iPhone XS Has anybody noticed how many people don't upgrade nowadays?

[x-evil-x]

Ive had every iPhone since the 3g upgrading every two years till the 6+ then got put on the yearly plan and I've had the X for a year(just returned my Xs max).
Seems like With everyone I know upgrading seems completely different then it did a few years ago. Most of my friends have 1-4 year old phones usually. plenty of 7 and 6s people I know still not caring to upgrade. Same with androids not many people have the latest and greatest.
Who else thinks that the rise of phone prices has gone up just because of this reason? Less upgrading means higher prices phones to keep manufactures happy but it definitely feels like less and less people are caring to have the latest phones because phones. Phones have gotten so good that most people dont feel a huge upgrade year after year anymore. Its not like 2010 anymore and things loaded slow, apps took a few seconds to open ect... The 3g was pretty bad. Using safari was horrible most things would crack and things just wouldn't work or very slowly. What will manufacturers come up with to keep people upgrading every year or two? Technology has definitely tapered off.

 

[serialiphoneuser]

I've heard Face-ID is a blocker for some (a lot)

 

[44267547]

Ive had every iPhone since the 3g upgrading every two years till the 6+ then got put on the yearly plan and I've had the X for a year(just returned my Xs max).
Seems like With everyone I know upgrading seems completely different then it did a few years ago. Most of my friends have 1-4 year old phones usually. plenty of 7 and 6s people I know still not caring to upgrade. Same with androids not many people have the latest and greatest.
Who else thinks that the rise of phone prices has gone up just because of this reason? Less upgrading means higher prices phones to keep manufactures happy but it definitely feels like less and less people are caring to have the latest phones because phones. Phones have gotten so good that most people dont feel a huge upgrade year after year anymore. Its not like 2010 anymore and things loaded slow, apps took a few seconds to open ect... The 3g was pretty bad. Using safari was horrible most things would crack and things just wouldn't work or very slowly. What will manufacturers come up with to keep people upgrading every year or two? Technology has definitely tapered off.

No, consumers are not upgrading as frequently as they used to. It’s evident not Of those just around me, but because of the rising smart phone costs are prohibiting those and making them come to the realization that their current phone likely does everything they need it to and more. Those who frequently upgrade, are usually either more tech oriented or they are at that point with the carrier which they are eligible to upgrade/or part of the upgrade program.

I Typically upgrade annually, but I am by far not the ‘norm’ compared to the every day consumer.

 

[Greenmeenie]

I think those that pay for their iPhones in full off contract are keeping them longer. But People on the yearly contract plans upgrade every year more often cause there really is no reason not to.

 

[calliex]

I think those that pay for their iPhones in full off contract are keeping them longer. But People on the yearly contract plans upgrade every year more often cause there really is no reason not to.

I still have my 6 and my wife her 6 plus. They do everything we need them to do. Thinner, better camera, etc. does not seem worth the expense. This year or early next year could be the big upgrade. Waiting for the event coming up to make a decision. May upgrade laptop(2012), ipad(air), watch(orig) and phone(6).

 

[AXone1814]

The price of the new phones have increased significantly in the past few years. Makes sense people would stop upgrading every year. I've moved from every year to every other year myself.

 

[Nozuka]

they are also still fast enough even after a few years. and there is rarely (if at all) a new feature you really need...

 

[Vorpal279]

Obviously when they did away with contracts and started charging full price for the phones, that stifled a lot of frequent upgrades.

 

[x-evil-x]

I think those that pay for their iPhones in full off contract are keeping them longer. But People on the yearly contract plans upgrade every year more often cause there really is no reason not to.

The reason is saving 5-600$ a year old paying off their phone and actually keeping it. 600$ a year at this point is a little crazy when these phones should be good for 5 years minimum nowadays. IMO.

 

[5105973]

I think the trend to remove tried and true customer friendly features along with the stratospheric rise in prices helped kill annual upgrades.

And it used to be simpler. Each year you knew you were getting basically the same phone as your rich cousin. The difference would just be that he picked black and you picked white and maybe he got more gigs of storage. But it was still one model. Different colors and carriers and storage but that’s it.

Then it became a matter of choosing color and then agonizing over choosing between the smaller phone you prefer but losing out in the camera features you really wanted. Also the larger phone was going to cost much more.

People felt pushed into phones they weren’t as satisfied with on the basis of not wanting to miss out on the ultimate experience. But they also paid more too. These are the kind of tiny cuts that erode customer enthusiasm over time.

Then the stripping of features started. An upgrade that takes away something? People should migrate to Bluetooth because they rightly perceive it to be a superior alternative, not shoved kicking and screaming because...courage. In a sense Apple was right and it took guts to wean customers away from wired to wireless. But that courage cost them some automatic upgrades. Next we lost Touch ID and the home button in one. That’s stalled many people in their tracks.

Also I have been seeing around here a lot of remarks about how so much of what we see in terms of features, colors, and sizes is geared toward what Asian customers, particularly Chinese ones, want in a smartphone and to a large extent customers in western markets are expected to adapt to that. That wasn’t necessarily the case the first few years of the iPhone before gold and rose gold iPhones were introduced.

