Be Honest – You Already Decided If You’re Getting an iPhone 8

Soon you will be able to buy yourself a shiny, new iPhone 8. If history is any indication of the timeline, preorders will start soon after Tim Cook and the Apple execs take to the stage to officially unveil the latest smartphone. As exciting as that event might be, in my opinion the vast majority of iPhone users already know whether they plan to buy the iPhone 8 or not — no matter what Apple unveils.

Anticipation is building for Apple to host its annual iPhone unveiling event. After months of speculation and alleged “leaks”, we will finally know exactly what it looks like, exactly what its new features and capabilities are, and exactly what it will cost. Most of the breathless hype, however, is wasted because — if we’re being honest — you’ve pretty much already decided.

It wasn’t that long ago that I covered these launches much more closely myself. It was an arms race between Apple with the iPhone and iOS, and the partnership of Google and Samsung producing Android devices. Each product launch event raised the bar with innovative new features and capabilities — elevating a new leader of the mobile device world until the next launch event. Much of the smartphone market was legitimately on the fence and could be influenced to choose iPhone or Android based on the current landscape.

That was then, this is now. I’m sure most smartphone users are not avid loyalists of one platform or another. They aren’t so extreme in their fanaticism that they simply refuse to consider the alternative. However, the vast majority of smartphone users do fall into the category of those who have already “chosen sides” and have no intention of switching — not because of fanatic loyalty, but simply out of sticking with what’s already comfortable.

The iPhone 8 might be thinner, or thicker. It might have a larger display, or smaller. It may include facial recognition technology, which may be in addition to or possibly in place of the Touch ID fingerprint sensor of current iPhone models. The battery may last longer, or not. It could include wireless charging, or not. The new iPhone might cost the same as existing models, or it could be significantly more expensive.

There are all kinds of rumors and speculation, but for most people it really won’t matter what the reality is when Apple unveils the iPhone 8. There will certainly be complaints from people who were really hoping rumor X or rumor Y were true and are disappointed. For the most part, though, as long as Apple announces a device that is a thin rectangular device with a touchscreen display that runs iOS, people who have been waiting for an iPhone 8 will go out and buy an iPhone 8.

Read the full story on Forbes: Who Cares What Apple Unveils? You Already Know If You Want The iPhone 8.