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Apple Expects Users To Replace Their iPhone, Apple Watch After Three Years
Apple says it expects its users to replace their iPhone and Apple Watch after (more like, every) three years. The company adds that it expects a Mac user to replace their computer after four years. The iPhone maker shared the expectations in a recently released document as part of its latest environmental push. In the document, Apple underscores how much its products contribute to the greenhouse gas lifecycle. The Guardian reports: Within a new question and answer section Apple said: "Years of use, which are based on first owners, are assumed to be four years for OS X and tvOS devices and three years for iOS and watchOS devices." That assessment doesn't take into account the recycling of devices, their reconditioning and their resale, of course, but when you buy a new iPhone 6S for $649 (starting price, off-contract), Apple expects it to last three years, something many suspected. Apple has been accused of intentionally slowing down iPhones every time a new one is released, although there is little evidence to support the theory.Also see: Apple's Recycling Initiatives Recover $40 Million In Gold
Three years is about right for replacing a smartphone.
Apple doesn't "expect" customers to replace their phones after three years. Apple "assumes" that they do this, which is very different.
That sounds about right for the current cycling - I've never owned a macbook but, after an initial 1-2 year turnaround on iPhones - I've settled into a 3 year cycle - jumping from the iPhone4 straight to an iPhone6 and unless there's a compelling need, probably holding out until the iPhone 7s or 8.
But really, I only see that cycle getting longer and longer. I'm on a 5 year old Win7 laptop now and have no real need to upgrade and my PC is 6+ years old (one of the original i7s) and short of a GPU and SSD upgrade it's running fine too when I used to do near 2 year updates on my PC motherboard.
How often Apple expects people to keep a device before eating a new one, and how long Apple expects devices to last, are very different things...
And the summary even hints at that by noting the refurbishment program.
I think it's absurd to claim Apple's simply analyzing how long people generally keep things means anything more than understanding the consumer.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Seems pretty obvious. In fact, why am I even bothering with this comment? Oh, because I'm bored at work. Carry on.
Marketing will tell you that you want to change the product. Technologically you probably do not need to change it every three years. The product will probably work for ten to twenty years before it fails (excluding batteries) and it will in many cases still function as it does now in ten to twenty years. Software is the limiting factor these days and the majority of walled garden products can and will be disabled by their marketing departments. If you think that this is a scam to screw more money out of the customer then you are right. There is a reason why Goldman Sachs refers to customers as "Mugs".
Facts are history now plebs have politics for religion on social media.
Said someone who has never had two same model devices side by side with a full version number difference of 2 or greater.
Just try an ipad 2 on ios 6 then try it on ios 8 or 9.
That old unupdated ipad can run circles around the one that someone has been trying to keep up to date.
There is no question that the newer os's are slower on older hardware. Which makes it all the more of a pita they don't allow you to downgrade the os to versions that were actually designed to run on that hardware.
Minimum threshold fixed. Thanks!
of being unusable. It was pretty amazing how much faster iOS got on the 5S with 9.2.1, which came after the uproar from customers and threat of lawsuits.
...well fuck me for using an eleven-year-old mac mini, i guess...
I would LOVE to replace my 17" macbook pro..... BUT YOU FUCKERS dont make a 17" to replace it with. Some of us do need a portable workstation and NEED a 17" screen with more screen real estate as well as a quad i7 at 3+ghz 32gig of ram and over 1tb of storage space... so fucking give me a choice other than holding onto my 6 year old laptop.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
While I have been dismayed that, at least in my experience, the iPad and iPhone seem to have a deliberate degrading of performance after whatever OS update comes out after 2-3 years of use, my macs typically get between 8-10 years of use. Much more than the 3-5 years of use I get from my PC's.
Reduce - Reuse - Recycle
Reduce - Follow practices that reduce the number of new products that must be made in the first place.
Reuse - When possible, reuse old products to reduce the number of new products that must be made in the long term.
Recycle - When all else fails, recycle old products in order to reduce the effect of making new products.
There is a reason they are presented in this order, it is more environmentally friendly to *not* make something than to make something.
Unfortunately, both industry and most people focus only on the third - recycle. It is obviously not in a business' best interests to produce less products and you would find it easier to pull teeth than ask a consumer to moderate their consumption.
So to Apple, if you are really interested in environmentalism, how about making a product that doesn't have to be replaced every 3-4 years and can be repaired (heck, I might settle for being able to replace the internal battery) and I might take your 'push' more seriously. Oops, that might cut into corporate profits - oh well.
