The newest iPhone 12 has been all the talk since it came out on October 23, 2020. There have been many mixed opinions about it– spoiler alert–not too many of them are positive.
In a survey conducted to the Webb community, only 6 out of the 26 responses owned the latest iPhone 12. According to the data collected, many students agreed that it wasn’t something that they particularly wanted. In fact, those who did get the phone got it as a gift, rather than something they would choose for themselves.
Brittney Lu (‘23) explained how she got her phone as a gift. Although thankful, she is not sure if it was the right choice. “My new phone seems slower than the older version in certain ways and doesn’t seem to be any different,” she explains.
With the supposedly newest and improved high-tech device, this phone brings up obvious concerns. According to the survey results, the newest iPhone has also been slower and does not have any significant differences from its past models.
“I feel like Apple objectifies their product as they make new iPhones each year. Each year, Apple treats their products as more as a brand rather than a functioning piece of technology and in turn, this allows for people buy it without considering the new improvements,” Adam Omarbasha (‘23) said.
When asked if they would consider getting the iPhone 12 if they had the chance still, 16 responses said that they wouldn’t. The majority of the reasons against this purchase were either because “, it was not going to be worth it (there are no real feature changes)”, and they simply “don’t feel the need to buy it.”
These responses speak volumes about the desirability of this device. Is the marketing just hype? The case ‘for’ appears weak when compared to the majority opinion which is overwhelmingly ‘against’. From the ten who did consider buying the iPhone, six wanted it for the camera features, and three for because “their old phone wasn’t doing it for them.”
“I needed to get a new phone. I actually like it but it’s not really different compared to the iPhone X I had prior. There’s nothing too special about it except for the 5G connectivity and the magnetic charger, but I think that the Magsafe charger is pretty useless,” said Shannon Uppal (‘21).
One wonders if it is just “greed for growth” in sales and profits that is the only driving force for annual launches of new series of iPhones. Can technology change this quickly? Are we being duped by minor cosmetic changes? These are questions that society must ponder. One of the world’s largest and wealthiest corporations is actively encouraging us to keep disposing (or accumulating in a drawer) and item that, while useful, uses up resources and creates toxic electric waste.
Personally, I feel that Apple should be made to accept all waste that comes from throw–away phones so the materials can be recycled. In addition, such minor changes such as a better camera (among other features), do not necessitate buying an entirely new phone. These upgrades should be added to existing models to allow for more time to produce a quality product.
Graphic Caption: Noe Chock (‘23) testing out the iPhone 12 camera’s newest features at dinner time.
