You definitely know their product lines are fragmented when they need multiple releases throughout the year to showcase them.
But the cynic in me wonders how much of this is because there was a notable shift in buying patterns for the 16 series; with people opting for the base 16 instead of the pro, like in previous years and want to minimise that deteriation in product mix.
By releasing the 17pro first; they're forcing people who might've downgraded to the base 17 to either buy the pro or wait another 6 months.
Likewise people who were holding onto their 12/13/14's waiting to upgrade might be forced into switching to the pro rather than wait any longer; even though a 17 regular would've been a major upgrade to their current phones.
There were some people who switched from iPhone 16 (Pro) to iPhone 16e just to have “the latest” model. Apple is now realised they should launch new models more frequently.