Even If You Don’t Need a New iPhone 7, You Should Still Get One

The art and science of sizing up the new iPhone each year is a formidable one, given the time between the announcement and the window for ordering. Apple provides just enough information to whet the appetite. However, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that the state of the art isn’t advancing and decide to save some money, passing on the iPhone 7. That’s probably not a good way to go, given Apple’s track record.

Image credit: Apple

Why You Should Get an iPhone 7

Back in June, I wrote an essay. “Why I’ll be Buying a New iPhone 7.” Nothing has changed since then to alter my feelings. Mindfully, it’s not just that I write about the technologies that Apple offers. I would always buy a new iPhone. And it’s not because I want to be the kid on the block with the latest and greatest.

It’s because the iPhone is fundamental to our life experiences and our technical culture. It’s a device that, remarkably, gets better and better every year. In other words, it makes no sense to keep that iPhone 4S because it can still make phone calls. That’s false modesty.

We flow through the technical timeline and it, in turn, advances us, our understanding, and our capabilities. That happens in ways we cannot fully diagnose between September 7th and September 9th.

iPhone 7 features. Image credit: Apple.

For example, there may be security improvements that have not yet come to light. Given what we know about the importance of encryption and personal security, it’s seldom wise to stick with older hardware. Second, these new cameras will likely enable photography in ways that will surprise and delight us, but we’ll have to get our hands on an iPhone 7 by ordering early to discover that. Third, I’ve been complaining about the external speakers in the iPhone and iPads for years. Apple has finally fixed that and made the iPhone 7 water resistant as well. There are more items, including a better Home button.

This is not a question of waiting for something stunning to come out of Cupertino. This is a question of investing in one’s own future.

iPhone CPU power over time. Image credit: Apple

Living the Future

Finally, we’ve seen Apple’s explanation of the 3.5 mm headphone jack going the way of the dinosaur. This process of technical advancement is always a painful one. Some observers will feed their egos by declaring that Apple’s use of the word “courage” is ridiculous. I’ll simply state that the process, repeated over the years, is very much always just like this.

1. Apple makes a dramatic change in technology that obsoletes old equipment and moves us forward.


2. Customers and observers complain that Apple is fleecing them. Change is declared unnecessary.


3. Years later we look back and wonder what the fuss was all about. We smile as we regard the old stuff with nostalgia.

Finally, as an important reminder from the article I referenced above:

Of course, I’m not saying one should be foolish with money. Or careless in judgment. Family and the responsibilities of life, perhaps parenthood, always come first. Weighing benefits is what adults do. That said, an iPhone 6 or 6s can be traded in for a healthy amount of money, and Apple offers really good payment plans that run about $30/month. Most can do that.

Life is too much fun and the technical opportunities with each new iPhone model are too great to pooh-pooh. If it pleases you, bet on Apple to have produced a really nice product whose potential can’t be fully evaluated in the next two days. Still, Apple tries to make it an easy proposition. (We know there will be yet undiscovered goodies.)

Of course, the iPhone 8, the 10th anniversary iPhone in 2017, will be even cooler. Get that one as well.

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