Is iPhone X Apple's Vista?

The first round of iPhone X reviews are out, and a number of them came from a strange place: amateur YouTubers.

Naturally, this prompted some head-scratching from established tech publications. Apple traditionally hand-picks the journalists who get the earliest review units of its newest gadgets, a privilege that can be taken away just as easily as it is granted.

This is shameful, but nobody seems to care. By turning its attention to YouTubers, Apple reaches an audience beyond the usual gadget blog readers. It doesn't hurt that that audience has a following on YouTube, which is owned by Google, maker of the rival Android OS.

Perhaps more importantly, Apple works with bloggers who are likely ecstatic to be getting a first look at the one of the hottest phones of the year versus writers and editors who want to test battery life, run benchmarks, and actively try to confuse Face ID. Why do that when you can give iPhone X to some sneaker enthusiasts?

Perhaps Cupertino senses that iPhone X may end up like Microsoft Vista: unfairly criticized. Chief on my list of complaints is the death of what my son calls The Magic Circle.

The Magic Circle has been around since Steve Jobs introduced the original iPod. On the iPhone, it took the form of the home button, but rounded edges and circles are a favorite design element for Apple; from selecting favorite artists and genres inside Apple Music to that massive spaceship campus.

But it does not exist on the iPhone X. Not even a boot-up screen with ever-expanding circles. So if the iPhone X fails, can we blame the missing Magic Circle? Well, maybe not. A more likely culprit will be that $1,000 price tag.

All 12 iPhone X Animoji from PCMag com!