We don’t know what demand would be if we were to start seeing phones catering to more western preferences. For example color palettes shifted more toward blues rather than reds. Like a deep navy blue and more varied shades of grey rather than all these pink toned golds. Or smaller SE sized phones that still are packed with features, perhaps made thicker to still fit in the necessary tech.

Or maybe the talk is just all talk and we don’t want things all that different from Asian customers after all. Hard to say.

One thing is for sure, Apple was smart to get some of us hooked on watch bands and cases.

 

[Thai]

Yeah maybe, but that has not stopped millions from buying the Xs.

For me, iPhone is the thing that i interact with a million times a day...an integral part of my workflow/life.

Does it cost a lot? I guess so. More than my Macbook refurbished unit. More than my iPad Pro. But do i interact with those million times a day? Do i always have those things with me 100% of the time?

If i see a need to upgrade my iPhone, then i jump with no regrets because of how much i depend on it.

 

[Ulenspiegel]

they are also still fast enough even after a few years. and there is rarely (if at all) a new feature you really need...

This.
My "old" iPhones meet my modest needs completely.
New form factor would be another reason, but there is almost no change in this respect.
A foldable phone would be tempting. Like this:

 

[Gudi]

Who else thinks that the rise of phone prices has gone up just because of this reason?

Nobody, prices are going up because customers are willing to pay a lot to have the absolute best mobile computer, which they’re using for 10+ hours every day. At the same time ARM cpus have reached a level at which older devices are absolutely useable for more than just two years. But when these people finally upgrade, they are going to look for the best new phone regardless of price.

 

[John webstar44]

Not upgrading my iPhoneX and iPhoneXS MAX till 2021 will wait till 5G become mainstream.

 

[calliex]

Nobody, prices are going up because customers are willing to pay a lot to have the absolute best mobile computer, which they’re using for 10+ hours every day. At the same time ARM cpus have reached a level at which older devices are absolutely useable for more than just two years. But when these people finally upgrade, they are going to look for the best new phone regardless of price.

I disagree with a phone becoming unusable after two years. My iPhone 6 is still very usable. Battery still lasts most of the day, it is a slower than when it was new. My brother in law uses by old 4s without any issues. Other than wanting the latest and greatest I see no need to upgrade. $1000 is a lot of money for some of us. We were tricked into thinking we were only paying $300 for upgrade while the rest of the cost of the $650 phone was hidden in or phone bill. I held off upgrading the orig iPhone which apple gave me for free for two years and paid ATT for two phones I never got.

 

[Feyl]

I've heard Face-ID is a blocker for some (a lot)

For me definitely. I was ready to upgrade my 6s this year and I seriously considered the X or even XS. When I learned that Face ID works even when it's turned off, making the right choice was easy. I bought the 8 Plus and I love it. Touch ID is better in almost every way anyway. I kinda still want that gorgeous OLED display but Touch ID is worth it.

 

[ipponrg]

Im on Verizon and my iPhone ownership went something like this:

- 4S
- 6S
- X

When the upgrade plan came out in the US, I thought I would use it every year. I am on that plan for my X but don’t plan to upgrade this year

The problem (or non problem) I’ve noticed about me is that I am completely satisfied with the phone such that I forget I can upgrade nor do I care to upgrade

I notice I upgrade every 2 years not because of the features in the new phone but because iOS becomes more sophisticated and slows down on the phone I am on. It irks me enough that I actually start thinking about it

It coincidentally happens every 2 years

 

[imagineadam]

I used to upgrade every 2 years starting with the 4. Now I have the 7. It’s been a great phone. Takes great pictures and video. And it’s even faster now with iOS 12. Just got the battery replaced from apple. I’m going to keep it another year or possibly 2.

The only thing that might interest me to upgrade in the next couple years will be if they put ProMotion in the display and eliminate or reduce the notch. Then my mouth will be watering again for an upgrade. For now I’m trying to get my moneys worth out of my launch day Jet Black 128GB iPhone 7. It was $749 plus I got the apple care plus so it was a big investment. Apple was nice enough to give me a “free” battery covered under my warranty in its last week. I’d love the Xs don’t get me wrong but I just don’t see a great reason to pay so much when the experience I would get from it wouldn’t be drastically much different than the one I’m having now. That’s why I’m not upgrading. And I’m happy apple is making their phones last longer and actually speeding them up for real this time around on the iOS update cycle.

I’ll definitely but another iPhone when the time is right. But it isn’t for me! My 2 cents.

 

[lyceumHQ]

I think phones have reached a peak. I upgraded every year from the 3G to the 5s. Before smart phones I'd swap phones every few months. But since the 6/7/8 I feel like I've had the same phone for years. They all look the same, and they all do the same thing. I currently have the 8 and I don't see anything being released in the next 3/4 years that will make me feel the need to upgrade.

However, I love the look of the Xr and have always wanted a blue iPhone so am going to buy that and keep it until it physically doesn't work any more.

