i'm not quite sure i follow the 'needs more frequent updates' line of thinking.
personally, i fully expect to use a mac pro for at least 5 years.. what's it matter if there are 1or2or3or4 updates within that span?
But it doesn't work that way in practice.
You seem to be assuming that you buy it the day it comes out and keep it until the next one comes out 3+ years later.
But what if I
need to buy one in year 2 or 2 1/2 of a 3 year product cycle. And I know there's now going to be a major update soon, because it'll have been 3 years since the last one?
Now I'm paying full price for technology that is already 2-3 years old, and if I plan to keep it for 5 years as you suggest, in year 2 of
my ownership, I'll be using 5 year old technology.
Of course I can always sell it when the new one does come out, but I'll take a huge hit since I'm now selling a used 3 year old computer that I paid full price for 6 months ago.
It also creates supply problems since the buying cycle becomes extremely front-loaded as everyone buys it when introduced, there are product shortages, and then by year 2, no one wants to buy it because they're holding out for the new one, and sales plummet even further.
Along the same lines, if you're a business with a bunch of Mac Pros, you're having to put out a huge expenditure every 3 years rather than spreading the expenses out yearly as new computers are actually needed.
Spreading out the introduction of new technologies is a good thing as well... you don't want to make large leaps between product cycles.
No, multi-year product release cycles is a sucky way to do business and a great way to piss off customers. Any given computer may not need to be updated every year, but it evens out the purchasing cycles, technology, and doesn't leave users feeling like overnight their "new" computer is several years old when a new one comes out.
