Mote is a junior French major from Indianapolis.
On Thursday, Apple issued media invitations to an event at the Flint Center for Performing at De Anza College in Cupertino on September 9th. The invitation carried with it the tagline, “Wish we could say more.”
This made me happy, because I await the arrival of new Apple products every year yet I’m still wary to speculate on the contents of the event itself. Some say it’s the iPhone 6, others claim it’s the iWatch, others say it’s iOS 8 and some say that maybe it’s even all three. I say who cares.
The event is a little over a week away, so why indulge in unsubstantiated rumors when, with a little patience, you will soon find out the magical revelations Apple plans to show us?
I’ve found that, while speculation about Apple products can be fun, it is often minimally valid and only serves to suggest a vague glimpse of what might be revealed come the day of the event. Speculating about the features of a new iPhone will not bring the iPhone any closer to being in your hand. It will also not likely sway Tim Cook in his opinion of what the newest iPhone should contain or be able to do. Neither will such conjecture allow us to see a legitimate sneak peek behind the actual product.
Speculation serves as a tool for non-official Apple websites to gain more traffic on their advertisements. It can also serve to hype up the actual product in speculation. I am a believer of the idea that speculation does more harm than good.
Now that I’ve set my opinion forth regarding speculation, I’d like to share what I believe needs to happen for Apple to maintain relevancy.
Apple has coasted by for far too long by releasing the “S” version of the iPhone every other year. Being a fan of Apple can be extremely disappointing when a new design only comes once every two years. It’s reasonable to say that we want something more.
Samsung Galaxy S5’s are dust and water-resistant while it seems as if the best protection available to the average iPhone user is the LifeProof case. It is clear that the technology to further innovate iPhones could be made yet we have still to see a truly advanced iPhone materialize.
I’m not speculating as to whether the aforementioned features will be included in an upcoming iPhone. I’m only setting an example of how iPhones could be much more than they are. The capability for iPhones to be truly advanced is a realistic vision and I hope that we will see features and their benefits that will highly impress us this year.
The supporters of other phones often ridicule Apple fans. This does not stop us from wanting more from our devices. Actually, it fuels our passion. We want Apple to wow us. We want them to remind us why we love Apple. We want the innovation and mystery that came with the products designed under the direction of Steve Jobs.
Apple fans love Apple products; that is a fact. But we want more out of our devices. Without speculation: Apple please show us something that we have never seen.
-Mote is a junior French major from Indianapolis.