Have you ever seen someone with an Android phone and thought, “Wow. What a low-class human being with a cheap phone that can’t afford luxury technology like me”? (The phones probably cost the same, by the way). Well, I’m here to tell you that, as a former Android owner (and victim of this harassment), Apple has flaws, too, and the company may just be drawing you deeper into its ecosystem without you knowing it. With such a broad user base, it’s clear that its simplistic design can be a massive factor in winning over popularity; however, the company’s business model surprisingly actually sets their products behind in the phone market.
The iPhone is, without a doubt, a luxury item, yet, these days, not owning one is jokingly looked down upon. A survey from an article on “PC Gamer” backs up the appeal of the iPhone and states that “Forty-seven percent of those who moved from Android to iOS said their new OS delivers a better user experience.” So, if the iPhone is a generally well-received product that people want to buy, what’s the issue? The company is sneakily trying to gain your loyalty with its business strategy: “planned obsolescence,” or designing products that are made to be replaced. Apple is a prime example of this.
The iPhone has become a staple throughout the years, with every model seeming better than the last; however, have you noticed something odd? When you keep an Apple phone for longer than three or four years, it feels oddly slow compared to newer ones. Sure, the technology has improved, and yes, it has, but there are also some sneaky practices behind the scenes. One technique that Apple uses is rolling out updates that slow older models. Apple claims that this is due to newer updates requiring more battery and higher processing power, which older models may need to be equipped for. However, it also has the “unintentional” side effect of decreasing performance, which pushes users to seek upgrades. With iPhones being released almost every year, it feels like it can be easy to see one or two new significant features on a newly released iPhone and altogether ditch your old one to jump on the trend. Whether it’s a deliberate strategy or the inevitable byproduct of innovation, it’s worth considering for anyone seeking a phone that’ll last. Beyond the upgrade itch, factors like repairability and environmental impact come into play. iPhones can be notoriously tricky to fix outside of Apple’s ecosystem, and the constant churn of new models raises concerns about electronic waste.
A minor complaint that I have concerns about the simplistic nature of the iPhone’s interface: for example, the iPhone is, I feel, still severely limited customization-wise. They may market the phones with promises of configurations with plenty of widgets and shortcuts, but in the long term, these are just a hassle to change and are limited in their own regards. When I first got my iPhone, I wanted to add widgets to my lock screen. However, I noticed something odd. Even though there was the capability to add widgets under the time and date, I noticed an obnoxiously large amount of space begging to be used! I sadly came to find that Apple limited the lock screen to only one large widget and two small widgets. This was a bit comical to me, as I could not display the weather, my AirPods battery, and my next class on Saturn without making at least two of them small widgets. I find this to be ridiculous. I understand that the phone boasts simplicity and intuitive design, but why not let your users be happy customizing their phones to their heart’s content? And if they only want three widgets, they can have them! There are other cases in which I had an Android in which I could just download themes for the whole phone off of the Samsung store, and in less than a minute, my entire phone was transformed. Why require each app to be manually duplicated as a shortcut with its icon in shortcuts instead of just being able to upload an icon yourself when editing the home screen? Possibilities like having a section of the app store dedicated to curated phone themes, including icons and backgrounds saved by the user base, could be an incredible update that Apple would never implement because it strays away from their vision of a simplistic iPhone with an immediately recognizable interface.
Consider these factors when buying your next Apple iPhone. Would it be necessary to buy a new phone that was released with only two new features, or should you wait until a more critical drop, saving yourself money? Personally, and I preach this to my mother who just bought the 15, Apple is reluctant to update their phones to modern standards immediately, so they slowly implement features for every model, and as you can see when comparing the 15 and 14, there is barely any noticeable difference or at least any needed upgrades when comparing the two phones. I will wait a few more years until it is essential for me to upgrade, but until then, I will observe the global iPhone craze from a distance.
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