Julie’s gadget diary – Here we go again, I want an iPhone 7

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iphone7

As I was watching the end of today’s Apple Event and listening to Sia sing Chandelier, I had a feeling of deja vu because just like last year, I was having the overwhelming desire to buy the new iPhone 7 and maybe even an Apple Watch. After the Apple event last year at this time, I pre-ordered the iPhone 6s. I ended up changing my mind and canceling the order a few days later, but I don’t think I’m going to change my mind this time. Why? Keep reading to find out.

I’ve been using a variety of Android phones exclusively for the past four years and am ready to try something different. I’m sometimes envious of various iPhone only accessories, cases and apps and even though I know there will be things that I miss about Android, it’s time for a change.

I am not 100% sure if I’ll pre-order the smaller iPhone 7 or go with an iPhone 7 Plus. Part of me wants the smaller iPhone 7 because I’ve been using a big Nexus 6P for the last year and it is often too large for my girly sized pants pockets. That said, the iPhone 7 Plus is almost exactly the same size as the Nexus 6P, so there wouldn’t be a huge adjustment period. But then there’s the fact that a lot of accessories and case manufacturers overlook the Plus sized iPhone. If I switch back to an iPhone, I want to enjoy playing with all the extras that come along with it.

What about the color and storage capacity? I’ll go with silver or black and the 128GB capacity version.

apple-watch

As for the Apple Watch Series 2, I’m pretty sure I’ll be ordering one of those as well. Can you all believe that I’ve never actually had the opportunity to try one? I really think it might be helpful for my work outs. If I decide I won’t wear it, I can always return it within the 3 week trial period. 🙂

Apple Watch size and color? 38mm, Space Grey.

Hmmm, I wouldn’t mind a pair of those AirPods too. I think I to find a 3rd job to pay for all of this!

Did anyone else chug a big glass of Apple Kool-Aid this afternoon and are planning to do some pre-ordering on Friday?

Visit Apple for all the new product details.

Update 09/09/16

I got up at 2:30am EST this morning, took a shower, dressed for work and then sat in front of my MacBook Pro hitting refresh on my browser waiting for the Apple store to open so I could pre-order a Space Grey 128GB iPhone 7 Plus. The store didn’t open until about 3:15 or so, but I was able to get the order in pretty painlessly once it did open. I got the phone for $419.00 from Verizon because I had been saving an upgrade for a special occasion.  I’m holding off ordering one for Jeanne until I see if the switch from Android to iOS will stick.

I decided NOT to order the new Apple Watch. While I love to look at and play around with watches, I never seem to wear them for any length of time, so there’s no use paying a premium for a gadget that I won’t actually use.

32 thoughts on “Julie’s gadget diary – Here we go again, I want an iPhone 7”




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  2. I barely wear my last-year’s applewatch as it is… so no, I will not be upgrading this time around. Same with my last-year’s iphone6s… works great… (if it aint broke, don’t fix it)

    However- had apple decided to put the dual-camera system into the smaller 7 as well, that would have been tougher for me to hold off :p

    Very curious to see what next year’s 10-year anniversary iphone model will look like… fingers-crossed that it wont be just another “S” variant of the 7.

    1. I agree that having a dual camera in the 7 would make my decision easier for which size to choose. I’m seriously thinking about going smaller. I need to read the eleventy billion emails I’m getting about cases to see if there are just as many Plus versions of the cases as the smaller 7 versions. It seems that some case makers didn’t want to make cases for the iPhone 6 Plus. Case and accessory availability is more of a concern for me than size.

      1. Just a single data point, but I received an email from QuadLock that they’d be coming out with cases for both iPhone 7 sizes. I love my QuadLock case and mount for my bicycle and would probably get the car mount as well if I drove more.

        1. I’ve been receiving a LOT of new case emails and am happy to report that all of them (so far) include versions for the 7 Plus! That means I’ll be choosing that size iPhone 7 when I am up trying to pre-order in the wee hours of the morning tomorrow.

    1. +2 on the yawn.
      I don’t care if it was samsung or apple. Nothing to get excited about. Another boring phone, that is just as fast (in real world) as last years model, that costs more than last years model.
      Meet the new boss…same as the old boss…to quote “The Who”.

      1. It’s harder and harder to come up with new features for smartphones. It’s more of a refinement process now. Faster processor, longer battery life, better camera. That’s about it until some crazy new technology reinvents everything from the ground up. I’m not going to say that the iPhone 7 is the most glorious and exciting phone in the universe. I’m just a little bored with using Android after 4 years and am ready to try something different for awhile 🙂

        Unless I change my mind like I did last year. That could happen too.

  3. +1 on the Yawn.

    Same old (i)Tunes – last year’s (or last decade’s) tech combined with lots of features they poo-pooed right up until the time they decide they invented it.

    Combo headphone charger jack? HTC Dream 2008. That lasted one device.

