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Apple Users Are Keeping Their Devices for Longer as Upgrades Slow
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This is a good point. It's been a long time since I've seen anyone care at all what phone anyone has, or heard anyone want to get a new phone for any reason other than their current one is completely worn out.
And how many of those other people recycle when the phone stops working or is too obsolete to be useable? likely not the majority.
Upgrading to a new iPhone is very simple. If you have iCloud Drive, even simpler.
Just put the two iPhones together and follow the prompts on both phones.
it doesn't get any better than that.
So tell me... what do those people do with those devices if they don't recycle them?
Apple doesn't update their computers very often. They let them sit there without speed bumps for too long
I also think the lack of spec upgrades on the lowest end models contribute to this. 8GB standard RAM for how many years? For a computer that costs over a thousand dollars?
Couple that with the anemic software updates that oftentimes leave bugs for decades, it's just not gonna encourage people to rush out and get the new Mac
And I really don't think it has to be that way. just fixing the things I mentioned above would probably help. And imagine if they came out with fresh designs more often. Or even just fresh colors
I also think the lack of spec upgrades on the lowest end models contribute to this. 8GB standard RAM for how many years? For a computer that costs over a thousand dollars?
Couple that with the anemic software updates that oftentimes leave bugs for decades, it's just not gonna encourage people to rush out and get the new Mac
And I really don't think it has to be that way. just fixing the things I mentioned above would probably help. And imagine if they came out with fresh designs more often. Or even just fresh colors
Think how many more might upgrade more often if Apple ever adjusted prices for the realities of a machines age (and the tech inside it)
Fresh designs and colors shouldn't be the primary appeal of a computer. It's all under the hood.
But if we are talking about clothing, yes: fresh designs and colors are welcomed every season.
Increasing slowness is an artificial-obsolescence strategy. For instance, Apple engineers its newer OSes to run like crap on previous intel hardware, and has never done anything to police all the garbage corporate apps install in the Library launch-daemons folders. Their mentality is, "Is the APFS file-system grinding your drive to pieces after we tricked you into 'updating' the OS? So sorry; buy a new computer!"
No computer made since circa ~2005 is intrinsically slow at anything (aside from high-end video-rendering); they can only be made subjectively slow via software throttling.
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I guess they need to upgrade the grain to break out the 3+ years category to make it more informative.
These are Macs. Fresh designs and colors have been a big part of the appeal since 1998. I don't know if they're the *primary* appeal but unless Apple wants to update the hardware features & specs more frequently, new designs are a good way to get people excited
And there's people that go to the garbage dumps in search for useful things they can sell or recycle, and that's how they make a living.
In worse case scenario, the people working there would sort out the trash to avoid burning something flammable that may explode and cause a serious incident. In the end, it gets recycled.
So, how could new Macs be bad for the planet?
Where Does Garbage Go After Trash Day?
Find out what happens at the waste transfer station, the landfill and the recycling center.
www.dumpsters.com
To a real user, the one who spends the money, Specs are more important than funny colors.
You don't use CarPlay 2, because no car manufacture has adopted it.
I seriously think the tech industry is just like Hollywood…fresh out of new ideas. There’s really no constant releases of new, groundbreaking features and products…just rehashed ideas and a LOT of emojis. Truly new things are coming out slower and slower, makes one think that tech companies are intentionally dragging the releases out to buy themselves more time to come with new things. I know my iPhone 14 pmax isn’t going to be upgraded for quite a while. There’s really nothing new to get that kind of money out of wallet right now.
I wanted to upgrade my old iMac to an M4 Mac Studio, but if Apple wants me to wait until the middle of next year for an M4, or perhaps even two years for the M5, they won't be getting my business.
3 years?
Do you replace your refrigerator or toaster every 3 years?
I'm typing this on a 9 year old MacBook Pro. Works great, no need to replace it. As a bonus, it won't be infested with 'AI' garbage.
Apple REALLY needs to release it to 3rd party manufacturers.
I would absolutely replace my gauge cluster with a CarPlay 2 screen. And I bet I'm not the only one here who would happily pull the dash apart to do it.
Pretty sure money is green no matter why someone wants to buy something. You really don't know that lots of Apple users buy the computer for their looks?
Either leave them sitting in some drawer or dump them in the trash can. Not everyone recycles, I can assure you.
For people age 55+ even that can be difficult, believe me.