The IPhone 7 was fully released earlier today, as though the rumors about it hasn't accurately pinpointed the major talking points. So here’s what we know: There is no headphone jack, no real button, it’s water and dust resistant with a better camera and battery, and it can be shiny now.
I’m sure there’s a lot more to it than just that, but let’s look at the precedent that apple is now setting for its customers. For years now, there has been a battle, between the common and the “luxury” tech. It boils down to connectivity. Apple, charged its way past the mini and micro USB ways and even begun removing the standard shape USB from their Macbook air (replacing it with a dongle). Now, we face the loss of the ever so revered headphone jack.
Let’s also get something straight about this: the headphone jack has been about for ages… and there’s a reason for that, it is one of the most useful and capable connectors in the compact technology world today. It’s not too big, it can drive a microphone and other controls it can provide fantastic sound quality and most importantly, it’s not wildly expensive to manufacture. Yet Apple chooses to fight the tradition that not only captures consumers, but also the professional music realm. Yes, professional sound mixers, recorders and all, use and will continue to use the standard 3.5mm jack.
So, what’s the big whoop about the new IPhone other than the lack of a jack? Well, to be honest, not much. It seems this time around; Apple has focused on updating the smaller side of the components, by upgrading their phone to be able to compete in the current market. There’s not a great deal new in the shape, or the size and the looks are fairly similar to that of the 6’s styling and water resistance and better cameras are becoming more and more of a staple in the world of phones today. So I’m sure, performance wise, it would be a drastic upgrade for those with older IPhones or phones in general, but it doesn’t really show me what I want to see. Frankly, I can move past the headphone jack, since I was a huge fan of Bluetooth headsets since their inception. I can get past the proprietary dongles (since at some point, Chinese manufacturers will create cheaper connectors). What really hurts me about this phone is the size. There are two choices: big and bigger. The phone may be slim, but its profile proves to be consistent with the trend that haunts the phone market today: large screens and even larger screens on large phones.
When I was a boy, not that much has changed since then, I dreamed for smaller and smaller phones. I remember when I was 12 or 13, there was a telephone that attached to your wrist and used a series of vibrations to send the audio through your fingertips (not at all dissimilar to the product that the company, SGNL, now creates).
Yet, through all the innovation for the compact products, people have lusted over the larger screen size. So, I’ll say it… The IPhone 5 was the perfect balance of screen to size ratio. It was just a bit too heavy and thick. So if apple is doing all it can do to take smaller components and make them better, apparently like taking out the headphone jack, why can’t they release an IPhone 7 Minus? In other words, a phone that fits comfortably enough into my pocket, with all the technological upgrades of the 7, including its slimness.
The day something like that comes out, I will finally be pleased, with or without a headphone jack.