3 years, at this stage in the processor game a computer should have no reason not lasting a decade.
If you need more CPU you can just use "THE CLOUD".
You idiots fucked yourselves there.
I think Apple knows exactly when people update their ios devices because of users "activating" new devices with their icloud info. Apple can match ids with devices.
Hope they have some plan for "refreshing" the $10k gold watches.
I have a family member who owns Apple products; she did not upgrade her phone for 5 years, and didn't upgrade her laptop for 7 years.
Don't blame apple, most of those consumer devices should be written off in that specified time frame. it's by law!
That's not what the brief says. It specifically states for environmental impact assessment that the FIRST owner years of use will be 4 years for OSX and ...... Pretty clear if anyone bothers to read it that they aren't saying the useful life or the supported length but rather the average first owner usage. It would be great if journalists could comprehend these sorts of things, but alas that would be asking too much from folk that generally have a high school comprehension of mathematics and logic.
if computers and electronics and appliances etc etc etc actually LASTED a reasonable amount of time instead of being ENGINEERED to fail? 3 years for a phone? no thank you. i replaced my last one after seven years, but only because it physically broke from being dropped one too many times (and even then i still used it with a little tape for six months). computer? no fucking way am i going to replace a computer after 4 years (or less, as microsoft, intel, oems want). appliances? i've had to replace the window a/c here every 2-3 years lately because they just don't last 20+ years like they used to.
Apple doesn't expect it's users to replace devices every 3 years. The users do this. Apple merely provides the product release cycle and uses these figures as a basis of its environmental report.
More professional
Why in f***'s sake would I even consider replacing it at this point?
If you wanted to play games at 4k, you'd have to, but for 1080p, it will be ok for awhile.
The CPUs haven't changed much in the past 5 years, everything from Sandy Bridge to Skylake is just minor jumps. What Intel has pushed is power efficency, the modern chips use a lot less power than first-gen Core CPUs.
GPUs have still been going up, but at 1080p a 4 year old GPU is likely still fine.
I have to wonder how Apple viewed this turnover/replacement rate earlier in their lifetime as a company. My current G5 DP PowerMacs have been run HARD since they were new in 2004; they were made well, were *meant* to last, and they still perform like champs, considering their age.
The problem is that I'm brickwalled. My OS version, Pro-level apps (Adobe Suite, Logic, Final Cut, and browsers, plus ancillary apps & utilities) are all as updated as far as the hardware will possibly allow.
The HW is still great, but I'm choking on the dust of all the upgrades that Intel architecture has forced, or demands. And it's not just the hardware that's the problem...coders are creating features and functionalities online that my browsers used to be able to deal with, but they put in so much proprietary "cutting edge" scripting—which my browsers refuse to deal with—without providing any fall-back functionality. Cripes, I can't even access my own damned Soundcloud page, because of all the "improvements" which have been made. The engineers say their pages and features should all work after I have dutifully reported all my system specs and have vehemently promised them that I have followed all suggested troubleshooting procedures. I tell them it doesn't. They got tired of fielding my questions and won't reply anymore. F***K them with fire.
Getting new hardware would only be half of the expense for me...updating all the software I use on a daily basis would cost more than a mid-level fully-tricked iMac...a system that would run circles around my G5s.
My Human Gets Me Blues.
...and every other nefarious tech vendor. So what else is new?
Cell phones have adopted the old PC cold war upgrade treadmill, and
the prices are insane! For a *phone*!?!?
Like Microsoft's latest move to disallow older processors, the net result
will be more uptake for linux on devices the OWNER CONTROLS!
If one has no options due to a walled garden type of completely locked
device one supposedly owns, well... I'm thinking the clue might finally
register in their collective fanboy squashes : don't do this, don't allow
this, at least PUSH BACK!
Microsoft's old mantra: to 'drive' the market
Translation for the clueless: force you to spend as much money as
possible and keep as much of it as possible (don't even pay your
shareholders either).
Unbelievable that this is *still* tolerated...
Macbook Pro is 8 years old and still going strong. Sorry, no upgrade for me.
My PC is 6. I put a "higher" end CPU ($300'ish) and "plenty" of RAM in it when I built it. I'm on my third video card upgrade. Its still good for videos games. Not the best, won't win the "pissing contests", but it still offers fun gaming experiences with current games.
