Apple, please stop excusing yourself out of basic iPhone features

Something reviewers were quick to point out with Apple’s new iPhone 16e is that despite keeping up with the iPhone 16 in some ways, it’s missing a feature common to most iPhones since the iPhone 12 — MagSafe. There is wireless charging on the 16e, but crippled to a lethargic 7.5W, half of what MagSafe can deliver. By extension, you can’t use any MagSafe mounts or stands without a special case, and you might get less than 7.5W if your 16e’s charging coils aren’t perfectly aligned.

All of this would be understandable, given the iPhone 16e’s entry-level market, except that Apple decided to charge $599 — $170 more than the iPhone SE — and claims that most people in that market don’t use wireless charging, so it doesn’t really care much if MagSafe is missing. Even if there are statistics to back that up, it’s plainly obvious that it was either a profit-driven measure or necessary for the company’s new C1 modem. The company is risking its reputation with these sorts of moves, both in terms of establishing trust and disappointing people when they open the box.

An unfortunate tradition

MagSafe is just the latest example

Sadly, Apple has been trying to excuse missing or flawed iPhone features for well over a decade at this point. Consider the iPhone 4 — while it was otherwise a classic product, one of Steve Jobs’ swan songs, it was initially tarred by the “antennagate” controversy involving sudden signal drops. Rather than admit it had made a design mistake with the antenna, Apple did everything but, initially telling people just to “avoid gripping [the phone] in the lower left corner.” It then moved on to blaming a software error, and Jobs himself announcing free bumper cases for people who wanted them. Some people were still gunshy about iPhones by the time the iPhone 4s shipped the next year.

I could tell a similar story involving the iPhone 6’s “bendgate” controversy, but let’s fast-forward to the iPhone 7, which was the first model to drop a 3.5mm headphone jack in favor of all-digital audio. On stage, Apple marketing executive Phil Schiller championed the move as a display of “courage” — even though many customers owned and preferred 3.5mm audio accessories, something the company was forced to acknowledge by bundling a Lightning-to-3.5mm adapter. The jack’s removal was ultimately logical, given the shift towards Bluetooth headphones and the need for more design space, but trying to spin it into a triumph was an unforced PR error, suggesting deafness to customer demands.

Something Apple continues to be mired in is its treatment of USB-C. Despite the fact that USB-C has been present on Macs and Android phones for about a decade, it took until February 2025 — the launch of the iPhone 16e — for the company to completely exorcize Lightning from the iPhone lineup. The company outright ignored frequent complaints about Lightning’s exclusivity and outdated data speeds, presumably hoping to stretch out accessory sales and supply chain savings for as long as possible. Only European Union regulations changed the game. Even today, USB-C support isn’t what it should be — you have to pay for an iPhone 16 Pro or Pro Max to get anything better than Lightning’s USB 2.0-level data throughput, and no iPhone offers the 60W-plus charging on some Android phones.

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Time to be honest or deliver the goods

The erosion of good will

Other companies also resort to similar tactics – such as justifying the closure of apps that users have been using for years – but that should not serve as an excuse for Apple. Apple is typically held to a higher standard because it is known for delivering on issues like privacy, quality, and support. Despite the current political climate in the US, Apple continues to prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion, and environmental initiatives. While the company’s stance against unionization is questionable, credit must be given where it is due.

Each time Apple conceals the true reasons behind a feature sacrifice or a mistake, it raises doubts among consumers about its future promises. Over the years, I have become increasingly skeptical. While I used to view every new iPhone as groundbreaking, disappointments and the slow evolution of smartphones have dampened my enthusiasm. Even before the launch of the iPhone 16, I suspected that Apple Intelligence would not be as revolutionary as advertised, and so far, my suspicions have been validated.

It would be preferable for Apple to avoid making stingy decisions altogether. While it may be true that most entry-level iPhone buyers use wired charging, it is likely that Pro buyers also prefer the faster USB-C power. At a price of $599, one would expect not to be excluded from the world of MagSafe accessories, especially when a used iPhone 15 Pro can be purchased for a similar amount. The 16e model appears to exist solely to push consumers towards the standard iPhone 16, making it a prime example of Apple’s “price ladder” strategy. This approach can be seen as disrespectful to individuals who cannot afford more expensive devices, especially when even Android phones are adopting the MagSafe-based Qi2 standard.

Is there a possibility that Apple executives will be more transparent and less frugal in the future? It is a possibility, but it may not happen anytime soon. CEO Tim Cook shows no signs of stepping down and wields significant influence within the company, especially in terms of maintaining profit margins. The company’s focus is on guiding consumers towards “premium” products, which appears to involve only paying lip service to more affordable options.

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