Why don't Apple update everything. At once?

[johneaston]

I've been questioning iWork today and have finally upgraded from iWork 08 - unfortunately to MS Office.

But this really got me thinking about my Apple products and how I can never have a fully up-to-date system. I have the newest iOS, but on the 3GS. Newest OS X, but iWork is three years old etc. etc.

Why don't Apple have a full update of everything? When Lion comes out, why not also release iOS 5, iTunes 11, iWork 11, new MacBook Airs, new iPhone etc. People could update whatever bits they wanted (or all of their Apple stuff) knowing it'll all work together and will be fully up-to-date.

 

[Intell]

It would overload their servers, support lines, and stores. Plus Apple's main goal is money. With staggered releases, they get more money. The closest thing to an "all at once" approach is the iPhone 3G, MobileMe, and iOS 2 release in 2008. It didn't go to well.

 

[iwan073]

Good question. Why didn't they update the mac mini at the same time as the iMac???

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk

 

[snberk103]

I've read on these forums, from people whose opinions I respect, that Apple likes to move their development teams from project to project. So there isn't a full iOS team and a full OS X team. Instead, when there is a big push on for a new release staff will be pulled from one area to work in the priority area. In a situation where releases for two products are coming close together, then one of them was likely "mostly" done a little while earlier and Apple held it back in order to have a synchronized release.

As I said, this is just what I heard here - and I can't vouch for it.

Plus, as others have said. Apple is a business, and it supposed to be making money for it's shareholders. They seem to know what they are doing.

 

[ssdeg7]

To keep people buying new stuff every 4 months, if they release everything at once most people won't buy one of each, but if the release things little by little people will buy their stuff as they are released.

Also, if they release a new iPhone, a new iPad a new iPod and at the same time a new Apple TV (for example) the Apple TV will have no attention at all because of the huge releases done at the same time, but if they release their stuff little by little then each item gets it time of "fame" and attention.