    Bluetooth earphones as clearly the preference? Great, I use them all the time,
    but also a way to further kill the already poor / always poor iPhone battery.

    Storage? This I really don’t get? The issue must be iPhone users on poor data plans because they can’t afford a better one or don’t bother.

    I have my universe in the Google Cloud, and most music is streaming these days.
    What do I need local storage for?

    Movies? How many can you watch in a sitting?

    Yay – a waterproof watch. It’s two years ago again! Doesn’t do a thing
    my Sony SW3 can do, for 2-3 times less, except burn a credit card.

    #Getoffmylawn

  4. I’ve been debating whether to upgrade to the Fitbit Charge 2 or not, and had pre-ordered it on a slick deal a week or so ago.. After watching the Apple keynote today, I cancelled the pre-order and am seriously debating getting my first Apple watch myself. I would either get rose gold or space grey. 38mm. Sport band.

    As for the iPhone 7/Plus.. I really liked everything about it except for the removal of the headphone jack. The few waterproof cases I tested came with a headphone extender, and I can’t tell you at the moment where those extenders are because they got lost. I can see me losing the adapter as well. And that extra hour of battery life will be lost powering my headphones if I actually got a pair of Lightning ones.

    But what really gets me with going Lightning for headphones, is that it is Apple exclusive. I feel if they wanted to move forward with removing the headphone jack, they should have migrated over to USB-C like they did with their Macbook. That way, we can have one universal system for headphones, rather than needing an adapter if I use something outside of Apple’s ecosystem. That is the one thing holding me back from jumping in right away for the 7 Plus, is that I’ll always need an adapter since my Bluetooth headphones are always dead and I will refuse to buy a Lightning pair in case they decide to change the port!

    1. I can’t remember the last time I plugged a pair of wired headphones into my phone. I used Bluetooth headphones at work and stream using Bluetooth through my car’s stereo. So the headphone thing is a non-issue for me.

      I’m going back and forth about the watch. Although I like watches, I don’t like wearing them because they rub my wrist while I am typing all day and get in the way when I start wearing long sleeves and coats in a few months.

      1. I enjoy not worrying about if my headphones are charged. If I go a few weeks without use, I know I can throw in my Bose earbuds and they are going to work.

        It took me a while to get used to my Fitbit, but now I have a suntan from using it so often this summer! 🙂

        1. A lot of the wireless earbuds that are coming out now have battery cases that charge them when you’re note using them. 🙂 I’m also getting ready to start testing a universal earbud case that is designed to do that too.

  5. The fact that Apple still has not put in wireless charging upsets me, and is the reason why I won’t upgrade to the iPhone 7

    1. I only charge my iPhone at night….. for this, i don’t need wireless charging. AND: Wireless charging is very inefficient.

      The last time, I plugged in a headset into the jack: yesterday evening, but only because i can’t find a BT-headset in a minute.

      I will change my iPhone 6s Plus 128GB space grey into iPhone 7 Plus 128GB jet black next week.

      1. I’d love it if the iPhone 7 had wireless charging, but I can live without it… I’ve been doing that for the last year with the Nexus 6P. I still miss it, but it’s not that big a deal to me as it used to be.

  6. The dual camera, speed and brighter display is enough for me to switch to 7+! Low light sensitivity and depth of field is enough persuasion. I’m ordering 7+ in jet black!

  7. I have been on Android now for over 5 years. I am tempted by Apple just because they seem to have made the watch do everything I want in a single device. Right now I am wearing a fitbit and a pebble watch. I take off the Pebble when I work out because it is not that great of a tracker. (I have the Time Round) I am going to hold off making any decision until I see what the new Google phone and hopefully their watches look like. I know I often get bored with Apple phones quicker than I ever did with my Android phones. I am on the Note 5 now and I do not want to go to an ever bigger 7plus. However being a photography geek I really want the 2 cameras. I really wish Apple had put both cameras on the smaller phone. So I try to sit here and patiently wait for the hub bub to die down, let the reviews come out and see what the future holds in the Google universe.

  8. I wear my Apple Watch every day. I’ve forgotten it only twice since the day I got it, and both times, I turned around to go back home and get it. Now that Apple made Series 2 waterproof, I’m even more excited because I love swimming laps, and more than once in the last year, I wished I could have used it in the pool. My Apple Watch 2 arrives on Sept. 30. I can’t wait.

      1. Besides telling time, in no particular order:
        * Calendar at a glance
        * Heart rate monitor
        * Activity monitor
        * Notifications (very important)
        * Multifactor authentication for home and for work (We use PingID for work, and it works flawlessly on my Apple Watch. Don’t have to get my phone out of my pocket to authenticate an application.)
        * eBay notifications
        * 1Password (bank PINs and stuff like that)
        * Apple Pay (LOVE THIS!!!)
        * (Coming soon… Pokemon Go!)

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