- By Laurie Diggett, Staff Writer -
It’s that time again, folks—time for the stressful decisions, the constant question of affordability, the sudden loss of practicality over numbers and the neverending switch between wondering why this is so important and justifying your investment. No, I’m not talking about the financial state of college students. I’m talking about the new line of iPhones that Apple has recently revealed to the public.
A new iPhone is not typically something to get insanely excited about. The last few times that Apple has introduced a new phone, there have not been groundbreaking improvements other than in size, shape, and photo and video quality. Of course, there have been somewhat more exciting improvements like Touch ID and Live Photos, but both have been around for a long enough time that nearly everyone who owns an iPhone can take full advantage of them these days. So why is the 8th generation of Apple’s line of mobile devices worth a year of major hype?
It’s because the iPhone 8 is not the only new iPhone. Coming out alongside the iPhone 8 and the iPhone 8 Plus is the iPhone X (read as “iPhone 10”). While the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus possess the typical moderate improvements of camera quality and are both water and dust resistant (“resistant” not “proof”), they will also, for the first time, come with wireless charging capabilities. However, the iPhone X is presented as especially high tech. The home button will no longer exist on this model; the user will raise the device or tap the screen, prompting the phone to “wake up” and swipe up to get to the home screen. Because this model does not have a home button, Apple will be replacing the option for Touch ID with FaceID, a face recognition software that will not only be available to unlock your phone, but also as a replacement for an Apple ID and password when users make an in-app purchase or use Apple Pay in any instance.
FaceID does raise some cause for concern; the lack of a home button could make the device more sensitive to physical movement or an accidental nudge of the screen, causing the device to actively look for a face, and upon not finding the right one, locking the user out for a certain amount of time before allowing another chance. On top of the shaky new bells and whistles comes a hefty price of $999 for the iPhone X along with a starting price of $699 for the iPhone 8 and $799 for the iPhone 8 Plus. Perhaps the real question in the grand scheme of things is not which device is better, but whether you are willing to choose between an iPhone and your textbook rentals for the next semester.