Apple: Are the Latest Products Worth the Hype?

With holiday shopping fast approaching, everyone has their favorite Apple fan in mind. 2020 is the year they rolled out a few new hyped up products but just how many should you look to buy this holiday season?

iPhone 12/12 Pro Max

Apple’s flagship handheld has been cooling off as of late. Each year they upgrade the phones to get a little faster, make minor tweaks to the design, and ship it to the masses. This year they’ve added some great upgrades to the camera, went back to the all square design, and upped their game with MagSafe charging. We’ll have more on that in a minute.

So should you upgrade your old iPhone? One thing I’ve noticed with the latest iPhone is how much 5G makes the difference. Usually, when I’m in a department store like Target I have less than perfect service. Maybe 5G isn’t the reason for the boost but with the latest phone, I had at least two bars on my last visit. Also going back to the old squared-off edges makes the phone sit more comfortably in my hand without feeling like I am going to drop it.

Should you upgrade? It’s 50-50 for me. If you know someone who has spotty service or has an upgrade available 100% yes. If you’re not using your phone for more than texts and Google, then there’s no need to rush right out.

HomePod Mini

Apple first came out with the HomePod in 2018 and was met with mixed reviews. Quickly everyone compared how expensive they were to the Amazon Echo and touted just how much more Alexa could do. Unfortunately for Apple, their marketing missed on presentation as the HomePod was more of a premium audio speaker and not just a personal assistant.

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Luckily for them, they’ve always been able to pivot. Switching to a more affordable HomePod Mini, they can go after the same target audience that was drawn to the Echo. At just $99 the Mini has a lot more capabilities than the HomePod at launch and has better audio than its Amazon counterpart. Yes, you can get an Amazon Echo Dot cheaper, and they practically give them away these days, but what you’re not getting is the quality audio and security that is hand in hand with Apple.

Alexa is always on and always listening, where the HomePod allows more privacy. Even if you remove the audio quality from the equation, that alone would be worth the price. Top that off with the Amazon Echo model Apple is going after is still $100, they edge out the competition.

Should you buy it? This is the gift more Apple lovers need this year and don’t even know it. Yes, most people have got their Echo Dot already set up, but HomePod mini is so much easier with Apple products. Their wireless ecosystem makes pairing and handoffs a snap. Premium audio is the deal-breaker for me. Echo at times sounds no better than computer speakers when played at high volumes. HomePod and HomePod mini are designed for surround sound quality audio. Sneak a Mini into your holiday gifts and the receiver won’t be disappointed.

MagSafe Chargers and Accessories

Apple took another huge risk and eliminated the charging blocks from the iPhone box. Anti-iPhoners jumped all over them touting “that’s just their way of getting you to spend more money!”. While initially, that may be true, at the end of the day it will save you money. Apple is doubling down with wireless charging bringing back MagSafe charging and pairing it with the iPhone.

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The magnetic connection between devices allows for a secure connection that quickly charges your phone. How does it save you money? Yes, you have to pay the $39 upfront, but think of how often apple has changed their charging ports. iPhone has had two styles since the phone and iPods were introduced. They went from the 30 pin charger to the lightning charger in the 13-year span. In that time frame, how many cords have you bought? How many of those were off-brand that you picked up just because you needed one on the go? And how many stopped working after a few short months or frayed at the end and were no longer useful?

Insert the MagSafe charging cord. Yes, you are paying a little more upfront for the charger, but with how little Apple changes their chargers over the years, you won’t have to worry about changing out your cord every couple of months. With a MagSafe charger, you get your charging port back and can go years without having to worry about replacing cords. To top it all off, if you have the wireless charging AirPods, it will charge those too!

Should you buy it? You should. Something so simple as a wireless charger that magnetizes to the back of your phone makes the little things mean so much more. That has been Apple’s formula for winning over fans. They don’t care about being the first to do something, only that they make minor tweaks to make things better. If you get the new iPhone make sure you get the charger as well.

That’s it, there are plenty more products coming from Apple but unfortunately, we haven’t got our hands on them just yet. When we do, you’ll be the first to know.