This article may contain personal views and opinion from the author.
Apple users got played. | Image by Apple
Every once in a while, a piece of tech comes along that changes everything for the worse. AI isn't quite that kind of tech, but for smartphone users in general, and iPhone users in particular, it might as well be.
iPhone 16 Pro was perhaps not built for Apple Intelligence after all
Even after two years of development, the company has failed to develop an AI experience that genuinely surpasses what its rivals offer. Apparently, being good-enough is the bar for Apple Intelligence.
Yet, despite these stale AI features, Apple might charge customers up to $300 more than last year.
Sure, the memory crunch has cornered the company, but the estimated $1,399 price point confirms that skeptics (I am the skeptic) were onto something: AI is nothing more than an excuse for smartphone makers to slack on hardware innovation.
Not only are smartphones getting less impressive every year, but they are also getting more expensive.
I am not tech-averse by any means, but I can't get behind a tech that fails to improve the smartphone experience in any meaningful way, while complicating it in a thousand other ways. For instance, the new Siri may not blow you away, but it will certainly drain your battery.
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Worse, AI is potentially putting flagships out of the reach of many customers. That's regression, not evolution (I swear an AI didn't write that).
As an owner of an older iPhone, how do you feel about Apple's approach?
Why buy iPhone 18 Pro for $1,399 when it might not even get the latest AI features next year?
Terms and conditions apply. | Image by Apple
Meanwhile, it has given the pragmatists among us, like yours truly, a reason to hold onto their phones, like my good old iPhone 14 Pro, for as long as possible.
My heart skipped a beat for the iPhone Air, but the articles lamenting its poor battery life soon knocked some sense into me.
Looking at how manufacturers are gatekeeping AI features for no good reason, I'd never even think of buying another iPhone as long as this one works. That's because, firstly, I don't believe in frequent upgrades.
Secondly, I just know that the iPhone 18 Pro will probably not get whatever new AI feature Apple will announce next year to make my pictures look like they are from Mars or something equally as absurd. I am not risking even that by buying the iPhone 18 Pro. This Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO) Apple is banking on to sell the iPhone 18 Pro isn't working quite as intended on me.
Most importantly, I don't think I have $1,399 to spare in the hopes that somewhere along the way, AI will become that transformative tech phone makers have been making it out to be.
AI for problems you didn't know you had at the unbeatable price of $1,399
CEO Tim Cook has pretty much confirmed a price hike for the iPhone 18 Pro, and while its price may not necessarily jump straight from $1,099 to $1,399, we need to be prepared for a $1,299 sticker shock.
For that extra $200 to $300, you won't get more megapixels or a bigger screen. The new 2nm chip will make the phone snappy, and if you squint hard enough, the Dynamic Island might look smaller, but that's the extent of the upgrades.
The AI features are supposed to make up for that, but don't expect anything more than pictures that you didn't take and an algorithm snooping through your apps just to save you two seconds of scrolling. That's assuming the AI tech doesn't take as long as it did in the Apple demo to yield results.
Groundbreaking stuff.
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Anam Hamid is a computer scientist turned tech journalist who has a keen interest in the tech world, with a particular focus on smartphones and tablets. She has previously written for Android Headlines and has also been a ghostwriter for several tech and car publications. Anam is not a tech hoarder and believes in using her gadgets for as long as possible. She is concerned about smartphone addiction and its impact on future generations, but she also appreciates the convenience that phones have brought into our lives. Anam is excited about technological advancements like folding screens and under-display sensors, and she often wonders about the future of technology. She values the overall experience of a device more than its individual specs and admires companies that deliver durable, high-quality products. In her free time, Anam enjoys reading, scrolling through Reddit and Instagram, and occasionally refreshing her programming skills through tutorials.
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