By Olivia Ritter ’17

Does it bother you that cell phones deteriorate after two years of use? It seems to be a recurring pattern that once a new generation of iPhone is released, the model two years before becomes obsolete. This means decaying battery, unresponsive screens and a huge hole in my wallet.

I got my iPhone 6 in January 2015. At this point, the model was fairly new. It was fast, durable, reliable. It maintained its stable battery levels for an entire year, maybe getting slower as I filled up the storage. But, suddenly, not even two years after its purchase, the battery was jumping from 30 percent  to dead, killing one percent every minute or so.

On top of this frustrating battery issue, my screen refused to acknowledge any contact from my finger. If I go to tap on my Messages app, the phone would either ignore my request altogether or it would open and immediately close. Hello? I have to text my mom? Nope! Apparently two years of texting and taking pictures is a little too much stress for this metal rectangle.

So, I dragged myself to the Verizon store, got myself a new iPhone and lost my patience for Apple. It just doesn’t seem fair to me; my family buys my phone by spending $27 a month for two years and then the minute the phone is ours, it’s too far gone. The worst part is, this isn’t the first time this has happened to me.

I don’t put my iPhone through the ringer. All I do is use the allotted storage I am given by taking pictures and texting and doing everything I’m supposed to do with my cell phone as a high school senior. Why are the things that the iPhone was made to simplify, the things that tears it apart?

My tolerance for this buying-a-new-iPhone-once-every-two-years is getting extremely low. Like every other teenager in the world, I use my phone for everything. Pathetic, but true. This reason is enough for Apple to boost their batteries and make these phones (that are worth $600, mind you) last a bit longer than two years.

The low life expectancy of these “high-quality” phones emphasizes the growing problem of feeling obligated to buy the “newest thing.” Killing off an iPhone two years after its purchase almost compels the consumer to preorder it, just so they can say that they have the best product on the market. The same pattern exists in trends like shoes, clothes and even cars.

I think the worst part about all of this is how the word “obsolete” is quickly losing its true meaning. The more things are replaced, the faster they become, ultimately, obsolete. But, the fact is, they’re not even obsolete, they’re just not the newest thing out there. This distorted view of what is old and what is just not “the best” is bringing to attention the greediness and discontent the people of this generation hold.

One day, when everybody has switched to Android phones, Apple is going to wonder where they went wrong. Losing the headphone jack was bad, but a weak battery is the last straw. Get it together, Apple.