Try out that new Doom Beta on a four old GPU. Trust me, you'll want to upgrade.
That's about how long I would expect the BATTERY to last, thanks. Replacing the whole device? Forget about it.
File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
My desired cycle time based on previous 10 years
PC cycle - 5-7 years , so long at there are no garbage components on the MB ...
Phone Cycle - 5 years, can I make it without a new battery?
Watch Cycle - 10 years++, reminds me I need a new battery which I can easily find and replace myself
Both personal and on campus. 3 years on Applecare, 2 years fingers crossed. I ditched the last two MacBooks only after they were about to go on the obsolete list, they still worked fine. Resold for about $300 each, so net $700 on a laptop over 5 years. Price premium? Not if you do it this way. The phones I do every two years with whichever one is free, to keep the coverage. The rebate on the old one helps pay for the Applecare.
"Win treats sysadmins better than users. Mac treats users better than sysadmins. Linux treats everyone like sysadmins."
My 2009 iMac 27" is still going strong.
The new iMacs look the same, but "may" have better screens and processors. Mine screen and processor are good enough. I can pass on the new models.
What isn't good is Apple Software. It is seriously behind Windows 10 IMHO.
El Capitan introduced problems with USB and the SDHC card reader, problems only slightly improved with release 10.11.4.
It is not just the El Capitan update, OS X has lost its appeal. The only changes have been slight improvements, improvements that often come with new problems and limitations. iPhoto to Photos is one example.
My iPhone, though I do update about every three years. My 1st generation phone lacked GPS, my previous iPhone lacked LTE. My iPhone 6 should keep me for another 2 or maybe three years.
In my experience with iPhone updates, many of the new features added by iOS updates can be disabled, this enables the new OS to run well on older iPhones. At least my previous iPhone 4S runs fine with OS 9 and makes a good iPod device.
Maybe Satya Nadella will port Office to Linux and make a new market for his products. Then OS X would be superfluous.
It was world-beating when it was new, but now has less processor power than a bargain bin handset. Nevertheless, it's been dutifully in service for 15 years, and for the past 7 or so has been working well as a file server with 9TB of disk. The 5 disks are due for replacement soon, but I still see no reason to replace the system itself. Next year it will be eligible for a driver's license in the US.
iOS 9.3.1 still runs "OK-ish" on my iPhone 4S.
My 2008 iMac is still supported in OS X El Capitan. After reinstalling El Capitan (wiping the disk) it actually performs remarkably well.
It would benefit from an SSD, but for far the HD hasn't given in and I'm afraid ruining it, so I let it as it is ;-)
Windows 2000 - from the guys who brought us edlin
>> Apple says it expects its users to replace their iPhone and Apple Watch after (more like, every) three years. ...and by not making the batteries user-replaceable they are ensuring you have to.
Unlike Android, where the phone is obsolete the day you purchase them.
As someone else had mentioned, this is not what Apple wishes. Apple likely wants us to buy a new model every time a new model comes out. And to sell back our old devices to Apple or destroy them completely. (Who wants to deal with a second hand market?)
What they see in reality is that most people get a new phone every three years. That's most people. Not /. contrarians who replace the battery on their phone every three years and have the same phone for ten+ years.
I find it more interesting that they expect people to get a new Apple Watch every three years as well. Only time will tell, but presumably the slope of sales seems to point that way to Apple statisticians.
I'm on a mid-2012 MacBook Air that was customized w/ the best hardware available at the time. It's not so different than the current MacBook Air.
Mid-2012:
2.0ghz Intel Core i7
Intel HD Graphics 4000
8 GB DDR3 RAM
512 GB SSD
13.3" 1440 x 900 LED back-lit display
802.11n wireless
OS X 10.11.4
April 2016:
2.2ghz Intel Core i7
Intel HD Graphics 6000
8 GB DDR3 RAM
512 GB SSD
13.3" 1440 x 900 LED back-lit display
802.11ac wireless
OS X 10.11.4
The CPU is a newer generation so is marginally faster. Maybe 20%. Graphics are 20-30% faster. The SSD has a better interface and is no doubt somewhat faster. Newer wireless standard. Same OS support (so far). Kind of amazing after 4 years.
More like requires.. Between upgrades that kill old devices and batteries with built-in low lifetimes ( and that you cant easily replace ), they pretty much call the shots for the iSheep.
Now that they have sealed up their laptops, expect something similar for that group of users too.
