Apple Users Are Keeping Their Devices for Longer as Upgrades Slow

[Shirasaki]

I just hope this doesn't make Apple resort to unethical methods to get people to upgrade - such as feature barriers unrelated to hardware limitations, a reduction on software support and cheaper batteries that degrade faster.

We're already sort of seeing this with Apple Intelligence and software support on Apple Watches.

It's really easy for them to camouflage those methods and spin them into a neutral way, but we'll know what's going on.

When their bottom line hurts a lot and their stock starts to seriously plummet, Apple will likely seriously consider those unethical methods to entice more frequent but expensive upgrade. That is, if they are willing to forego reputation of course, which I am not sure if they are going to do so.

 

[Shirasaki]

A wise man once said “If you keep your eye on the profit, you're going to skimp on the product. But if you focus on making really great products, then the profits will follow.”

I miss that guy.

Yeah, profit should be the result of good products, not something focused on solely. But hey, a supply chain guy can’t possibly see through this by himself, so let’s cut some slack. /s

 

[steve333]

Still got my 2018 Mac Mini but will be looking to buy the next release as it's getting slow and Safari is buggy. Hoping that has to do with the old Intel chip

 

[lartola]

Why bad for the planet? Macs are recyclable. Also, a faster and more energy efficient Mac will help you finish your work faster and use less energy to save the planet.

Sure, macs, iphones, ipads, etc are all recyclable, but how many people actually do recycle ♻️? I bet not many. Selling lots of devices like hot cakes every single year isn’t so good for the planet and for people’s pockets. It’s good only for Apple.

 

[lartola]

When their bottom line hurts a lot and their stock starts to seriously plummet, Apple will likely seriously consider those unethical methods to entice more frequent but expensive upgrade. That is, if they are willing to forego reputation of course, which I am not sure if they are going to do so.

They have already done some of those things in the past.

 

[I7guy]

Sure, macs, iphones, ipads, etc are all recyclable, but how many people actually do recycle ♻️? I bet not many. Selling lots of devices like hot cakes every single year isn’t so good for the planet and for people’s pockets. It’s good only for Apple.

What about every other consumer device manufacturer that releases yearly products? How many people do recycle? Maybe more than you think?

 

[sir1963nz]

Still using a 2009 27" iMac, 2 x 2012 Mac Mini's , and just upgraded my 2019 16" MBP for an M3 one, probably my last new Mac until I retire in 5 years

 

[Tagbert]

I'm not surprised.

I used to buy every model, then every other model... but stopped around the iPhone X and settled with the iPhone 14.

two reasons:

1. Upgrades are incremental, I don't really care anymore if the camera is better, it's already amazing and better than my eyes can ever see.

2. Everything is really expensive and I cannot justify cost.


I've got a 2020 Intel MacBook Pro, which replaced a 2010 intel MacBook Pro. I doubt I'll upgrade again until it's closer to 2030.

I can appreciate the sentiment, but you may want to upgrade to one of the Apple Silicon Macs before 2030. They are really so much better than the Intel models. Any, relatively cheap, Macbook Air will probably outperform your 2020 Intel MacBook, let alone any of the MacBook Pros.

 

[Dr McKay]

Also, Macs are such great computers that can continue performing good for many years, unlike PCs.
I used to replace my PCs every two years because these would become painfully slow.

I assume your copy of IE looked like this?

 

[Padriac]

People just don’t want accept that:

• relatively speaking, 95% people don’t need cutting edge anything and could get by just fine on even decade old hardware easily
• mobile tech is in a plateau and yearly updates are microscopic improvements from the user perspective. They’re banking so hard on AI ending that plateau but we’ll see.

 

[Shirasaki]

People just don’t want accept that:

• relatively speaking, 95% people don’t need cutting edge anything and could get by just fine on even decade old hardware easily
• mobile tech is in a plateau and yearly updates are microscopic improvements from the user perspective. They’re banking so hard on AI ending that plateau but we’ll see.

For people still using iPhone as a phone, the T9 dialing addition can be tempting to upgrade to newer devices. Aside from That, I agree that most people with light use don’t need cutting edge. Even this whole AI thingy, I seriously doubt it will break the plateau that easily for most people. Fancy? Yes. Part of daily life? Not so sure.

 

[briloronmacrumo]

Not mentioned is the lengthy update cycle for desktop macs. Don't think I want to buy a Mac Studio with an M2 when Apple has already shifted to M4. So instead of buying I'm waiting.

 

[Fred Zed]

I guess it’s nothing to do with the current cost of living huh? Joys of being at war and greed.

 

[Downhilltenago]

This year will be a big one for upgrades. 16s will sell like hot cakes.

 

[sc00ba]

It's not Apple's responsible to make sure that people who struggle financially, should be able to buy their products.

I can't understand anyone believing Apple is altruistic unless they're very dense. I would never buy anything important and lasting from an altruistic company. Who knows how long they'll last.

