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.