By Jessica Lau
Apple released their newest device, the iPhone7 in September, and like most new releases, it’s getting mixed reviews from customers.
The iPhone 7’s features include water resistance, dual cameras for upgraded iphoneography, and a longer battery life. Although Apple hasn’t completely reimagined the total look of the iPhone, it did get rid of something many users consider to be particularly important; a headphone jack.
“This is one of the best iPhones I’ve seen,” said Damien Wong, a T-Mobile employee. “I currently have an iPhone 6 but I would love an iPhone 7. The new features and Air Pods sound interesting.”
The iPhone 7 is the first ever iPhone to be water resistant. Although this feature is getting rave reviews by continued iPhone users, those who worry about getting their phones wet have every reason to be concerned as Apple’s support page states that liquid damage is still not included in the one-year limited warranty.
Along with water resistance, Apple also added stereo speakers, with one located at the top and one at the base of the handset. This gives consumers louder and clearer audio.
Another eye-catching feature is the camera on the iPhone. It has a larger lens and captures pictures faster. The battery life is longer and has two more hours than the iPhone 6S. While the iPhone 6S display is dim, the iPhone 7 has a brighter display and has upgraded the operating system to iOS 10. The new upgrade includes a Siri that can command the third party apps and messaging.
The major change would be the iPhone 7 home button. This won’t be a physical button anymore.
Marvin Liu, a school music teacher, said he doesn’t mind the home button but it is a really different feature and will take some getting used to.
“The iPhone 7 has a new home button function,” said Liu. “It’s similar to a MacBook Pro I have you, will need to hit it harder for it to work.”
Others said they preferred their older phones, including Dariana Zapata, an incoming freshman and Business Administration major at York College. “They did so much to improve the features of the phone that it’s losing the iPhone feel and quality,” said Zapata. “I’m not happy that the home button is not even a button anymore and not having a headphone jack disappoints me also.”
The removal of the headphone jack is one of the biggest complaints of the new iPhone model. They opted out of the traditional plug in headphones for AirPods, the new Bluetooth earbuds. AirPods offer five hours of listening on a single charge and are rechargeable using their own case. Although this has been dubbed a cool feature among iPhone fans, they will not be sold with the new phone. Instead, Apple’s new smartphone comes with a set of ear pods with a lightning connector, as well as a headphone socket adaptor to fit standard headphones. iPhone users who wish to go wireless will have to purchase AirPods separately when they are released in late October.
Brian Rodriguez, an employee at Target in Forest Hills said the case looks like other household items.
“The air pods charger could be mistaken as dental floss,” said Rodriguez. “The AirPods could easily get lost, but the sound quality is the same as regular earphones, nothing enhanced.”
The iPhone 7 is available in five colors; Jet Black, Black, Silver, Gold and Rose Gold. The iPhone 7 Plus was also made available in September and like past iPhones the price varies depending on GB, and can cost anywhere from $700 to $900.
