Iffy about iPhone 7

Annika Lindburg, Staff Writer

The Apple announcement of a new phone has left me feeling bored. When the first generation iPhone came out in 2007, it was groundbreaking. Now, it feels like a money grab. Apple has not failed in releasing a new iPhone annually and this time it feels forced.

There are only a few new things about the iPhone 7: the headphone jack is gone, it comes in a new color, jet black, is water resistant, has a telephoto lens, and the smallest gigabites is 32, and the largest is now 256.

When rumors of a new iPhone started circulating, I was upset to hear the headphone jack would be a thing of the past. After all, I have Beats headphones, and was not about to throw them away because a new phone did not support them. Yet I am warming up to the iPhone 7, because the iPhone comes Earpods which have a lightning connector and an attachment piece for your non-wireless headphones. Apple has created wireless headphones called AirPods that look straight out of the 80’s, but will not be available until October and are not included with the purchase of the new phone.

IPhone 7 comes with The iPhone 7 Plus is great for amateur photographers. The phone is equipped with a 12MP wide-angle and telephoto cameras with optical zoom at 2x and digital zoom at 10x. For video recording, the iPhone has 6x digital zoom. The lenses are also made up of six elements instead of five, and the iPhone 7 now has optical image stabilization. While these are not huge differences from the iPhone 6 Plus, these features are an improvement.

For music lovers, the new iPhone has a new stereo speaker system which is 2x louder than the iPhone 6s.

Apple is also becoming more environmentally friendly. Both the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus have a Mercury-free LED-backlit display, arsenic-free display glass, brominated flame retardant free, PVC-free, and have a recyclable aluminum enclosure. Apple also allows you to send your old device to them, and if it qualifies, you will receive up to $315 in credit toward the purchase of a new iPhone. Even if the device you send does not qualify, Apple will still recycle the device for free. It’s a win win.

If you are a Apple consumer for life, most articles I read recommend buying the iPhone 7 if you own the iPhone 5 or older. If you have the iPhone 6 it is pretty pointless to buy the newest iPhone. Or, if you have the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, the U.S. has officially recalled that phone due to it catching on fire from its battery. I recommend turning off your phone and buying a new one- I hear the iPhone 7 is out, but act fast; the iPhone 7 in Jet Black is sold out and the iPhone 7  Plus is out of stock in every color.