Thoughts on the 2017 iPhones

Apple released the iPhone 8 a week or so ago. Apple will release the iPhone X on November 3, 2017. This is part of Apple’s current annual release of updated phones with better screens, more battery life and a better processor. I bought my iPhone 7 plus on release day in September of 2016. I went to the Apple store and bought it. When thinking about whether I need to update my phone this year, I need to consider a few things.

First, is my phone functional or did I break it? My phone is in good working order. The screen is not cracked, the non-existent home button still works. Volume and power and silent switches work. Mechanically the phone is in good shape. It took the IOS 11 and IOS 11.01 updates without a problem.

The next question is this: what do I use my phone for and will a faster phone with a better screen help me do these things?

Podcasts: I listen to many podcasts on my phone. I listen to a mix of religion, politics and current events and tech. A new phone will not help me listen to podcasts better. The headphone jack is already gone so that is not a concern. The iPhone X has bluetooth 5 which has greater range and better sound, but for spoken word podcasts that is not an issue.

Tasks: I manage my tasks on my phone. A newer, faster phone will not help me manage my tasks better.

Communication: I manage my communication on my phone. This includes texting, email, slack and phone calls. I support three different phone numbers on my phone, 9 email accounts and 2 slack channels.

Miscellaneous: I also do things like manage my shopping list. I use my phone as my alarm clock. I read books and my Bible on my phone. I take notes and look things up on my phone. I have not seen anything in the specks or the demonstration to indicate these things would be improved with a faster, nicer looking phone.

I play no games on my phone. I do not watch many videos. If I am watching a movie, I will Air Play it to my Apple TV, so screen quality and brightness and colors do not matter.

The main reason I do not need a new phone is that all my uses of the phone depend on software apps. If the current apps will run on my current phone, I am golden. Eventually, if I never upgrade, the latest IOS will not install and the updated apps will not install. But for now, I will save my pennies and not get the 2017 versions of the Apple iPhone.

There is an app call Moment. It will track how often a person uses their phone and what apps are used the most. Therefore is someone is concerned about wasting time on their phone, Moments is a good app to discover that.

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