I’ll admit that I love geeking out on mountain bike technology like suspension linkages and geometry tables, but when it comes to personal technology like laptops and mobile phones, I am 100% ambivalent. I understand that people absolutely flip-out when a new Apple product is announced. Then again, people also become obsessed with things like Pokemon GO!, which I genuinely feel has become its own religious cult. But that’s absolutely fine, because everyone is entitled to have their own interests, even if it is getting excited about touch-screens and imaginary monsters.
Though while I’m neither here nor there when it comes to new stuff like iPhones and whatnot (honestly, who really has the time for getting excited about that? I know I’m too busy occupying my personal thinking about tyre compounds, cassette ratios and spring rates to worry about anything else. You should come to my dinner parties – they are scintillating!), our publisher Mark is absolutely obsessed with new tech and electronic gadgetry. In fact, all he’s been banging on about the last week is the Apple iPhone 7, which apparently represents the second coming of Christ.
As per usual, most of us here at Singletrack Towers aren’t too bothered either way. After all, we’re used to being bombarded with press releases about ‘the next big thing in cycling’, that we’ve grown to become somewhat resilient to anything as over-hyped as a mobile phone. But while filtering through Mark’s excited mutterings about the new iPhone 7, we did hear about a bunch of interesting features on the new iPhone 7 that may actually be of use to us mountain bikers. Given that most of us ride with a mobile phone to run GPS apps like Strava, or use it to shoot photos and video during a ride, the reality is that a smart phone is actually quite a useful device already.
With that in mind, we thought we’d ask you the question: are you looking to get a new iPhone 7? And if so, why?
For a start, the new iPhone 7 claims to be splash, water and dust resistant. Not waterproof, but water resistant. We’re guessing that means it won’t take too kindly to being submerged in a muddy puddle for an hour as you backtrack to find where you dropped your phone, but it sounds like it’ll be more resistant to your sweaty back when it’s stuffed down in a jersey pocket. Not having to put our phone into a waterproof ziplock bag would actually be quite nice, and being able to still pull the phone out to take mid-ride photos when it’s starting to drizzle with rain sounds kind of cool too. Yes, I’m aware that there are fully waterproof cases that regular phones can go into. I don’t know about you, but after the first month of using one of those fancy cases, I usually get over the bulky size and just accept that at some point my phone is going to be cracked open when it hits the deck.
Now this feature might not be so useful to everyone, but Mark is losing his shit over the secondary camera lens on the iPhone 7 Plus. Yes, it has two cameras, because we all know that two is better than one right? The second lens is a fisheye lens, which is actually really useful for us at Singletrack, as we do a lot of Facebook Live videoing where a fisheye lens allows you to get closer up to your subject for better audio. For the riders out there who love taking GoPro selfies, having a fisheye lens on your phone means you can leave the little GoPro camera at home too. The new camera also comes with image-stabilising trickery so that your videos don’t look like an homage to The Blair Witch Project.
Unfortunately, the new iPhone 7 is not smaller. It is apparently the same size as the iPhone 6. And Apple are still offering the ‘Plus’ version, which we refer to as a “phablet”. If Apple is reading this (ha!), please make your phones smaller. However, we will concede that the improved battery life is good for bike riders – the less battery drain we can have while using the phone’s GPS the better.
Ooh so this one is controversial! Apple have also released ear-tampons for the new iPhone 7 that they call Airpods or something fancy like that. We prefer our name, but whatever. Anywho, so the new iPhone won’t take a regular headphone jack anymore, just like Apple killed off the CD drive in their laptops. Way to make us feel old Apple!
But are wireless earbuds the way to go? That kind of seems like something you’ll lose really easily, even it does mean you won’t have to put up with messy cords. I guess the other question is, do you ride with earphones while riding anyway?
Just got those new AirPods. pic.twitter.com/hbvr3HpLaI
— Dr. Sheldon Cooper (@TheRealSheldonC) September 8, 2016
So, do you see any value of the new iPhone from a mountain biking perspective? Does it have any useful features that you think you would like for riding? Or is it all just another over-hyped smartphone that basically does the same thing as what Samsung and Sony have been doing for ages with their smart phones?
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Last pic, that’s a couple of tasty ear hears that need to be dealt with.
Recent iPhone launches have been a bit “meh” but this one did get me a little more excited than usual, mainly because of the camera improvements and water resistance.
As long as there is the need to charge and listen to wired audio simultaneously (which is very often in my world), the lack of a headphone jack is a deal breaker, not that a new phone purchase was on the cards anyway 🙂
Needs option of; No, but will buy an 8 next year
Hmm, Next year will be 7s 2 years for the 8 I’m afraid jambalaya.
Personally I’m a long way from ambivalent. but doesn’t make me an iphone buyer either!
My Sony Android is already waterproof. I’m now used to running it under the tap when it gets muddy but the first time was scary…
This article is interesting, suggests that the Air Pods are the first step in wearable personal computers…
http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2016/09/apple_s_airpods_aren_t_just_wireless_earbuds_they_re_the_future_of_computing.html
Refuse to use any technology named after a fruit!
He says owning a couple of Orange bikes 😉
why is this on the front page of a biking mag?
Nope, because they’re shit!
“…we did hear about a bunch of interesting features on the new iPhone 7 that may actually be of use to us mountain bikers. Given that most of us ride with a mobile phone to run GPS apps like Strava, or use it to shoot photos and video during a ride, the reality is that a smart phone is actually quite a useful device already.”
Why no option for:
No, because it’s a pointless massive ripoff with loads of features that nobody will ever use!!
…. or just No.
No – Because its an iphone, and I want to actually use the computer in my pocket in the way choose, and it has **** all to do with ear tampons. Not everyone thinks apple are the Bee’s Bollox.
So there’s no swear filter on the news comments…
Today I learned a thing.
Also no edit…
Just no. I’m not ambivalent but I won’t but an iPhone.
Always had iPhones, so will end up with one of these when my current 6 or whatever it is is knackered.
My Sony waterproof phone failed on a wet ride, in the backpack but wet. Don’t throw away the ziplock bag yet.
I think unklehomered pretty much expressed my feelings about Iphones too.
I’m still happy with my 1st gen MotoG. When that eventually dies i’ll probably get another (OK, not 1st gen). Don’t see the point in spending such stupid amounts of money on a phone that does anything I want no better than what I’ve already got.
And why so much hysteria about a chuffin’ phone? It’s not going to solve world poverty or cure cancer, it’s just a clever phone FFS.
I’ll rise to the bait of The Pinkster, against my better judgement 🙂
Being a phone is but one tiny, tiny part of an iPhone (or any Smartphone for matter). My iPhone is my phone (natch), camera, music player, SatNav, eBook, Audio book, laptop, movie player, movie editor, ride tracker, alarm clock, shopping list…I could go on.
Not so many generations of iPhone ago, I saw the camera as sub-standard compared to my compact. Now it’s the other way around. It’s these iterative improvements that make people excited.
“Don’t see the point in spending such stupid amounts of money on a phone that does anything I want no better than what I’ve already got.”
Me neither. Who’d do that? However, people do spend money on genuine (or even perceived) improvements over what they have. There might be some stuff you’d love in a more modern smartphone 🙂
Reads a bit like a bike review by Stuff magazine *shudder*