Surprisingly enough, this will not be another rave review of the company that allows you to pay an unnecessarily large amount of money to drown in a sea of conformity – Apple.
If you own an Apple iPhone, you’re not alone. Roughly 85 million Americans have decided to follow the trend and purchase one in the last three years.
But does trendiness make up for the iPhone’s many deficiencies? Just to name a few: its dysfunctional touch-screen keyboard, rare 3G service, and relatively short battery life.
I didn’t forget about what is considered one of the iPhone’s best features: its incredible collection of apps. Sure, it’s entertaining to shuffle through an array of bad jokes or navigate a cow across a chasm on bouncy life rafts, but most apps are, simply put, a waste of time. To me, they just present an excuse to avoid paying attention in class. However, whatever your stance on the matter is, the iPhone is no longer the only phone that has apps – if you really feel the need to encourage yourself to procrastinate, you can just as easily pick up an Android or any other Smartphone.
In fact, it seems lately that a Smartphone really is a better choice than an iPhone. Apple appears to have an undeserved monopoly in the world of cell phones. The company is unstoppable and knows it. The result? Apple now retains the ability to treat their customers poorly and get away with it.
I became aware of this sad truth when I, sweaty and exhausted from a day of volunteering, had the misfortune to drop my iPhone while sending a hasty text. It was a short fall, but my screen was shattered.
You’re not surprised? Of course not. We all know someone who has had a similar incident happen to them. Looks like our beloved iPhones aren’t really as high quality as we might have thought.
My phone was still working but obviously, I wasn’t delighted with its newly cracked screen. It was hardly my fault that the phone had reacted so badly to its harmless fall, which was an accident in the first place. I blamed it on the phone’s cheap construction and went straight over to the Apple store to argue my case.
It was fruitless. I was essentially presented with two solutions: deal with my hideous screen, or pay $200 to get a new iPhone. I did what any spoiled teenager would: coughed up the money.
Don’t think I’m a hypocrite. I wasn’t happy with either choice. I just became another victim of Apple’s conniving ways. They weren’t willing to accept that their precious iPhones have an obvious durability issue. It’s not that I expected to be given a new phone for free either, but some sympathy or a discount would have helped. I was brusquely ushered into compliance and sent on my way.
This is exactly the problem: Apple has some glaring issues, but it is too powerful to be motivated to solve them. I did my part to feed into that power by handing over my money without question.
The cycle of arrogance will no doubt continue for a long time. Proof? Apple’s newest release, the iPhone 4S.
Many have been eagerly waiting for a year, and all Apple came up with was a small software update including an interesting – but pointless — voice recognition program and a new interface. It doesn’t matter – everyone loves it. It sounds melodramatic but it’s true: Apple has the masses under its spell.
This may all seem insensitive, given Steve Jobs’s recent death. On the contrary, I have nothing but the utmost respect for Jobs. I don’t believe he needs to be deified as he has been, but he definitely can serve as inspiration to all of us. No one, not even a critic like myself, can deny that his iPhone was truly an innovation in cell phones and deserves appreciation.
However, Apple has certainly gotten enough appreciation, and now we all need to move on. The iPhone has become undeservedly popular and its makers unfortunately reacted by becoming conceited and haughty. I for one am ready to throw Apple in the compost bin.