One word. Disappointed. You know those times when your dad was upset at you? Like really let down. He would kind of coddle you like a puppy that had peed and pooped on the carpets, and quietly say, “we’re just disappointed.” That was worse than any fury of rage or insult could ever induce. Apple’s iPhone 7 is disappointing. A big let down. I’ve spent 1 week with this bad boy, and I can’t wait to return it and start using my 6s again.
Camera 👎🏼
The camera on the 7 was touted at being significantly improved from that on the 6s. The testers must have been paid off. In fact, the camera for me has been more challenging to use. Too much overexposure of shots and not great depth. I’m just confused. Maybe an update will fix all of this? That said, I have really enjoyed the optical image stabilization. It’s noticeably smoother when shooting still shots or video.
Body 👎🏼
The body has not changed since the 6, and it won’t until the 8 is released in 2018. No industrial change in 2 years for an iPhone. Has Apple become a slow moving sloth of a monster that we all loathe and love? Like that rich uncle that just doesn’t care, but he’s still cool in his own way. It’s not all bad I guess. What I will say is I do like is the new colours. Thank you, Apple, for bringing back black. 🙌🏼
Screen 👍🏼
A nice little update. Most might not notice it, but Apple updated the color gamut range. But, that’s it? I guess we’ll need to wait for the 7s to see an OLED screen. The other guys had this feature in their premium line of phones 3 years ago now?
Sans Headphone Jack 👎🏼
I was hopeful, but this is heresy. I actually feel this will be a disaster for Apple’s numbers this year (they are believing for the opposite, of course). They’ve been doing so well pushing the new wave, getting new technology out there, and challenging our thinking. Not that this will eventually be a great idea, but it is too soon. It’s too soon to buy an iPhone 7 and endure using a subpar Bluetooth in-ear headphones that last for 4 hours, if you’re lucky. So, for now, you’ll just need to use the massive converter to plug in your headphones and take a break from listening to tunes or audiobooks while you’re charging. 👵🏼
Haptic Home 👍🏼
Cool feature. An upgrade from the clickable home button that has been on the iPhone since 2007. I do feel with a company that invests over $10 billion a year in research and development they could have skipped this step, but, oh well. I’d love to ask Tim Cook, “why can’t we just jump to the onscreen button already? We know it’s coming.” Anyways, good job Apple for incrementally upgrading us. 👏🏼
Speakers 👎🏼
First thought when I tried the speakers, “did I miss a setting somewhere?” The reason Jobs and the team limited the speakers on the old iPhones was because when you turn it up past a certain decibel it sounds terrible. Apple didn’t think this one through. The people want improved sound, not just louder.
Battery 👎🏼
Apple claims this phone has up to 30% better battery life. The battery isn’t bigger, the chipset is just faster and smarter. From what I’ve experienced the battery doesn’t last any longer. This morning I was down to 20% by 9:30 after my 2 hour commute to work. That shouldn’t happen. And for some reason I’ve noticed the phone takes longer to charge (2.5 hours). My 6s takes 1 hour or less. Apple can do better than this.
Wait for the 7s
Don’t buy the 7. Wait for the 7s so they can work out the bugs. The 8 may be an even better choice, because right now, there isn’t much to boast about with the 7 models. They’re basically the 6 with waterproofing. You can swim with your $1200 phone! I’m realizing… Apple knows they are king of the hill (nobody wants an exploding phone). And was there ever anyone else? There’s no rush to do something wildly different that works for improving numbers, aside from forcing everyone and your mom to Bluetooth headphones. Afterall the biggest providers out there are owned by Apple (Beats and AirPods). It will be interesting to see how this all unfolds for Apple and it’s legions of followers.
Josh Nash 