Have you heard? Apple is about to unveil the iPhone 8, and experts believe it will hit stores later this fall. The smartphone is expected to be a radical departure from past iPhones, and I’m in exactly zero rush to buy one.
And maybe you shouldn’t be either.
Sure, the phone probably won’t have bezels or a home button — and I guess that’s cool? And it’s likely to have a great camera, questionable facial-recognition tech, and lots of other new and exciting features.
But still.
Buying the new phone on day 1 is diving straight into a $1,000 commitment, and it’s unclear how exactly that will turn out. Yeah, Apple makes great products — I, like many, happily own an iPhone — but who knows if this new device specifically will be any good? Maybe letting other people try it out first, and experience any early bugs in the process, is the smart move.
I know it’s the one I’ll be making.
Remember, problems with smartphone tech aren’t unheard of (hi Samsung!). In fact, even iPhones have been known to run into trouble. Does touch disease ring a bell? Or how about that issue with the iPhone 6S battery? Who knows what unpleasant surprises might be lurking under all that shiny iPhone 8 glass.
But there’s more to it than that. Immediately buying the latest (and only presumably greatest) version of something, and the must-have early adoption ethos that the purchase implies, treads a bit into the realm of corporate cheerleading. Which, well, is kind of #basic. And anyway, if there’s one thing we all know, it’s that corporations are by definition uncool — even ones as hip as Apple is perceived to be.
Does this mean you should never buy the iPhone 8? Of course not. If it’s something you want, and can afford, then by all means go ahead and get one. After all, you’ll likely be spending a lot of time with it.
However, if you find yourself inclined to stampede straight to the Apple Store in a hurry to score the new hotness I’d simply urge you to pause, take a deep breath, and ask yourself whether or not it’d be smarter to wait maybe just a few weeks (heck, even months).
That way, later this year when that one friend of yours starts waiving around his or her testament to the power of Apple’s marketing team, you can ooh and ah outwardly while internally smiling with the knowledge that you managed to avoid the trap — along with any associated launch-day bugs.
Because, and this I promise you, the iPhone 8 will be there waiting for you when you’re ready. So take your time. It’s a good look.
