The year that is 2016 has been a shit for many, and Apple, the multi-million dollar company, wasn’t excluded. It’s hard to find someone who doesn’t own an iPhone or a Mac laptop, even though they might bitch over their meaningless updates and their extreme changes (*cough* the jackless iPhone). The year that is 2016 marked the company’s first decline in revenue in 13 years.
Some might be surprised, others might claim that they saw this coming a while ago. Here we list some of the biggest WTF moments Apple faced during this sweet 2016:
The Headphone Jack Debacle
There’s no way to talk about Apple’s year without touching on their decision to remove the headphone jack from the iPhone 7, which led to one the biggest freak outs the internet’s ever had. Phil Schiller, Apple’s VP, claimed that this was a courageous move from the company who were striving to do something new and industry altering.
Phil Schiller, you don’t know courage. Harambe knew courage.
— Eli Schiff (@eli_schiff) September 7, 2016
During the Apple Event, where these changes were announced, the company also revealed their new wireless headphones, the AirPods, which basically look like the old headphones only with no wires and for the sweet price of $159.
My mum would like to know if the #AirPods are still going to work after I forget them in my jeans and she washes them #AppleEvent
— Giuliana ? (@Princessofwifi) September 7, 2016
When the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus debuted, people weren’t as hostile as they were during the Apple Event, because headphones (with wires) and an audio jack dongle were included with the purchase of the phone. Apple hasn’t reported its sales, so we don’t know how many phones were bought and if the whole headphone ordeal influenced their sales. Still, the phones were sold out during the day of its release, so Apple took a breath of relief in knowing that they’re still the company who’s leading the phone industry.
The Delayed AirPods
The wireless headphones were supposed to be released on October but were delayed for months due to connectivity issues.
The AirPods were back in action on December, just in time for Christmas, but availability was seriously limited.
AirPods already sold out in Apple’s retail stores #airpods #inventory #nope https://t.co/tVpfjpjax0 pic.twitter.com/oWliVq1lSZ
— Jeff Gamet (@jgamet) December 19, 2016
MacBook Pro Rebooted
After years of people whining over the inconsequential upgrades that Macbooks went through every year, Apple made a move and released a new MacBook with some substantial changes. The function keys were replaced by a touchscreen bar strip that’s honestly pretty badass and that changes how it looks depending on the app you’re using.
The new MacBooks have been praised by critics due to their innovative changes but criticized by the public due to their graphic glitches, short battery life, and most importantly, their outrageous prices. (1,800$!!!!)
The Apple Car
Rumors of this mystical car have been swirling around for a while now, and some people claim it will never happen. This year, Apple reminded us that yes, the Apple Car is still something they want to do. Many sources claim that the company is no longer building the car from scratch but partnering up with someone more experienced in the car making department. The car is rumored to be electronic and that it will have a feature that will allow it to drive itself.
The Nightmare That Is The iPhone 6 Battery
If 2016 wasn’t the year for Apple, then it definitely wasn’t the year for the iPhone 6. The company finally addressed the iPhone’s poor battery life that many users have been reporting since the Stone Age, claiming that the issues were limited to a small amount of iPhones released between September and October of 2015. When people kept on reporting the same problems in iPhones released in other time periods, Apple claimed that the problem was bigger than they initially thought and launched a battery replacement program.
This year, iPhone 6 users also reported a touchscreen bug, called the “touch disease” where the screen would become unresponsive and a gray bar would appear at the top. Then there was also an error that caused the Touch ID to fail and made people freak out.
Here’s to 2017!
