BY BRANDY FULTON
A phone design that was deemed courageous and innovative had many customers upset and unsure.
On Sept. 7 Apple announced the new iPhone 7. With a new camera, better battery life and a brighter, more colourful display, the iPhone 7 was said to be the best phone yet.
The biggest change within the phone design was the removal of the headphone jack. Apple said they had removed it to make a slimmer and more water resistant phone. The phone is accompanied by headphones that can be plugged into the lightning connector or, using the 3.5-millimetre converter, one can still use old headphones. However, this makes it impossible to charge your phone and listen to music at the same time.
Many people who had planned to purchase the phone were upset about the change. Twitter feeds and Facebook posts featured every thought imaginable.
Once again, Apple seemed to have all the answers by announcing AirPods. These wireless ear buds use Bluetooth to allow users to listen to music at any time. But, this caused even more complaints.
The thought of losing the headphones or having to put yet another item on charge concerned potential buyers. However, the company again had answers. Apple sells a replacement AirPod for $59, but that didn’t sit well with customers. Neither did a wire that was created to attach to both ear buds to keep them together, for another $25.
The more products that Apple released to push users into “the future of phones” the more upset customers became.
“I feel like it is just a money grab,” said Daniel Bell, a first-year IT innovation and design student. “They are making things that people will need so they spend more money.”
When the phone went on sale on Sept. 16, many lined up for hours ahead of time. In an interview with 10 Conestoga students, many said despite the missing jack, they were still going to buy the phone.
A Kitchener representative for Apple (who cannot be named due to company policy) was not concerned about the lackluster sales, saying a great number of phones will be sold because consumers are used to the feel of Apple products and will eventually get used to the missing jack.
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