Recently, CNMO noticed that Apple announced that it would continue to support the iPhone XR released in September 2018, extending its service life to the seventh year.
In previous years, Apple usually listed some older iPhone models as obsolete products and stopped providing software support for them. However, this year Apple did the opposite and did not eliminate any iPhone models.
Typically, Apple retires older iPhones to encourage users to upgrade to new models, with most users choosing to spend at least $500 to buy a new phone, thereby generating revenue for the company.
However, this year Apple did not phase out any iPhone models as usual. Does this mean that Apple no longer values the profit from the “upgrade cycle”? Or is it just a goodwill move for users? In fact, the reasons behind it are more complicated.
Apple cares a lot about what users think of its technology. If a large number of iPhones were to be “bricked” every year, it would undoubtedly cause dissatisfaction among users. In addition, Apple is slowly rolling out artificial intelligence (AI) features for some of its latest iPhones, and its “Apple AI” system will not be fully launched until 2025. In the meantime, Google and Samsung have already launched Android phones on the market with more AI features.
If Apple phases out two or three older iPhones at this time, millions or even tens of millions of consumers will be looking to buy new smartphones. If some of these users turn to Android phones or competitors such as Huawei to experience new AI features, then even a small number of users will be lost, which is a big loss for Apple.
“Apple doesn’t want any users to defect,” said Dan Ives, a technology analyst at Wedbush Securities, on Monday. This shows that Apple is taking a cautious approach to ensure that its users do not leave while waiting for AI technology to mature. By continuing to support older devices, Apple hopes to maintain the loyalty of its existing user base and prepare for the upcoming AI feature upgrade cycle.