Because a 3 year-old watch cannot report the time? Because a faster CPU and more RAM is needed to drive a 25 mm screen? No. I've never replaced a watch in less than 4 years, and only then because I lost it or I broke it.
I bought my Rolex in 1982. Worn it every day since. I expect to keep doing so until they finally plant me in the ground. And I can guarantee you, it's made a lot better impression at meetings and on bosses/clients/coworkers than any Apple watch ever did...
There is no God, and Dirac is his prophet.
I expect Apple to use their collective lips to kiss unmentionable parts of my anatomy.
There, now we are even (considering how I've been figuratively and financially bent over every time I've bought an Apple product). My Mac Mini from 2008 is still chugging along after 8 years...I expect nothing less from my other technology. Guess my next phone/watch purchase will not be an Apple product.
Lodragan Draoidh
The more you explain it, the more I don't understand it. - Mark Twain
Which I built myself, is now 8 years old and runs great.
I congratulate you on not being mugged for 34 years.
Table-ized A.I.
"Apple has been accused of intentionally slowing down iPhones every time a new one is released, although there is little evidence to support the theory."
Come over here. I've got an original untouched iPhone 4S (4.2.1,) and I have one with iOS8 and one with iOS9.
The untouched iPhone is light years faster than the ones with iOS8/9.
Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
Just because we can't prove they are sabotaging older equipment, doesn't mean they aren't. In this business, just like in politics, it is best to assume the worst to avoid any unpleasant surprises.
“He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
I'm writing this on an HP PC I got in 2012. Still works fine. No need to replace it for the foreseeable future.
"there's a sucker born every minute ... and reincarnated every three years""
They need you to replace your stuff so they can get more personal information on you. Along with being able to shut down functions without impacting legacy users.
I read in Consumer Reports that appliance makes are moving to a three year planned obsolescence model.
Isn't the future just shiny!?
:T:R:A:N:S:
I replaced Apple years ago and haven't looked back.
You have to almost admire their approach. They're about the only company in the world that can make a three-year turnover cycle for phones sound good and environmental-friendly. Remember when Google committed to a two-year major update cycle for Nexus and some people were like "WHAT!! Just two years?? But that's nowhere near enough for a Nexus!!". I'm betting Apple's customers are actually happy with this bit of news. Four years for a computer though!! Are you kidding me??
In about 24 to 36 months there will not be any employee at Apple Inc. who can or knew anything about a computer programming language or even what a "shell" meant or even what "shell script" meant.
After the last programmer leaves there will still be a few months of running on empty by outsourcing all the real programming needs to developers, but the developers will protest that they are just being used as slaves and not payed fair wages and benefits.
Then, sitting in his lonely plantation office at the "Great Dounut", Tim Cook looks at his iPhad but cannot understand why the screen is black, when he keeps on speaking to it to "TURN ON DAMMIT" with tears in his eyes.
You have to hold it the right way.
But it's a beta. Version 1.1 of the final game plus latest graphics driver will likely run well
A relative of mine has a low-end Samsung phone with ICS, and it was very slow until I replaced the Facebook app with Facebook Lite. The phone is filled to the brim with just about a handful of communications apps that many of her contacts use.
I have an even lower-end phone running Gingerbread, which has even less apps installed than her phone does. The default browser does not support the modern web, and so I'm using Firefox with NoScript Anywhere to block ads and trackers. Sure, Firefox is not just as snappy than the "Internet" app, but with NoScript, I'm able to browse the modern Internet with better security and relative ease.
I think anything over $500 should last more than 3 years. Doesn't seem like a good investment to just expect to shell out a few hundred every 3 years. Especially in some countries where $500 or more is a lot of money to people. Again, here is a company that expects more than the 1% to support their company. If Apple built houses would they expect us to replace them every ten years? Or if they built cars we need to buy a new one every 7 years?
I never had an iPhone, but am probably going to get me a 5s. I currently use a rooted Leagoo Lead 4, but am getting fed up with keeping the device save enough.
Most mobile phone contracts last 18-24 months and they will often offer a free or subsidised mobile phone on renewal (or a loyalty discount). This probably accounts for a large quantity of smartphone turnover, its free as long as you don't switch networks.
3 months is ideal due to pressure from stock markets :)
Casteism
For example, I'm pretty sure they stopped supporting my old iPhone4 (OS updates) after 2 years. Same for my old iPad.