Criticism of annual iPhone updates: too little for too much money?
Apple is said to be planning internally to change or extend hardware cycles. In the case of the iPhone, observers have good arguments for this.
iPhone 16: Well, the camera has been rearranged, but couldn't it have waited?
(Image: Sebastian Trepesch)
Every fall, there is a new iPhone: for many years, this has been followed by the Apple Watch. But does this rapid succession of products make sense if we can only ever expect evolutionary innovations – this time with the iPhone 16, such as new SoCs and camera control for all models, plus more screen space for the Pro devices –? To some extent, this also seems to be the view at Apple, at least for model series outside of smartphones. However, these internal considerations, which have been leaked in recent days, have sparked a debate about stepping on the brakes for the iPhone too.
Annual upgrades are already not always on time
With the Mac, the cycles are already not as regular as with the iPhone. The MacBook Air and Pro, for example, are released just under once a year, with some dates jumping from summer to spring (MacBook Air) or from fall to spring (MacBook Pro –, the latter also due to coronavirus). Apple has taken more time in the meantime with the Mac mini and iMac, and with the Mac Studio and Mac Pro anyway. No real strategy is discernible for AirPods either, and the mini and standard version of the iPad in particular are lagging behind.
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The current rule is that software is presented in the summer (at the WWDC developer conference) and hardware in the fall. However, as mentioned above, this is by no means the case for all products. According to the latest report from the financial news agency Bloomberg, Apple is now planning to become more "fluid" with its releases –, as can be seen from Apple Intelligence. It was openly admitted there that the functions are to be rolled out over a period of months –, which is rather frustrating for users, especially when new devices such as the iPhone 16 are advertised with them.
Slow conversion of form factors
However, it is unlikely that the iPhone will also be rolled out every few years. It simply sells too well for that and is Apple's typical big sales driver, despite comparatively small steps in each case. Completely new form factors are now only expected every few years –, for example with the "iPhone 17 Slim / Air", which could arrive in 2025. Foldables have been expected for many years, but so far the technology does not seem to meet Apple's quality standards.
When it comes to software, Apple is also currently sticking strictly to the annual cycle. Not everyone – likes this either, especially when it comes to macOS, which unfortunately regularly attracts attention with unwanted changes.
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