Really Apple, this is the iPhone 7?

Dining out is something that we all have done. Even in the health-conscious world that we live in, we occasionally find ourselves grabbing a bite to eat at a local restaurant of some variety after deliberation as to what type of food we desire. After settling on a genre food, a restaurant-and lastly-our particular dish of choice-we order. As the minutes pass in anxious anticipation, we begin to salivate due to the aromas of other finished meals-especially replicas of our own meal-eagerly awaiting the moment until we can feast on our own delectable platter. And then, when that moment arrives, we are left with an abyss of disappointment when we discover that our meal was not prepared as we ordered.

The iPhone 7 is said meal.

Laced with a niche of decent features, the iPhone 7 is indeed a great phone considering the fiercely competitive smartphone market that it competes in. Boasting a four-core 64-bit A10 chip utilizing iOS 10, a 1334 x 750 resolution for the 4.7 inch iPhone 7 and a 1920 x 1080 resolution for the 5.5 inch iPhone 7 Plus, an improved battery life giving two additional hours for the iPhone 7 and one additional hour for the iPhone 7 Plus respectively, and supposedly 2GB and 3GB of RAM for each phone, both the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are noticeable upgrades over their previous models.

However, it still leaves much to be desired…

The most controversial change with this year’s iPhone models is the removal of the headphone jack.  (Yes, the 3.5mm headphone jack that has become a global standard for more years than we’d like to admit.) Instead, Apple has forced users to use their “Airpods”; this new way to listen to your music comes with a host of other problems as well. Apple claims that this move was done to make room for the larger battery, the haptic home button, and to provide for a slimmer body.

That being said, let’s get right to the point: Apple has lost its innovation.

Instead of obliging to what their consumers have been feverishly asking for (wireless charging, removable batteries, a more durable charger, etc.), Apple has instead chosen to focus on areas that they feel will be more beneficial, rather than the public outcry of other, more logical, improvements. This is not a piece determined to belittle Apple, nor their flagship device, however, what can’t be avoided is the continual disregard for giving their customers what they desire.

With the addition of the Airpods, Apple has become even more of a niche product due to their $159 price tag. Let’s back up for a second: Apple has removed a 100-year technology because it was “old”, “took up space” and was “holding them back”, or as Phil Schiller so eloquently stated, they did so because they were the only company that was “courageous” to make such a bold decision. The old adage of “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” doesn’t seem to apply to the folks at Cupertino one bit. Additionally, there have been upticks from tech conspiracy theorists proclaiming that the removal of the headphone jack as the justification for the addition of the new features is nothing more than excuse for Apple to siphon more money from their consumer base as their once thriving and assured stock has failed to meet investor expectations as it continues on its rollercoaster ride. (In short, we won’t be seeing any 7-way stock splits any time soon.)

Should I upgrade?

That depends. It really does. If you’re still with an iPhone 5 iteration of before, I’d say yes if you can part with the headphone jack and don’t mind the risk of losing the Airpods-then sure-go for it. Otherwise, if you have a newer iPhone, I would caution you to wait as Apple is supposedly prepping for their 10^th anniversary iPhone next.

Personally, I have an iPhone 6 Plus, although my battery isn’t as great as I’d like it to be, and even though the aesthetics of the phone are alluring, as a tech enthusiast I simply do not see the value of upgrading to the iPhone 7 at any time soon, if ever at all.

This is one meal that I’m sure all wish was a bit more enjoyable, or, rather-palatable.

How to Safely Remove a USB Drive.

During the fall 2010 semester, I was taking a business law course that required a plethora of information to be maintained for case law research.  I always carried my computer on me as I was an Information Systems major, however, in the event that I didn’t have my laptop on me I needed a viable second option for storage for my law research.  Also during this time, I worked at an electronics store, so I picked up a USB flash drive from a company that sounded like Pixar.

Long story short, I went to recover some files from that drive for a midterm…and they weren’t there.

Complete panic ensued.

What may seem as a trivial matter to some, but is oftentimes overlooked, is how to safely eject a USB drive from a computer.

Recently, I had a friend ask for my assistance in the matter as she knows that 1.) I am well versed in the area of technology, and (I'm cautiously assuming), 2.) That she trusts my judgment. The issue at hand was that her USB flash drive was not being recognized when she inserted it into her computer.  As I stated to her, there could be a few things that caused the error, however, what more than likely occurred was that the IRQ (Interrupt Request) ports were not functioning.  If this was the case, then a trip to the Device Manager could possibly remedy the issue-but I digress.

To prevent the issue at hand, it is best to safely eject your USB from computer. To do this:

1.) In the bottom right-hand corner of your screen there is an upward-facing arrow. Click that. Afterwards, you will see a sub-menu of icons; right-click the one that looks like a USB drive.

 

2.) Once you right-click that icon you will see “Eject USB Mass Storage Device”-click that.

3.) You will then see a confirmation from Windows that your USB is safe to eject from your computer.

If by some chance you get an error stating that the device cannot be ejected, try closing out whatever programs are open via that device then repeat the steps listed above.