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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
Apple doesn't "expect" customers to replace their phones after three years. Apple "assumes" that they do this, which is very different.
Why?
Unless it breaks, I see no reason to replace my phone.
- Don't do what I do, it's probably not healthy nor safe. -
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!
CPU,GPU,OS, ??? That is not an answer to the question. Sure these things change over time, sometimes improving. Phone features also go backwards from time to time. No removable storage, No replaceable battery. These are part of a trend to planned obsolescence that manufacturers use to force consumers to buy new phones and recycle or discard the old one. Truly a tragedy given the nature of scarce non renewable resources like rare earths from third world countries with broken governments.
But fundamentally this misses the point. As long as a phone, computer or other device continues to serve the need that it was intended to serve I see no need in replacing it.
My thoughts, exactly. I don't care if there's newer-and-better-and-faster out there. My 6-yo iPhone on the same iOS it came with are more than enough for my mobile computing and communication needs.
'Why spend more energy to replace what I don't need to' is my argument for not upgrading. This applies to myriad items, such as cars, clothes, etc.
MY advice: spend your extra money on excellent-quality food.
No sig for you! Come back one year!
Why?
Unless it breaks, I see no reason to replace my phone.
I read this data driven: people DO this, not they want people to do this. They WANT people to buy a new one every year. So, for one reason or another people choose to replace their smart phone within 3 years. This seems right to me, by the 2nd year most of my smartphones have either been obsolete by OS (orig Moto Droid) or the battery life has decayed into impossibility (My Samsung Galaxy Something, or my wife's LG Google Nexus). My iPhone is going strong after 2 years, but I will probably replace it when iPhone++ comes out because I suspect there will be enough new features to justify, and the GPU is getting dated.