 

[x-evil-x]

Nobody, prices are going up because customers are willing to pay a lot to have the absolute best mobile computer, which they’re using for 10+ hours every day. At the same time ARM cpus have reached a level at which older devices are absolutely useable for more than just two years. But when these people finally upgrade, they are going to look for the best new phone regardless of price.

you honestly dont think manufacturers aren't raising the prices just because they understand that technology has gotten to that level that getting a new phone isn't as important as it once where?

 

[TantalizedMind]

Obviously when they did away with contracts and started charging full price for the phones, that stifled a lot of frequent upgrades.

Bingo. I had no problem spending $200 on a iPhone even if I was in a contract with Verizon for 2 years.

When Apple sold the SE, I bought one from the Apple Store for $10 a month. The new phones are $40+ a month. Big jump there too.

My SE broke so now I'm usually a 5S. It can't hold 450+ tabs in Safari, last time I checked it stopped letting me open tabs after 35-40. Also sometimes apps quit, especially if I receive a phone call while using an app.. but it still works.

5 year old phone and it still works well. It's also the 16GB version so that may be part of the reason I'm experiencing some issues. My SE was 64GB.

I like the XR but I don't want Face ID.

 

[x-evil-x]

Im on Verizon and my iPhone ownership went something like this:

- 4S
- 6S
- X

When the upgrade plan came out in the US, I thought I would use it every year. I am on that plan for my X but don’t plan to upgrade this year

The problem (or non problem) I’ve noticed about me is that I am completely satisfied with the phone such that I forget I can upgrade nor do I care to upgrade

I notice I upgrade every 2 years not because of the features in the new phone but because iOS becomes more sophisticated and slows down on the phone I am on. It irks me enough that I actually start thinking about it

It coincidentally happens every 2 years

I really dont feel like the X will feel slower after iOS 13.
I had the xs max for two weeks and going back to the X I feel like its literally exactly the same phone with a slightly worse camera. Every day to day use doesn't feel any different. Phones are at this level shouldn't see slowdowns like the 6's did. The 6+ was a dog. Underpowered to push that display and lack of enough ram. I dont think you have to worry in another year with the X.
[doublepost=1540047029][/doublepost]All the way up to the 6's it seemed like everyone had them and it was normal to have the newest phones. But since the 6s it seems to have slowed down a lot. Ive been trying to find the data on this but can't seem to find good numbers to show the slowdown in upgrades since 2015

 

[Renho]

Ive had every iPhone since the 3g upgrading every two years till the 6+ then got put on the yearly plan and I've had the X for a year(just returned my Xs max).
Seems like With everyone I know upgrading seems completely different then it did a few years ago. Most of my friends have 1-4 year old phones usually. plenty of 7 and 6s people I know still not caring to upgrade. Same with androids not many people have the latest and greatest.
Who else thinks that the rise of phone prices has gone up just because of this reason? Less upgrading means higher prices phones to keep manufactures happy but it definitely feels like less and less people are caring to have the latest phones because phones. Phones have gotten so good that most people dont feel a huge upgrade year after year anymore. Its not like 2010 anymore and things loaded slow, apps took a few seconds to open ect... The 3g was pretty bad. Using safari was horrible most things would crack and things just wouldn't work or very slowly. What will manufacturers come up with to keep people upgrading every year or two? Technology has definitely tapered off.

This is why Apple is taking a making them better to keep them longer approach. As this years keynote they want you to keep it longer or turn it in so someone else can. And they are turning to Services for there bread and butter. They see that the 6/6+ generation has kept them longer so they want to start selling them for $1300 knowing you will keep them for 3/4 years.
[doublepost=1540049472][/doublepost]

For me definitely. I was ready to upgrade my 6s this year and I seriously considered the X or even XS. When I learned that Face ID works even when it's turned off, making the right choice was easy. I bought the 8 Plus and I love it. Touch ID is better in almost every way anyway. I kinda still want that gorgeous OLED display but Touch ID is worth it.

FaceID is better for me, just in so many situations it’s less work you have to put in. Specially when it’s mounted in my car driving. That is the biggest advantage of having FaceID over Touch ID

 

[pdp1]

It’s like desktop/laptop computers, the hardware has advanced so fast compared to software that it’s not necessary to upgrade the hardware as frequently since the software still performs decently on older hardware.

My personal example is the 3G too. By the time the 4 came out, two years after the 3G, it was unbearable to use due to the software advancing more than he hardware.

Today, I have an iPhone 6 which was released 4 years ago and I feel it has finally reached the point of the 3G in terms of crappy performance and am finally going to upgrade soon. It effectively lasted twice as long for me. I also had the SE (very similar to the 6s in performance), if I didn’t accidentally jump into the pool with it and was forced to use my wife’s retired 6 that I’m using now, I would probably wait another year before upgrading.

I’m sure there are people out there who still feel the need to upgrade more frequently, or even less frequently, but I’d venture to say that more share the same sentiments as me.

 

[millerj123]

I was waiting for the SE2. When that didn't happen, I upgraded from a 64 gig 6S to a 128 gig 6S. I'm almost always in range of a laptop computer, though. My son will be upgrading to my old 6S.