ARE APPLE IPHONES STILL ON TOP?

By Akheel Kale

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Apple has been in the spotlight lately, with their recent release of the iPhone 11, 11 Pro and Airpods Pro. With the release of the first iPhone in 2007, it made history and paved the way for the smartphones of the next decade. 12 years later, under the helm of a new CEO, Tim Cook, and without its chief designer, does it still measure up?

missing features

You’ve all heard it- Apple has been famed for getting rid of many of their features to pave the way for their “innovation”, be it larger screens, Face ID or bigger batteries. So how does this affect the average consumer?

  • No Touch ID – Honestly, this doesn’t drastically affect the phone’s security, as Face ID, is a much more unique and easy way of unlocking your phone for many. However, many do prefer their phones with the added security of touch ID, and phones such as the S10 have demonstrated that you can have both with a big screen.

  • No headphone jack – Apple decided to remove their headphone jack in 2016 for the iPhone 7, being the first to do so. Of course, the internet had a field day mocking them, but ultimately, headphone jacks are becoming outdated with wireless headphones becoming cheaper and better. So anybody that can pay for a new release will not have much difficulty navigating around this issue.

  • No home button – It is rare to come across a flagship phone with a physical home button in this age, so… you don’t really have a choice. Welcome to 2019.


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APPLE’S UNIQUE FEATURES

  • iOS – Apple’s personal operating system is very easy to navigate. This is important for many as some will struggle with the customisation and complexity of Android, although this can be very attractive for people more accustomed to technology.

  • Siri – This neglected voice assistant introduced with the iPhone 5 is a feature that is rarely used, and more of a gimmick than feature.

  • Processors – Apple is shockingly good at creating the speediest processors for their phones, but this will not make a difference to many as apps are not really that demanding when it comes for speed. Slower android phones are fine for almost all apps, all running at good speeds.

WHERE APPLE LACKS

  • Price - This is where many have gripes with Apple – the cost for the premium iPhone 11 Pro phones are a high £1000, whereas phones that offer possibly even better features like the S10, Huawei P30 Pro and OnePlus 7 Pro are priced at £699- 899.

  • Camera – Apple’s cameras are designed to be easy to use and sufficient for even the most sophisticated users. However, many Android phones already boast greater zoom, camera amounts and even software. Take the Google Pixel 4 with possibly one of the best selfie cameras.

  • Charging – Apple uses 5-watt chargers that go up to 15 watts, whereas Samsung and others use chargers that can be up to 40 watts.

CONCLUSION

Apple is a company that appeals more to a market that doesn’t try to hunt for the best display, just a phone they can trust. Apple perfectly fits this role with its legacy, so they have designed their products with simplicity in mind, and therefore do not try to aim for features that may be less important to the average consumer, such as charging speeds, camera lens, or even 5G support. But with a growing generation of more aware smartphone users, specifications matter more than ever, and Apple needs to adapt.