Originally published on September 12, 2016
Being an iPhone/iPad owner is all I have really invested
into Apple, so you could say I’m not a passionate fangirl, but rather a casual
consumer. I was gifted an iPad for my high school, from my high school, and
chose an iPhone because I was already familiar with the whole layout and
functions. While I am content with my products for now, sooner or later I’ll
have to replace them and what I need to determine is what I will replace them
with.
Now, cut to September 7th. Out of curiosity, as
an iPhone user, I read and listened to different people report on the specs and
features of the iPhone 7. And those rumors about killing the headphone jack?
Completely true. And the Internet is all over this. Basically, you’re either
for or against the change and Apple’s solution, $159 AirPods. I can understand
both sides, I really can.
I can understand the idea of wanting to go wireless. Lots of
things are going wireless nowadays (I’ll take this moment to point out Bluetooth earbuds already exist, albeit not costing $159). Sometimes
headphones are just too short to be comfortable for my TV. When I’m trying to
do something while listening to music, they can get in the way. In this way,
Apple is smart. They are looking at where technology is going, and cornering
the market. Plus, they know the passionate fanboys will buy anything.
However, as an owner of an iPhone and (non-Apple) earbuds, I
am balking at the shear cost of these AirBuds. I don’t often damage my earbuds,
but if that happens I can easily replace them for a fraction of the cost. I can
often find my earbuds in a full bag because of the wires. Yes, AirBuds come in
a little case, but I know it would be difficult to keep track of them. I have
one pair of earbuds with me at all times, plugged into my phone so I can listen
to music between classes and then switch it to my laptop when I use it. No
charging to worry about, no little case to look after.
It seems this release information has left us with more
questions than answers as consumers begin to make decisions. With Samsung
taking a nosedive with the exploding phones, Apple had a good chance to take
over the market. How many Samsung users will switch to Apple? However, how many
Apple users, fed up with the lack of headphone jack and AirBuds, will switch to
Samsung or Windows or any other brand? Or, will the other brands follow in
Apple’s footsteps and lose their headphone jacks as well? It will be
interesting to see how this all turns out.
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