Sep 21 2016
Earlier this month, Apple unveiled the iPhone 7. This new gadget has made several promises in terms of upgrades over the iPhone 6S: camera improvements, better battery life (on average a bit less than two hours more than the iPhone 6S) and crisper audio. The pre-order season started on September 9th, and shipping starts from the 16th. Prices starts from $AU $1,079 (the 32GB version), and it is also available in 128GB ($1,229) or 256GB ($1,379) sizes.
However, you’re more likely to have heard about the iPhone 7 through one of many memes going around.
Jack is gone!
One of the first things you’ll hear about this product is that it has no headphone jack. The box comes with Lightning EarPods that connect through the phone’s charging port instead. The box also comes with a Lightning to 3.5mm Headphone Jack Adapter — quite literally an adapter that lets you plug your old earphones into the charging port instead of the Lightning EarPods.
We’re not going to lie, this feature is literally the most criticised and discussed bit about the iPhone 7 — almost to the exclusion of everything else about it. After all, the idea of this new technology seems to be to do away with headphone jacks altogether. The adaptor has just been included as a courtesy to users transitioning in from ‘the old ways’.
Right now it’s honestly hard to judge whether this is a sound decision or not. If this is going to pave the way for a new era of accessories, then maybe moving away from headphone jacks is good for the product and its users. However, you can’t deny the fact that audio technology has pretty much thrived on compatibility, very much through that type of jack and port.
Can it swim?
The other news about the iPhone 7 you’re likely hearing about is that it’s waterproof. Indications seem to be that this is literally the first water-resistant (there’s a key difference) iPhone manufactured. There’s even some certification to prove that while your iPhone 7 won’t take much of a beating from coffee spills or being left out on a dusty porch overnight, don’t expect it to survive deep-sea diving.
The rest of the device’s features are pretty much standard upgrades.
Upgrade or no upgrade, that’s the question?
Based on the price tag, you’re pretty much getting ‘a little more’ for the same price as the iPhone 6. It’s definitely relevant if you’re two or three models behind—however, if you’re already rocking an iPhone 6 or 6S you might want to wait a bit. It’s pretty much up to your daily routines to determine whether water/dust resistance and a camera upgrade are worth this whole “no jack” thing, so you might want to wait a bit and see where that’s headed.
