One would have to be living under a WiFi-less rock to have missed the advent of the iPhones 5c and 5s, as well as the long awaited iOS7 update. After all, with such amazing and groundbreaking innovations at our very fingertips, how can anyone be expected not to flood social media outlets with innumerable accounts of iOS7 download progress? Who wouldn’t want to hear a million expressions of gleeful surprise over the oh-so-useful fingerprint recognition feature?
It’s not hard to figure out that people get a little excited when Apple does, well, just about anything. But the irony of the situation is that the iPhones so vehemently heralded as the cutting-edge of the technological era are snapped up (despite their outrageous price tags) – and then barely used for their intended purpose. When was the last time you saw someone ask Siri a serious question in a situation when it was actually necessary? How about the last time someone asked “What is the meaning of life?” or “Where do I hide the bodies?” in a moment of boredom? If you interact with the vast majority of today’s smartphone users, you can probably recall the latter more clearly.
In the past few weeks, the internet has been abuzz over the advent of fingerprint recognition in the new iPhone 5s. Admittedly, this could be useful if you have high-security information on your phone. But this is simply not the case for the population of teenagers excitedly buying the phone, only to waste the feature waving it in the faces of their envious friends. This practice, of course, can only go on for so long before one runs out of friends.
This commotion is topped only by the exorbitant fuss over none other than the color of the phone. Who can forget the hubbub caused by the release of a plain, white iPhone? Now that colored plastic shells and – gasp – gold iPhones are on the market, anyone who values their sanity ought to prepare themselves now for the incoming tidal wave of teenage girls gushing over their brand new, gorgeously colored iPhones.
The real question, however, is why people continue to buy new phones just a year after their last one without any significant changes in the interface. Clearly appearances are important to iPhone-buyers, as evidenced by the obsession with colors and brag-worthy features, but are looks really worth the triple-digit price tags and equally inordinate unlimited-everything plans? Apparently, yes: over 9 million iPhone 5s and 5c units were sold over their opening weekend alone, topping the iPhone 5’s opening sales of 5 million. Over 200 million devices are now running iOS7, and the new iTunes radio garnered 11 million listeners during its launch weekend.
The iPhone epidemic is spreading fast, and it’s very possible that as you’re reading this, you’ve already been infected. However, if you are one of the precious few who haven’t yet fallen victim to purchasing new phones yearly purely for the pretty colors and fancy features, please consider spending your money on something a little more useful – there are people starving across the world, wondering why we pay hundreds of dollars for an Apple.
Statistical data compiled from: