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 classes, 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 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 and get caught on things. 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 still 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. Even though you can still use traditional headphones with the iPhone 7 by using a dongle in the lightning port, it's just not convenient.
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.
