[btgeekboy]

New iPhones are announced yearly, but the average smartphone consumer keeps their device for between 2 and 3 years.[0] iPhones in particular have extended lifecycles; an informal 9to5 Mac poll in 2021 (biased towards enthusiasts) had roughly 4 in 5 people waiting at least 2 years, with almost half of polled users 3 years or more.[1]

So what's actually happening is that the yearly iPhone rush is only a small fraction of the install base upgrading. Sure, there are a few uber enthusiasts that may upgrade every year, but those are a minority, and it's not like those phones go direct to landfills - they're resold. And since there are more opportunities to upgrade, fewer are attempting to upgrade simultaneously, straining supply chains and making Apple's income fluctuate more heavily.

[0]: https://www.statista.com/statistics/619788/average-smartphon... [1]: https://9to5mac.com/2021/04/18/poll-how-often-do-you-upgrade...

[fauigerzigerk]

I agree, and I think a longer release cycle of, say, 3 years could actually have the exact opposite effect, cutting the average lifespan of iPhones.

The annual release cycle doesn't force people's hands. You can have a look to see if there's anything compelling this year and if not, just put off your purchase for another year. No big deal.

If the choice was between 3 and 6 years, most people would probably get a new phone almost automatically after 3 years rather than facing the prospect of sticking it out with a very obsolete phone.

A two year cycle would probably have the same effect, only less pronounced.

Also, I think less frequent releases would come with a far bigger marketing push and some actual innovation. This year it's "A16 Bionic for powerful, proven performance".

[chipsa]

Anecdata: my current iPhone is 4 years old, and the previous one is in my kid's hands (7 years old at this point, and going to be replaced by my current one because lack of future updates on that one).