Apple is Now Betting $700 Million on Sapphire Screens

        The competition between Apple and Android has been heating up. People are starting to become more interested in Samsung's larger phones, and the Android operating system, that has many different versions, each named after a dessert. Apple, still has their signature iPhone, which has the iOS operating system, but in order to attract new customers, and keep their current followers, they will have to step up their game. So, their newest idea is to make the phone screens out of sapphire. This sounds rather strange at first, because sapphire is well known for a large range of colors, specifically blue. But, when sapphire is pure, like the synthetic sapphire that apple is planning to use, it is clear. Apple wants to do this, because they think that using a stronger and harder material would make the screens of their iPhones more durable, and harder to scratch, or damage. However, because sapphire is more expensive to make than Gorilla Glass, the material that Apple used to use for their screens, it will add to the cost of the iPhone, which would make Apple one of the higher end phone brands. Personally, I think that Apple is making a mistake, with their new idea of sapphire screens. In comparison to the Gorilla Glass, which costs $3 to produce, sapphire costs $16. And in order to make sure that the company is still making a profit, the only thing that they really can do, is raise the price of the phone. This could be a huge problem for Apple, because Android is selling phones that range from lower prices to higher prices, so people still have other options if they want a phone with the Android operating system. With Apple, people can't get the new technology provided with enough data storage on their their phone, unless they want to pay a much higher price for a phone with a sapphire screen. So, I personally hope that Apple upgrades their operating system too, not just the physical features of the iPhone, because otherwise, they might lose their loyal customers, as well as their profits.

January 5th

Degrees of Value: Making College Pay Off is an article which talks about how college is not helping students become successful in future life. For many families, college tuition results in huge debt, and few good job opportunities. One example of this is that there is one thirty year old who is currently earning $11 more from his job than he would have if he didn't go to college. This is quite a disappointment in American education. Although colleges are not helping students, they are increasing their tuition costs much faster than parent incomes are growing.The average student debt for college tuition is around $29,000 and families are suffering from all this debt, and then, their children earn little money. So, something has to be changed so that American schooling becomes better. Some things that colleges are trying to do, are online courses, which are a much cheaper way to receive a proper college education from a good college. Top college teachers are now giving lectures that can be listened to online. This is kind of like Khan Academy, and nonprofit organization where educational lectures are posted. So far, the Georgia Institute of Technology has made an online program, where a college student can get a masters degree, for the price of $7000, in comparison to $29,000  for normal college tuition. But, some people are worried that this will ruin a person's college experience. Online college means no parties and fun. So, as a result, colleges have come up with 'hoteling', in which college students study their courses, while enjoying themselves in vacation spots like Grand Cayman. But, the ultimate college experience is different for everybody. If America wants to lower the percentage of college graduates don't require a college degree for their job, it has to find a way to make a better education for its future workers.