So why should this new R make any more sense? Also: How Apple Watch saved my life. Of course, an almost as big question is whether people will pronounce this new phone "iPhone 10 R," as Apple demands.

CUPERTINO, CA – SEPTEMBER 12: Visitors inspect the new iPhone X R during an Apple special event at the Steve Jobs Theatre on September 12, 2018 in Cupertino, California.

CUPERTINO, CA – SEPTEMBER 12: Visitors inspect the new iPhone X R during an Apple special event at the Steve Jobs Theatre on September 12, 2018 in Cupertino, California.

Cheaper than the iPhone XS and XS Max, it should eventually supplant the iPhone 6 or 5C as the standard in moderately affordable pocket rectangles made by Apple. But what does that 'R' stand for?

The iPhone X was the handset that celebrated 10 years of iPhone; this is why Apple used the Roman numeral X for its branding. Subsequent releases like the iPhone XR and iPhone XS, therefore, are ...

Apple insists that the "X" stands for the Roman numeral for 10. And the "S" stands for "speed," at least in Apple lore. But what does the "R" stand for?