iPhone 7 : As it is
Apple didn't exactly pull out all the stops with its latest iPhone.
Sure, the company's latest iPhone 7 flagship product is faster, thinner and water-resistant, and comes in more colors to boot. But with a body and look that is essentially two years old, it's a bit tough to get excited about this year's offering.
What may frustrate many fans, however, is that the new marquee feature -- a dual-lens camera with a wide-angle lens and a telescopic lens capable of zooming to 10x -- can be found only on the iPhone 7 Plus. There's something to get excited about, but only if you're willing to pony up the premium for the larger model.
Apple has taken this two-pronged approach since the debut of its first jumbo iPhone, the 6 Plus, in 2014. But the gap between the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus is wider, and that underscores a philosophical change at Apple. Co-founder Steve Jobs wanted to build a single phone for everyone. Now you have to get the iPhone 7 Plus to get the company's true flagship phone and its best feature.
This is the best camera ever made on any smartphone," said Phil Schiller, Apple's marketing chief, at the launch event on Wednesday in San Francisco.
Of course, Apple has a reason to steer customers toward the bigger and more expensive iPhone. The higher price tag means even more profit for a company that already makes money hand over fist.
What's good for Apple, however, might be a raw deal for consumers. The $120 premium ($20 more than in years past) will be a financial burden for some and it comes after carriers have ceased subsidizing the cost of phones. That means consumers will have to shoulder the full price.
"Apple is clearly taking a risk here, just as it did when it eliminated the smaller iPhones a couple of years ago, but it's presumably decided that risk is worth taking," said Jan Dawson, an analyst at Jackdaw Research.
Some folks may simply prefer the more compact iPhone 7 and consider the hefty iPhone 7 Plus, which fits into what the industry refers to as the "phablet" category, too unwieldy. The decision is complicated by the fact that choosing the smaller iPhone 7 means choosing the lesser version.
Phone enthusiasts will note that Apple isn't doing anything that other manufacturers haven't done before.
For example, Samsung positions its Galaxy Note 7 phablet as a step above the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge. But at least the Note 7 emerged months after the S7 and S7 Edge.
