Break the iPhone Cycle and Help Save the World

Forget all the excitement around AI, the Internet of Things, predictive analytics and technologies that actually promise to reshape our future. Cyberattacks, automation, space travel – all unimportant. Blockchain, schmockchain.

Drop it all and join the media’s fascination with iPhone 8. Article after article, often rehashing the same ‘exclusive leak’ I read week after week. I could certainly understand some coverage dedicated to an upcoming new version of a popular smartphone, but iPhone 8 articles are knocking bona fide tech stories out of the headlines. Aside from WannaCrypt ransomware briefly stealing the spotlight, Apple’s latest phone iteration (yawn) seems to be the story of the summer.

And it’s getting silly now too. For example, this line from a recent BGR article: “But the iPhone 8’s secrets are far from being revealed, as these leaks do not tell the whole story. For example, what colors will the iPhone 8 come in?”

Seriously? No need to read about actual technology that could improve our lives. No, let’s fixate on potential colors of a phone that will spend more time in your pocket than anywhere else. I could almost understand this level of interest from a fashion magazine. But from hard-hitting tech and science reporters? C’mon.

This is hype more befitting a whole new product or tech category. Who said we had to give Apple the lion’s share of coverage? Shouldn’t actual technology advances and news drive the cycle. Rather than another iteration of boring technology from an industry hype machine – hello, Apple Watch.

So I started to ask around to see if it was just me who is baffled by iPhone 8-mania. Am I missing something? I talked to our analysts, friends, and colleagues in the industry. I asked my daughter and some of her friends. The only people genuinely excited by the iPhone 8 seem to be die-hard Apple fans and those in need of an upgrade. People seeking to jump from iPhone 5 or 6 up to an 8. And given that it’s expected to cost $1,000, I think more people will rethink that investment – especially if their current iPhone is working just fine. In other words, iPhone 8 is not the big news that the media is making it out to be.

What we know, based on news leaks, is that iPhone 8 won’t have a physical button. Big whoop! iPhone 7 didn’t have a real button anyway, with its ‘taptic’ engine vibration effect. So now the ‘faux’ button becomes completely virtual. Oh, and I presume the iPhone 8 will have a camera upgrade. That’s what the press has gushed about for every version over the past 10 years.

But think about it, the camera upgrade is incremental. Say $50 better than the iPhone 7 and maybe a $100 improvement over iPhone 6. If that’s important to you, why not skip the iPhone 8 and invest in a real camera. In fact, you could get a Canon EOS M5 for that and take some stunning photography with all the Wi-Fi connectivity bells and whistles.

Which got me to thinking, what else could you do with $1,000 if you skipped the iPhone 8? Put that money to better use. It turns out that with $1K you could:

• Pay for 3 to 6 dogs to get adopted from a shelter, covering all expenses including microchips
• Feed 2 dogs for a little over a year
• Cover the adoption fees for more than 12 cats in a shelter
• Feed 3 cats for a year

(OK, I like animals.)

• Buy a roundtrip ticket from the US to most European destinations during peak times
• Buy a roundtrip ticket from the US to many Asian destinations during off-peak times
• Buy a flight and hotel for an extended weekend for two to many US destinations

(I like to travel too)

• Enjoy a $1,000 Negroni cocktail, for charity – only in NY! (https://www.foodandwine.com/news/nyc-bar-creates-thousand-dollar-negroni-for-charity)
• Cover all costs for 400 school lunches
• Pay for school supplies for 2 – 3 classrooms for an entire year (well supplied)
• According to the World Health Office, $1K can save 8 lives!

If your current iPhone is at the end of its lifecycle and now’s the time for an upgrade, then go ahead and consider the iPhone 8. But if your current phone works fine, skip this lackluster iteration and do something constructive with your $1,000 in savings. Rescue an animal, fund school activities, give to your favorite charity, or even take a trip for yourself. No matter what you choose, it’s better than a virtual button and a minor camera upgrade.

#SKIPiPhone8

What would you do with the $1,000 you’d save by skipping iPhone8? Tell me in the comments below ...