this hasn’t been addressed by Apple but it may be because the stainless steel band that edges the iPhone X isn’t as conducive to tinting red as the aluminum on the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus. Note that the colors of the iPhone X are already subtly different from the 8 and 8 Plus, with the silver iPhone 8 noticeably paler than the silver iPhone X.
Or maybe it’s because the rumors of an upcoming iPhone X in gold are correct and that Apple will announce such a new color in due course. If so, I’d guess that won’t be for a while.
Will it save lives?
When I spoke to Apple CEO Tim Cook for World AIDS DAY, December 1 2016, he said: ‘Ten years ago there were 1,200 babies being born a day with HIV, and that’s now dropped to 400. So there’s been a lot of progress but we still have work to do to get to an AIDS-free generation by 2020, though we are on target, it’s within our sights.’
Today, Apple said, ‘Since partnering with (RED) in 2006, Apple has donated more than $160 million to the Global Fund, serving as the organization’s largest corporate donor.’
Deborah Dugan, CEO of (RED), added, ‘The more than $160 million Apple has donated in the last 11 years today equates to more than 800 million days of lifesaving ARV medication that prevents the transmission of HIV from mothers to their babies.’
Although Apple doesn’t specify how much from each sale goes to the charity, it says that, ‘All (PRODUCT)RED Purchases Help Provide Testing, Counselling and Treatment for Tens of Millions of People Living with HIV/AIDS’. And when I spoke to Cook previously, $130 million had been donated by Apple, meaning that another $30 million has been raised in the last 18 months or so.
When does it go on sale?
Pre-orders online start at 5.30AM PDT on Tuesday, April 10 and the (PRODUCT)RED iPhones are instore from Friday, April 13.
Is there a price premium for (PRODUCT)RED?
That’s one of the coolest things about Apple’s collaboration, the price of the (PRODUCT)RED versions are identical to the regular colors. In other words, for customers it’s a cost-free way of doing good. The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus are available in two storage capacities, 64GB and 256GB, and the (PRODUCT)RED edition iPhone 8 costs $699 and $849 (£699 or £849 in the UK) for the 64GB and 256GB models respectively and (PRODUCT)RED iPhone 8 Plus is priced at $799 (£799 in the UK) for 64GB capacity and $949 (£949 in the UK) for the 256GB capacity.
It’s worth noting that last year’s (PRODUCT)RED special editions were only available in the higher-capacity iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. So although it didn’t cost more than the other colored versions, you did have to make a bigger financial commitment. The fact that Apple has made (PRODUCT)RED available in both sizes of iPhone storage is a big step forward in terms of the potential figures that can be raised for charity.
But I’ve got an iPhone X. What can I do?
Well, you can still make a difference. From tomorrow, April 10, you can pick up a (PRODUCT)RED leather folio for the iPhone X for $99 (£99 in the UK). Silicone cases for iPhone X, iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus are also newly available, together with cases for earlier iPhones and a Smart Battery case for iPhone 7. And every phone from the iPhone SE onwards now has a leather case in (PRODUCT)RED shade available now, including for the iPhone X, iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus.
There are also straps and buckles for Apple Watch in (PRODUCT)RED finish. All but the new iPhone X folio are available now.
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