Apple has done it again. Not only one, but two iPhones are new to the smartphone market. That means it is time to fork over a chunk of money for an upgrade that is so much more innovative than past iPhones. Right?

The new iPhone 5C and iPhone 5s were released on Sept. 20th, retailed at $100 and $200, respectively, with contracts to service providers. The biggest change is the new operating system, iOS 7. The new features like the iTunes radio and designs like the lock screen are taking “team iPhone” by storm.

However, what is so tempting about the new iPhones when the main difference is only the presence of iOS 7 which is free and available for iPhones 4, 4s, and 5? Sure, the iPhone 5s has the ‘revolutionary’ fingerprint scanner, but Apple is not the first company to come out with a phone with such a feature. The Motorolla ATRIX beat Apple to it.

Yes, the diagnosis is grim. The world has a name brand disease. Yes, I have also fallen to this first world problem. Unfortunately it is because people are given the power to judge people on the basis of whether or not a communications device has an apple with a bite taken out of it on the back.

Thanks given to human nature and competitiveness. It is inevitable that people will continue to buy Apple, or any other famous company, just because it is an Apple product.

So why not take the pocket friendly route? The iPhone 4 is just ninety-nine cents and the free iOS 7 is available for it. It is the name brand disease again with a symptom of letting money be the indicator of how impressive one is to those around him/her.

The solution is balance. Maybe people can learn to take a slice of humble pie and have the products they want with a sense of practicality. After all, the iPhone 6 is projected to come out in 2014, and do we really want the cycle to repeat again?