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We've Reached Peak Smartphone (washingtonpost.com)
You don't really need a new smartphone. From a column on the Washington Post (may be paywalled): Sure, some of them squeeze more screen into a smaller form. The cameras keep getting better, if you look very close. And you had to live under a rock to miss the hoopla for Apple's 10th-anniversary iPhone X or the Samsung Galaxy S8. Many in the smartphone business were sure this latest crop would bring a "super cycle" of upgrades. But here's the reality: More and more of Americans have decided we don't need to upgrade every year. Or every other year. We're no longer locked into two-year contracts and phones are way sturdier than they used to be. And the new stuff just isn't that tantalizing even to me, a professional gadget guy. Holding onto our phones is better for our budgets, not to mention the environment. This just means we -- and phone makers -- need to start thinking of them more like cars. We may have reached peak smartphone. Global shipments slipped 0.1 percent in 2017 -- the first ever decline, according to research firm IDC. In the United States, smartphone shipments grew just 1.6 percent, the smallest increase ever. Back in 2015, Americans replaced their phones after 23.6 months, on average, according to research firm Kantar Worldpanel. By the end of 2017, we were holding onto them for 25.3 months.
Yes, google thought about it a while ago. That's the reason why Android Oreo introduced project treble. The reason the vast majority of smartphones never get updates is because each update requires vendor customization for each piece of hardware. Project treble has split apart the hardware support layer from the main OS layer. Going forward, the vendors only need to create the initial implementation of the hardware layer, and then each time a new version of Android is released it can be laid over top the old hardware layer with no rework necessary. Updates to the hardware layer are only necessary when there is a bug there, which of course is still a concern, but that's not where the vast majority of bugs are found these days.
As a n example, look at aircraft - in the early days of flight there were many improvements constantly appearing and aircraft got better and better, until we reached the 747 and Concorde (2 planes that performed different tasks - one efficient, one fast) and that's pretty much where the state of the art stopped.
I'm sorry, but you know very little about modern aircraft. A modern 747 is no more similar to the 1970 model, than an iPhone X is similar to the original iPhone. Take a look at the 747 prototype vs. a semi-current 747-8F and check e.g. the size of the engine pods.
Stephan
The Zanco Tiny?
Vintage computer adverts: http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/computers-and-software-ads
If you really want a top-end camera, get a SLR. phone cameras will always be a compromise. The SLR doesn't have to worry about making calls or playing . Also it's big enough to use real optics.