So you're going to remain ignorant about people using these devices to run a small business and when Apple puts their prices up, the small business owners put their prices up and pass it onto their customers who'll probably go elsewhere to get a cheaper price.

Well done mate, guaranteed replies🙄.

 

[Jay Tee]

Good! If you don't need a new gadget, you shouldn't buy one. Bad for your bank account, bad for the planet.

Any reason how anyone could possibly disagree with this ?

 

[sc00ba]

Quality for all, not equality for all. It takes money to make quality products. Cost of raw materials is up. This is going to filter down to consumers. I'm sure someone with more knowledge can confirm this, but haven't their profit margins become slimmer that past couple of years, not fatter?

So I guess the economical thing for a trillion dollar company to do, that promotes human rights for all no matter what race they are, is to put their prices up when profit margins are slimmer?

You should see the look on the employees faces in the Apple store when I say "I love how Apple is all about human rights, but every time they release a new product the price goes up by 2 or $300". The employees stare at the floor and say "yeah....".🙄

 

[langsam]

Writing this on a 2010 Mac Mini

 

[svish]

Not surprised. Macs are well built and can last a long time.

 

[mcscot]

I've just eBay'd a couple of old Mac Mini's (2012 and 2014) and Time Capsules in an effort to reduce my overall device list. These will be going to homes where people will still use them. I doubt there are any PCs in a similar situation !

I used to be an avid upgrader to the cause each new cycle. However, there is very little product differentiation nowadays that merits it. I had an M1 MB Pro that I recently upgraded, but that was driven my screen size solely. I'm deeply frustrated with the iPhone as I would like to have something different, but there is no reason to upgrade as even the camera benefits now (my reason for upgrading) are limited.

Hopefully something new will come along that merits upgrades. I think there will be some hardware for AI..

 

[cbaca51]

Yup. That’s me. I use to upgrade every 2 years. But for the first time, I didn’t. This will be year 3 for me. And if the 16PM doesn’t wow me this year, I may wait until 2025 to upgrade

 

[Minghold]

My 2014 MBP 15" Retina is now ten years old, and I'll take it to the grave, as it's the last of the good ones. Apple is a fully enshattified company now.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but they've long been engaging in these tactics

I knew exactly what they were up to when Notifications debuted in El Capitan: I sussed that the ulterior motive was to constantly panic the user and shake them down. "Holy sweet mother of Jesus, that app isn't optimized! You want to be 'optimized', don't you? What have you got against being 'optimized'? Be a shame if your precious data were to have an accident...", etc.

The entire reason SSDs are locked down on Macs is so they can absolutely screw customers on horrendously overpriced SSD upgrades at the time of initial purchase

It's worse than that; Apple knows perfectly well that its silicon computers with soldered SSDs are insta-bricks when the drive dies (they can't even be used as poor man's Minis running off an external).

 

[Minghold]

I've just eBay'd a couple of old Mac Mini's (2012 and 2014) and Time Capsules in an effort to reduce my overall device list. These will be going to homes where people will still use them. I doubt there are any PCs in a similar situation !

Oh but there are: the whole world is waking up to what's going on. Windows 11 is almost universally loathed (and it didn't even commit the twin crimes of murdering 32bit and the existing file-system, which MacOS Catalina is guilty of).

Everyone reading this in a metro area should be visiting recyclers and buying up all working intel-era iMacs, Minis, and macbooks. (I do, and get most for $10 a pop.) Install a pre-Catalina OS as appropriate (clone Mojaves into an HFS+ partition), and put on Chromium-legacy (punt Safari off the dock) with uBlock Origin extension added.

 

[Tomasulu]

I don’t think Apple is pushing themselves hard enough. Samsung is making most of the components that Apple is only designing. It’s also doing much more in iot, smart homes, wearables and foldable phones. Google is also way more of a tech company beyond its core business in search. It has its own ip in mobile os and is a leading player in Ai while also in the same business of selling hardware and services as Apple. The argument is that apple wants to be super focused so as to dominate the areas they compete in. But in reality the competition has largely caught up to apples products. And it’s increasingly hard to innovate on mature products. In the meanwhile Apple is just coasting along and feasting on past successes. The Apple under Tim is more like a marketing and retail company than a tech company. I really think Apple will be gone in the next ten years.

 

[antonrg]

I am the first one to think like a hundred times before upgrading, I just cannot justify the upgrade for some stuff. Like my zombie Apple Watch 2.

I'm still using Apple Watch Original. Honestly, by now I am in total awe at this device. I am waiting to see if they change the design this year and FINALLY upgrade the watch.

For the rest of the devices, I only upgrade when it's absolutely necessary. I upgraded my iPhone after 3 years of use, the iPad Air 2 lasted me 8 years lol

Reasons?
Apple doesn't release compelling products for frequent upgrades (for me)
Apple has increased prices to the unacceptable level
Apple products are built well and perform very well for a long time

There is literally no need to upgrade annually or even bi-annually.

I used to upgrade my devices much more frequently before though. Times have changed.