Commentary by Peyton Alan Brasfield.
Apple has always been beloved for its easy to use, relatively simple technology. It takes a lot to nearly dominate an industry and Apple seems to have done it.
Apple has taken a lot of great steps forward with their technology. The release of the iPhone 4 introduced facetime. The iPhone 5 gave us a larger, higher definition screen. The 5s introduced touch ID and the 5c had a cheaper and more sturdy body. The iPhone 6 implemented larger screen with default touch ID and the 6 plus provided and even bigger screen. However, this is where Apple began doing a lot of things wrong.
The 6 also had an aluminum body which bended easily, causing a lot of anger within the Apple customers. This was the catalyst for a lot of skepticism within Apple fans. With the recent release of the iPhone 7, Apple only showed us that the skepticism was justified.
There are quite a few new products in the new 2016-17 Apple lineup, but the main focus on the internet is the brand new iPhone. With a few new features, there’s one that stands out above the rest: the removal of the headphone jack. I, for one, listen to music wherever I go, whether this is in the car or in the school hallways on my way from class to class.
I use headphones with cords because they’re easy to use, easy to store, and relatively hard to lose. Apple has introduced a set of wireless bluetooth headphones called AirPods that have a similar look to their previous headphones. While all previous Apple headphones came free with every iPhone, the AirPods cost around $159.
However, it should be pointed out that Apple has offered an adapter for regular earbuds that plugs into the charging port, making it impossible to charge your phone while you use them since Apple has also neglected to integrate wireless charging, a feature slowly gaining popularity with mobile phone companies such as Android, Windows, and Blackberry.
For those that like to listen to music while they exercise, I’d say they’re out of luck. Considering the AirPods aren’t connected to the actual phone, or to each other, it appears incredibly easy to lose one or both while doing any sort of physical activity. If one of my earbuds falls out while I’m running or in the hallway I can always trust my cord to catch it, but with the AirPods we don’t seem to get that luxury. Some third party accessory companies have offered connectors that link the two ear buds to try to fix this problem for around $10 each, only adding to the total price to get the full iPhone 7 experience.
Another new feature that comes with the iPhone 7 is the introduction of stereo external speakers. Again, in my opinion this isn’t where Apple should have placed their priorities since I personally don’t know a single person who ever plays audio directly from their iPhone; It’s always either from speakers, car stereos, or headphones, which have now all become obsolete without sacrificing charging capabilities.
For the amateur phone-photographers, the new iPhone 7 plus also comes with new, dual cameras with far better quality than previous installments. The regular 7 also has an improved camera, but it only comes with the one. Cameras on the new iPhones also come with better stabilizing, for less blurry, higher definition photos to add to your camera roll.
This is the best camera yet to be released by Apple and despite my other complaints, it’s something to be excited about for those photo enthusiasts ready to make more memories with higher quality.
In short, in determining whether someone would like the iPhone 7 is completely dependant on what kind of user they are. In some areas it has vastly improved on previous installments. In others, it has taken a very large step backwards.
Apple isn’t above taking risks when it comes to releasing new products, but reception on social media and several journalism outlets have shared my skepticism on the new 2016-17 lineup. Apple is trying to be revolutionary but personally I think this is one of their worst missteps.
Despite being a loyal customer since the iPhone 4, I personally won’t be buying the new iPhone 7. However, there’s no doubt in my mind that this product will sell well simply because it’s Apple.
With products like the the iPad and Macbooks receiving less extensive revamps, as well as the ever-growing success of the iTunes and iOS App Store programs, I’d be very surprised if Apple suffered from this new product release. Even if reception bombs with this new product line, Apple has very few financial troubles and can clearly afford to take risks like these. Only time will tell if it pays off.
