iPhone X Do we need an iPhone release every year?

[AdonisSMU]

From a consumer standpoint, no.

From a "capitalism is a house of cards built on shareholder demands for infinite growth" standpoint, yes. The company would crater in value if Apple announced a pivot from yearly updates tomorrow.

It’d be a rebalancing of sorts but I doubt it would crater. I think more people would buy the phones.
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Apple makes billions in revenue every year from new iPhone buyers. They absolutely need it. The stock would shoot down if they stopped.

Do consumers need it? Of course not. But I also don't think incremental updates are bad. I'd rather have a halfway step one year then need to buy a 0 step that's a year old.

I like this point of view.

 

[ucfgrad93]

I don't upgrade every year so if Apple chose to release new iPhones every 2 years it wouldn't bother me. That said, it would be a significant hit to their sales if they did that so I think new iPhones will continue to arrive every year.

 

[NT1440]

It’d be a rebalancing of sorts but I doubt it would crater. I think more people would buy the phones.

I mean crater at the announcement. Long term obviously we'd readjust, but market people don't like any type of change that doesn't immediately mean more money.

 

[eyedoc2020]

I think spacing the releases out to every other year might extend the life of the iPhones and give Apple more time to WOW us with the new features. The upgrades will seem more substantial.

I don’t think you will see this happen. Look at how much kk eat Apple has made in the last week!!! Look at how many on this forum upgraded even though they didn’t need to. There is a ton of money to be made and Apple knows this.

 

[charlituna]

I think spacing the releases out to every other year might extend the life of the iPhones and give Apple more time to WOW us with the new features. The upgrades will seem more substantial.

no one is forcing folks to upgrade every year

 

[TedJustAdmitit]

Don’t need one, but will always get one until the current cellphone concept changes and we get something that is different like when it was 2007 when they introduced the iPhone. Eventually software will be key, but that is too far off in the future. After 30+ years we are finally seeing the concept of a home console die off into something new. Consoles just didn’t need new hardware each year.

 

[mmomega]

I think spacing the releases out to every other year might extend the life of the iPhones and give Apple more time to WOW us with the new features. The upgrades will seem more substantial.

Not everyone has an iPhone at all so when they buy one in 2018 they might want a 2018 model.

Example: I have 40 people I work with daily and only 4 of them have a phone from 2017. The remaining go all the way back to the 5s. Some only upgrade every 3 - 4 years.

Practically everyone WANTS a new phone but it is a want and falls down the list. It just is not as important.
So when it does become important I would like for that person to be able to get the newest available thing they want.
Or they just may go somewhere else.