Apple is about to commit infanticide against the
iPhone 7.
 |
The device; which is great,
and just a few months old will likely be blown to unrecyclable smithereens by
the upcoming iPhone 8, if rumors are any indication. Sure, it's always
true that a shiny new iPhone's just around the corner, but there's reason to
believe the next iteration of Apple's iconic gadget will be such a substantial
leap forward that you'd be foolish to invest in a device now.
TD Sidenote; I knew there was a
reason the gods didn’t fulfil my iphone 7 wishes yet.
Here's the big thing: A report in the Wall
Street Journal Tuesday indicated that Apple will dump the Lightning port on the iPhone 8, replacing it with USB-C. In
layman's terms, the cords you currently use to power your phone or listen to
music will be rendered useless, doomed to haunt your junk drawer or some
far-off landfill forevermore.
TD Sidenote; way to go iphone
7!!!
Like most "innovations" from Apple
nowadays, there's precedent for this.
Before the iPhone 5 launched in 2012, the devices
used a 30-pin connector that matched the iPod's. It was a wider, clunkier thing
than the Lightning port iPhones use today. Its death was far from total: So
many third-party gadgets (like the ubiquitous iHome) used that connector, so
adapters were sold to keep consumers mollified and clunky old speakers out of
the garbage can.
You may still see connectors on older equipment at
the gym now rendered somewhat obsolete because Apple switched to a new type of
cord five years ago or on the clock radio in hotel rooms. They're bound to
frustrate anyone who's got an iPhone from the past five years.
But there's good news: A switch to USB-C would
bring Apple into an established ecosystem, theoretically inoculating us all
against such a messy turnover. (There are already dongles aplenty for USB-C
devices, and gadgets like the new MacBook Pro have already switched to the
standard.)
That's also why now's a perilous time to buy an
iPhone: Lightning is an Apple-specific technology, appearing to be on death's
doorstep. If the iPhone 8 launches with USB-C, you'll find yourself locked into
an old format with dwindling support, unable to work easily with newer
third-party equipment.
And that'd suck.
What if the iPhone 8 doesn't use
USB-C?
We are trusting the Journal with a lot here,
but even if it's wrong about the new iPhone switching to USB-C, buying a new
one right now is a crummy idea.
The iPhone 7 is solid, but it also has a lot too
much, really in common with the iPhone 6S. It was clearly a half-step, one
shuffled out the door, because it's tradition to release a new iPhone every
single year, necessary or not.
TD Sidenote: I always wondered why
phone companies have to release new phones every year. Where is the money???
Everything
we've heard about the iPhone 8 suggests it'll be a major upgrade: It may have a
curved front with a bright OLED screen, improved battery life, wireless
charging and a front-facing 3D sensor that'll help the device recognize your
face and unlock without a password.
TD Sidenote: here they go with
features no one is going to use after the first month of purchase, but still we
await them…
If you must upgrade your device this year, wait.
You'll kick yourself if you buy a shiny iPhone 7, only for it to transform
suddenly into a boring black slab when Apple launches a feature-stuffed new
flagship.
It's a sad fact that such intrinsically magical
devices can be pushed into the dustbin when something new comes along. But so
it goes: Don't fall into the trap this year.
TD Sidenote: this is not to say I will be rejecting an Iphone 7 gift.
Anyone???
PS- This article was culled from mashable.com with side-notes from me.
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