If you’re thinking of getting a new phone, you’re probably looking at the new iPhone XS and iPhone XR.

You’re also probably wondering what the hell the XS and XR stand for.

The new iPhone is bigger than its predecessors, a fact that Apple is owning in the best possible way with a cute indie-style advert.

I initially thought that the X might be referring to the phone’s size, but according to Business Insider, Apple is saying that the ‘X’ stands for the Roman numeral for 10. The ‘S’ apparently stands for ‘speed’.

As for the ‘R’, it has something to do with sports cars.

“I love cars and things that go fast, and R and S are both letters used to denote sport cars that are really extra special,” Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, Phil Schiller, told Engadget.

So the “R” could stand for “rally,” or “type R,” or “road and track,” or anything really – there are a lot of cars that use “R” in their branding.

The iPhone XR, which starts at R16,999, is slightly less expensive than the iPhone XS or iPhone XS Max, which retail from R20 799 and R26 999 respectively at Digicape.

Some cars that use the “R” or “XR” branding are budget models, like the Toyota Matrix XRS. But those letters can also denote a high-performance variation, like the Ford Focus RS.

And some high-end sports cars use “R” as part of their model numbers, like the Jaguar XJR and the Audi RS 7.

While Schiller’s latest tweet about sports cars didn’t include any ‘S’ or ‘R’ models, it did reveal his very specific taste – rare, fast and exotic.

Now you know.

[source:businessinsider]