olor. Yet another reason to love iPhone.” This slogan is the pitch that Apple is using during the release of the new iPhone 5c. “c” standing for color in this instance. Now it would be ridiculous to assume that the only new feature about the 5c is the fact that you can now choose from five different colors rather than two. Along with the new color features and accessories that are being flaunted by Apple, the 5c will mark the release of iOS 7 as the latest operating system for all Apple devices. iOS 7 is boasting new features for Apple devices, such as the ability to multi-task, change ringer volume, fast forward, rewind and pause or play your favorite song.
The ever-looming question is whether or not it is worth buying the newest phone upgrades. Looking into the different iPhones and comparing them can shed some light on this question. The main aesthetic difference in the iPhone 4s, 5c, and 5s, is the various color schemes. The 4s comes in white and black, the 5c has 5 different colors and the 5s has 3 new colors. Apart from aesthetics, the differences are the internal components, such as the processing chips and the memory sizes. The newer models are supposedly faster and easier to use, complete with new gadgets and features that look cool on paper and appear fancy and high-tech. Although, when you think about it, you don’t really need a Touch ID fingerprint identity sensor on your phone.
The new phones are getting fancier and more expensive because the manufacturers market phones that make people go crazy and feel like they must absolutely have the newest and best model of the similar phones. But do we really? Is it worth it to be spending upwards of 200 dollars every year or every other year just to have the latest gadget and newest phone, because that is the “cool” thing to do? No, it’s not worth it. It’s not worth the money or hassle to buy the newest phone. The phones we have now are perfectly good; otherwise we wouldn’t have bought them in the first place. What do you really need in a phone? The ability to make calls and text, maybe check emails and social media sites and play a game or two. You don’t really need your phone to be a computer in the palm of your hand. That’s what a computer is for.
I find it a waste to want and buy the newest phone simply because it’s newer. The newest phone doesn’t do anything for consumers who upgrade constantly, other than waste their money on pointless features that they probably won’t use as often as they think they will. The majority of people feel that it’s not worth it to be constantly upgrading their phones and yet continue to do it. Is it nature of habit? They have always done it and will continue to do so even though they feel that it’s not the best course of action. Is it peer pressure and pressure from society? All their friends and family are upgrading their phones and bragging about how much faster and better the phone is, and so the consumer goes and upgrades to not feel excluded from the mix.
Everyone has their own reasons why they choose to upgrade. Personally, I have only upgraded my phone when the contract I held with my phone company allowed me to do so and I needed a new phone. I have upgraded my phone four times in the past nine years. Only recently have I gotten a so-called smartphone. I don’t need a new phone every year, or even every two years. I don’t particularly want a new phone either. I get used to the phone I have and I know how it works and what it can do. That is enough for me. I wouldn’t like being forced to get used to a new phone every year or so.
Be it Android or Apple, everyone has their preference for phones. Some people enjoy upgrading to a new phone every year, and others, like me, do not. Regardless of what category you fall into, we must realize that it is not worth it, financially or practically speaking, to upgrade as often as we do. Before upgrades were released as often as they are now, people would go several years without upgrading to a new phone simply because they didn’t need to. Some people might say that smartphones have begun to slowly make us less intelligent. The question that remains is, what will you do when the newest phone upgrade comes out?
