Our View: Stock up on Ramen — the new iPhone 5 is here

What is more addictive than heroin and crack cocaine combined?

The iPhone.

The newest generation of Apple’s iPhone was announced last week, and, of course, the news sent the world up in arms.

In a matter of hours, the iPhone 5 sold out its presale phones and pushed back shipping dates by a week.

The overexcitement and hoopla that has surrounded the release of Apple’s “gift from God,” or more appropriately “gift from Jobs,” has followed the release of every generation of iPhone. So, the current aura surrounding Apple’s newest edition was not much of a surprise.

Improvements to the new iPhone include a longer screen, a better camera, a new maps system, a faster wireless connection and a smaller charger connection.

Yes, the improvements are nice, but the iPhone 5 does what every other smartphone has done for years: make phone calls, send texts messages and browse the Internet.

So why do we always make a mad dash every time the next slightly altered generation is released?

Now, purchasing an iPhone along with making monthly payments may not be a big deal for people with jobs who can afford it.

But why do we as students make this decision every year to spend a ton of money on a slightly better model of phone?

Many of us are living on a tight budget as it is, resorting to Cup Noddles as a source of nutrition most nights. A base price of $200 for the phone alone and a base price of $80 for most service providers does not align with a college student’s budget too well.

The growing cost of tuition and impending addition of new fees should make students think twice before camping out for a shiny new phone, especially if they already have a working one.

In a society where it is so important for us to be first, students should make sure their decisions are made with their own financial stability in mind first.

Going further into debt because we want to have something that is not necessary is a mistake that too many college students make.

Maybe the mistake of thinking the iPhone 5 will get us through our next exam better than that textbook that we couldn’t afford is one we all make.