Apple released the details of its newest line of phones on Sept. 7, stating on the Apple website that the iPhone 7 will have the “best performance. . . ever in an iPhone,” but one change might make performing the task of listening to music difficult for some users.
The iPhone 7 will not contain a 3.5 mm audio jack — the small input where consumers have plugged in EarPods and other headphones in every iPhone model since 2008. Regular headphones and auxiliary cords used to play music in cars will not be immediately compatible with the new iPhone since there is no standard audio jack.
Critics and consumers alike have a lot to say about Apple’s decision to take out the familiar, circular audio jack. Students at the University of Memphis also have different opinions regarding the decision.
Kaylee Wilkes, a 20-year-old health and human performance sophomore from Trenton, Tennessee, said the new update is just a big mess.
“I don’t plan on upgrading; I’m just going to stick to my 6,” Wilkes said. “I don’t like how it doesn’t have the headphone jack. It’s too much.”
The iPhone 7 will contain stereo speakers boasted to be “two times louder than iPhone 6s,” by Apple’s website and will still come with classic EarPods. A 3.5 mm headphone jack adapter will allow customers to use these EarPods, but since the adapter plugs into the charging port, users will not be able to listen to music through standard headphones while charging an iPhone 7 at the same time.
Suany Ibanez, a 19-year-old pre-nursing sophomore from Memphis, said she is excited for the upgrade and the new “Lightning” connector that plugs into the charging port.
“A lot of people talk about the headphone jack, but I was researching it and you can connect it to the Lightening port,” Ibanev said. “At first the no headphone jack bothered me, but then I found that it did come with headphones, and you can use Bluetooth, so it’s ok.”
The iPhone 7 will be officially released on Sept. 16 in jet black and matte black, along with the silver, gold and rose gold finishes. According to Apple, the iPhone 7 features “an entirely re engineered enclosure” that will result in a “water resistant iPhone offering protection like never before against spills, splashes and dust.” However, a footnote of the Apple website warns consumers not to “attempt to charge a wet iPhone” and that “Liquid damage” is not “covered under warranty.”
According to Apple iPhone 7s were “tested under controlled laboratory conditions with a rating of IP67 under IEC standard 60529” and that “splash, water and dust resistance are not permanent conditions and resistance might decrease as a result of normal wear.”
Still, new features like the new pressure-sensitive home button and a more “advanced touch display” are enough to convince consumers like Steve Luong, 22, an electrical engineering senior from Memphis, who said he is ready to upgrade from his iPhone 5.
“I have wireless Beats (By Dre) and wireless Bluetooth in my car so I’m set,” Luong said. “Everything’s perfect for me. It’s just the price, I got to save up for it.”
Other interesting specs that Apple boasts include a six-element camera lens, and an optical “image stabilization,” which the company claims will lead to more stability and less blur. According to Apple, the device also lets in 50 percent more lighting and has a better flash, aimed to create better selfies. Slo-mo and time-lapse video options will still be available. The iPhone 7 Plus model will include an extra camera for zooming. The display will be 25 percent brighter, contains more colors and will include a feature called “3D touch.” The new chip will make it two times faster than the iPhone 6 and Apple claims it will have a longer battery life.
Corey Waterhouse a 20-year-old pre-nursing junior from Honolulu, Hawaii, is not a current iPhone user, but said he will be when he gets the iPhone 7.
“The 7 looks so cool,” Waterhouse said. “That’s my next phone. I like the dual camera on the 7 Plus, and I think it’s cool that they removed the headphone jack. It’s like a new step to newer stuff cause if they kept it the same, there’s no innovation. I have Beats and they’re already wireless, so it’s not a huge deal. I heard the AirPods are expensive, but you can get wireless headphones on Amazon for like 10 bucks.”
