• The latest batch of new emoji, expected to launch later this fall on iPhones, includes a bagel.
  • However, a preview of the new emoji released by Apple drew criticism when New Yorkers and bagel fans did not find Apple’s bagel emoji acceptable, with some calling it a “monstrosity.”
  • Apple has changed the emoji in the latest version of iOS to a more realistic graphic and has added cream cheese.

Apple has changed its bagel emoji after commentators online criticized the graphic, with some saying the previous design “looks like something you get from a cardboard box in the freezer section at Walmart.”

Although emoji are defined by Unicode, an independent standards group, each tech company gets to come up with the images it uses to illustrate the emoji on its platforms.

The latest batch of emoji coming out for people’s phones this fall includes a bagel – and apparently, Apple’s representation wasn’t up to snuff.

https://twitter.com/ReformedBroker/status/1047436521597554688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Apple apparently heard the criticism, because in the latest beta version of iOS, the iPhone's software, the bagel emoji has been transformed into a more realistic image, according to Emojipedia, a widely-respected emoji resource.

https://twitter.com/jeremyburge/status/1051967143808516096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Apple also added cream cheese to its bagel emoji, which is the traditional bagel spread.

Bagels are a Jewish bread that have a strong association with New York City thanks to waves of Polish immigrants in the late 19th century who brought the specialty item over to the United States, according to Encyclopedia Britannica.

Apple is a California-based company that does nearly all of its software development in Silicon Valley, which does not have a historical claim to the bagel. However, there is a bagel shop across the street from Apple's old headquarters, 1 Infinite Loop.

Bagel Street Cafe

Foto: Bagels at Bagel Street Cafe, a bagel shop across the street from Apple's old headquarters.sourceYelp

The bagel emoji isn't available to everyone yet - it will be released as part of the iOS 12.1 upgrade, which will likely be available to the public around late October, based on Apple's previous release cadence.