Are they worth the price tag?
Each approaching year presents a sort of paradox as Apple’s iPhone family continues to grow. We watch our iPhones become outdated yearly as each design approaches a stylistic ending, and the newest iPhone includes updates we could never have imagined. It’s been 10 years since the first Apple iPhone was released to the world. This year, Apple hosted a press release event on Sept. 12, in the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, Ca. where the company announced the iPhone X, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, Apple Watch Series 3 and other Apple products.
Are the new products necessary; will our old phones still work? Are we doomed to continuously buy new Apple products every year? If you bought your iPhone in the last few years, and it is working properly, you will likely not be inclined to purchase a new phone this fall. Yet each year the products become more technologically advanced and expensive, which only continues to tantalize consumers.
Apple has utilized a genius marketing technique: every year they entice buyers with a new product to ensure that people will continue to buy more and that their company remains profitable. Buyers continue to purchase these new phones more and more annually. Some consumers actually have outdated phones, but others simply purchase new phones out of curiosity.
The new iPhone X was highly anticipated even before it was launched. This phone will have a 5.8-inch screen and improved retina displays, but I would not purchase a new phone simply because of those elements. The proposed screen will only be a little larger than the screen of the most recent iPhone 7, so I struggle to believe that a slightly bigger screen is enough of a reason to purchase a new phone. I would not recommend purchasing this phone unless you happen to be in the market for a new one, or truly need a larger screen.
The front of the iPhone X will consist entirely of the touch screen and will no longer have a home button, a charging port or a headphone jack. Personally, I find an odd aesthetic pleasure in plugging in my headphones, and have never liked wireless headphones. Yet Apple removes them so that when people purchase a new phone, they must also buy a new charger and wireless headphones. These advances separate the new iPhones from previous iPhones, and make users feel that theirs are out of date. If you hate cords or having to plug things in, maybe the new iPhone is for you, but if you are content in plugging in your devices, stick with what you already own.
If I were to purchase one of these new iPhones, I would get the iPhone 8. I myself do not see a need to buy a new phone, but this phone has the cheapest price for the best quality. The cost of the iPhone 8 with a 4.7-inch display is $699.
The Apple Watch Series 3 was also released with the other products, and now has cellular capabilities built into it. The iPhone can now be connected to the watch and does not need to be close to the watch itself, as in previous versions. Now that the watch can be used away from one’s phone, it provides more freedom. Even though I do not personally go on my phone very often, I would still be happy to use my Apple watch alongside my phone. However, I would not recommend getting this product unless one has an aversion to their current phone.
There is a limited quantity of new products available, which has led some people to begin waiting outside Apple stores in hopes of getting a chance to buy something new. As the years go on, the advanced productivity of Apple may continue to surprise the world, but the question becomes when the trend will end, or if it ever will at all.
