A cynic might argue that prolonging the lifetime of its smartphones runs counter to Apple’s interests. After all, the sooner iPhones break down, the sooner customers have to pony up the cash for a new one… But that argument flies in the face of reality. For one thing, if your expensive new phone breaks after a year, are you really going to immediately replace it with another phone from the same unreliable manufacturer?
Apple’s done a lot to eke out the best battery life possible from its phones… Adding additional battery life not only has benefits in the short term, but also helps ensure that even when their batteries do inevitably degrade, they still have more life left in them than they might otherwise.
Apple devoted some time in this year’s iPhone event to another life-prolonging feature: durability. That makes sense: besides batteries dying, another common reason people have to replace (or repair) their iPhones is because of physical damage.
MacDailyNews Take: Making iPhones that last a long time only helps Apple as there is a huge market for secondhand iPhones which increases Apple’s user base even as sales settle into replacement as the era of huge unit sales growth is largely over in smartphones. Reliable long-lasting products are in the best interest of both Apple and Apple product users.
I think you are missing the potential money making point of longer lasting iPhones….Apple wants to make money on services they sell. The longer you have an iPhone the longer you pay for AppleMusic, iCloud storage, and buy apps or make in-app purchases from which Apple gets a cut. If you are buying a new phone, you are more likely to switch at that time than while the phone is still useful for you.
Yup. This exactly. Pay attention to the financials. It’s about the services, and will be into the future as long as there is an Apple.
Believe it or not, money is not the prime mission, taking great care of the customer and not being design driven by market share, however money is the close second.
Consumers return again and again to products that last and they also become the best salespeople for the company. It’s maybe a little bittersweet that the renewal period is longer, but that necessitates that a company increase the offerings, ecosystem and innovation. A “tool” that lasts long and performs well is magnetic.
Apple’s services, great battery, hardware longevity and OS superiority are wonderful fan service to Apple’s customers.
If you take care of the customer, the customer will take care of you, plain and simple. This is why Apple does not focus on dominating market share, same as Porsche.