Highlights
- High cost and limited innovation make many consumers feel the iPhone is overpriced.
- Apple’s ecosystem lock-in leaves users feeling trapped and restricted in their device choices.
- Perceived planned obsolescence fuels frustration with frequent upgrades and device slowdowns.
This is the Apple flagship device, the iPhone. It is undeniable that it has formed the smartphone market, but it matters little how many new Apple iPhones come out or how much the internet lights up with complaints and critiques on price, no innovation, or being caught in the Apple trap.
The vast majority let out their voices about why they dislike the Apple iPhone. In this article, we go very deep into what these are leading causes behind this online hatred and explore why some people cannot stand the new iPhones.
Why the Internet Often Critiques New Apple iPhones
Let’s face it: not everyone gets excited about when a new iPhone hits the shelves. As much as Apple fans desperately await the latest model, others run to criticize what they perceive as the same phone, dressed in a new suit, year in, year out. Here’s a close look into why the internet often buzzes with complaints.
1. High Price: Is the iPhone Too Expensive?
For iPhones, perhaps the loudest complaint has been on the pricing front. Apple never lacked in propagating itself as a premium brand, but many feel the iPhone is simply too pricey for what you get.
Why does it feel that way?
Spending more than $1,000 for a new iPhone makes no sense for many. Especially with great Android phones available for less money.
Consumers oftentimes do not get that bang for the buck. Yes, an iPhone boasts great build quality, a smooth operating system, and features, but is this enough to pay that high cost? The amount of increment each year has led people to argue that money is not worth all of that.
Fighting with Cheap Options
The fuel to the fire comes in the form of high-quality yet budget-friendly Android options. Xiaomi, OnePlus, Google, and others have shown that you no longer need to pay exorbitant prices to get a high-functioning phone.
Offers by Androids are at most times equal or superior features for relatively cheaper prices, hence leaving the iPhone looking like a luxury purchase rather than a necessity.
2. Lack of Innovation: Where are the game-changers?
Perhaps the most irritating thing is that people think that the internet is getting lazy. The thing is, Apple is just taking it back to the benches it rested on for too long and is simply fiddling with the new iPhone models. That is, people feel that Apple brings nothing different by releasing new iPhones.
Incremental Upgrade vs. Major Change
Of course, the reason to remind you of such “novelty” is that for years Apple developed amazing innovations — do you recall that one about the first iPhone?
It was revolutionary. But lately, critics believe that the changes between the models just are too marginal to get excitable.
A slightly faster processor, a slightly better camera, and a more or less tweaked design are not enough to make people excited anymore.
Consumers who pay their big bucks expect something new and fresh, and not a renewal of the last model.
Lagging Behind Competitors
It’s not that the updates feel slight; it’s that competitors are taking the game up a notch. Samsung and Google alone test out foldable devices, advanced AI capabilities, and camera technology that some claim is better than the iPhone. With other brands pushing boundaries, updates feel a bit lagging on Apple’s end.
3. Ecosystem Lock-In: Trapped in Apple’s World
Apple’s ecosystem is its greatest weakness and biggest strength, depending on whom you may be talking to.
This is the reason why it’s heaven for diehard fans who cherish seamless integration between iPhone, Mac, iPad, and an Apple Watch-which is exactly why others may think of it as a prison.
Closed Nature of Apple’s Ecosystem
Once you are part of the Apple ecosystem, you almost cannot get out as they manufacture their products with the intent to get used best with other products from the same ecosystem.
Making it a hassle to switch to another brand; for example, iMessages are not as smooth as they would be on other Apple devices.
AirDrop only works on Apple devices, which could leave people feeling almost “married” into this ecosystem once they have started accumulating different products.
Android users penetrating Apple for what they lack: it may offer too little customization. You can almost personalize every single aspect of your phone from layout to that of the home screen to basic apps in Android.
Apple, on the other hand, is infamous for its approach to the walled garden, offering very little or no customization and forcing consumers to work primarily with Apple-approved apps and services.
4. Planned Obsolescence: Is Apple Slowing Down Old iPhones?
There is also the very popular theory of planned obsolescence-which comes back every few years, and users believe Apple designs devices so that after a few years’ usage, they will be obsolete.
Battery Life and Performance Throttling
In 2017, Apple admitted to slowing down older iPhones to prevent battery issues, causing a huge outcry. Many saw this as proof that Apple was intentionally degrading older devices to ensure that consumers would upgrade to the new edition.
Since Apple now gives users more control over their device’s performance, the damage has already been done. Today, people still believe that older iPhones are going to be intentionally crippled.
The Problem of Upgrades
The new iPhones also set a fast pace; when the latest one arrives, your older model instantly feels quite outdated.
These seem to be fresh additions each year that are specific to only the latest iPhone, and which leaves other versions in the dust.
Technologically, this is somewhat unavoidable, but some believe Apple does just this in a small way to get users to buy-upgrade as frequently as possible.
5. Brand Perception: Apple’s Love-It-or-Hate-It Image
Well, finally, one of the reasons the internet just loves to dump on iPhones is because of the Apple brand itself.
It’s become a company that has fostered a level of fanatical followership over the years, and when your franchise has reached that level of success, part of the inevitability is that people start to resent it.
Culture and Social Factors
Perhaps the more common stereotype is the “Apple fanboy,” someone who will defend the corporation regardless of what is happening.
And to put the icing on the cake, there is a prestige to an iPhone in hand. It can be little more than a source of rivalry or jealousy for some because, in many areas, an iPhone is considered an exclusive good.
Anti-Commercialism
Apple happens to be one of the world’s largest companies as well as the most profitable ones, making them a prime candidate for the old shoe and naysayers with anti-corporate trends.
During this time, people are skeptical about these big tech firms like never before; it makes Apple one of those easy targets and focuses of criticism.
Wrapping It All
The internet is complained about endlessly, but at the top of the smartphone market still sits the iPhone.
Apple has created a brand that millions trust and love, even if it doesn’t always get the revolutionary innovations its critics are so eager for. Whether you love your iPhone or hate it, the bottom line is: that this iPhone’s not going anywhere.
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