Apple releases new iPhones every year, but it's time to stop. While annual releases are good for shareholders, they're not necessarily good for consumers. Here's why Apple should ditch its annual iPhone release schedule.
1. There aren't enough big leaps between iPhone models
While Apple fans get excited about new iPhone models every year, the general public isn't so excited. Why? The iPhone is considered to have remained largely unchanged from generation to generation.
The annual schedule means that technological advancements aren’t as important or exciting as they used to be. Unless you understand the technical details, which most regular users don’t, each new iPhone seems to just have a slightly better camera and processor. For most people, the real benefits come when Apple releases a new version of iOS each year.
If you look at Apple’s iPhone comparison page, you can see that the improvements over the years have been negligible. There’s no denying that each new version has better hardware. The average user won’t notice a difference in performance between the A16 Bionic chip and the A18 chip. That’s a big problem for Apple because people aren’t excited about each new release anymore.
2. Marketing hype is long dead
People aren't as excited about new iPhones as they used to be, leading to stagnant sales. Smartphones in general have improved to the point where people don't feel the need to upgrade their devices every year.
Yes, Apple is used to marketing frequently, but that's just the company's way of playing it safe: Apple used to be a technology leader. But the annual iPhone release cycle with minor improvements only shows that Apple is no longer the industry leader it once was.
3. Promised software is not always included
The iPhone 16 models are the first iPhones built specifically for Apple’s intelligence features, and much of the company’s early marketing has focused on that fact. However, the iPhone 16 won’t have Apple Intelligence at launch, as the company plans to roll out the feature over the months through iOS updates.
A joint move, including hardware and software developments together in one interesting package, makes more sense than announcing it loudly and then not delivering.
4. Longer release cycles benefit consumers
If Apple takes longer between releases, more consumers will be willing to upgrade to the latest iPhone models. Apple also benefits by keeping its customers happy. After all, happy customers are loyal customers.
So how do you keep your users happy? Give them what they want. Or give them what they didn’t know they needed until it was revealed. By releasing new versions of the same product every year, consumers often feel not only that the latest version isn’t worth bothering with, but that whenever they buy a new model, it will quickly become obsolete.
The iPhone being seen as “obsolete” is incredibly damaging for Apple, but it could be good for the smartphone industry as a whole as more people switch to Apple competitors like Samsung. But taking a little more time, creating more excitement, and making noticeable changes to the hardware would have kept fans happier and potentially made more money.
Anyone who loves Apple might balk at the idea of an iPhone not being released every September. But a biennial release cycle could create even more excitement around iPhone launches, as consumers can rest assured that they’ll be expecting bigger leaps in hardware and software capabilities. And if more people want to upgrade to the latest iPhone, that’s a win for both Apple and its loyal customers.
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