#HTE

Why I’m Not Buying the iPhone X

“I like the ideals this country was founded on, and I think its world leadership was great for years, but I’m no longer comfortable with the direction it’s moving in.” This political sentiment, which could describe the thoughts of people on both sides, is increasingly how I feel–if you replace “this country” with “Apple.”

I see people are once again lining up outside of the Apple store in SoHo in the mornings, hoping to score an iPhone X. I won’t be one of them, although I’m a longtime Apple user and former advocate who is invested in their ecosystem.

1. Cost

The idea of having a phone with a smaller body and a bigger screen sounded appealing to me, but I am not paying $1,000 for a smartphone that is going to be obsolete in two years.

2. Notch

I find the notorious notch at the top of the screen a poor trade-off. I see this as a case of the designers inflicting their will on the consumer for no appreciable benefit.

3. Home Button Removal

I’m not sold on the removal of the home button, for the same reason as #2 above.

4. Privacy

I don’t like the idea of facial recognition being required to unlock the phone. I think this was added out of technological fetishism disguised as end user convenience, and is a particularly tone-deaf addition at a time when people are (or should be) more concerned with privacy than ever. (If you want to read about the negative effects on society that can be engendered by the abuse of facial recognition technology, check out this Economist article.)

5. Material

I don’t like that the thing is primarily made out of glass. I am a klutz who has had to wrap my current iPhone in the most hideous, bulky protective case available, because I drop it all the time. What is the point of designing an aesthetically-appealing object if its very appearance must be hidden within a protective case?

On that latter note, what would happen if you dropped an iPhone X without a case? Well, this:

Imagine that: You spend $1,000 on a phone, drop it, and now it no longer recognizes your face and you can’t unlock it.

And yet, people are still waiting in line outside of the store.