Why you shouldn’t upgrade every year

So, you’ve just watched the latest keynote of the next thing that you’re going to buy, and they just told you that you can “order today” or “order this coming Friday” and before you know it, you’ve just bought the latest iPhone.

Now flash forward 12 months and you’re now seeing another keynote, but this time it’s for the successor to your latest and greatest phone that you bought only 12 months ago. Has your phone already become outdated? What do you do, trade in, buy the new phone because it’s better than your phone just because they say so, with all of their fancy graphics, about its performance, efficiency and power.

This isn’t just confined to Apple, this isn’t just confined to the iPhone, all manufacturers do the same thing, for all of their products that they refresh regularly, whether that’s your phone, tablet, watch, computer, the marketing is the same for all of them, but are they really wanting you to upgrade your device every year?

It’s a common misconception that many people have when they watch the yearly keynotes from companies like Apple, Samsung and Google, showcasing their new phones and computers, where they show off their shiny new devices with fancy features and impressive specs, and make you feel like you need to upgrade your old ones right away.

But do you really need to? Are these presentations really aimed at convincing you to buy the latest and greatest gadgets every year? Or are they targeting a different audience altogether?

The answer might surprise you. These presentations are not primarily designed to sell to existing customers who already have the previous generation of devices, but rather to potential customers who have older or different devices, or who are new to the market.

In other words, they are not trying to make you upgrade your phone or computer every year, but rather to make you switch from another brand or platform, or to enter a new category of products.

Showcasing the iPhone 14 range (for example), isn’t really aimed at people who previously bought one of the iPhone 13 range, because the jump in features from a 13 Pro to its successor in the iPhone 14 Pro, isn’t that big, so many people wouldn’t benefit that much from upgrading, but you may think otherwise if you’ve been on a 24 month carrier contract with an iPhone 12 Pro that ended on the release of the new iPhone 14 Pro, then there’s a progression, a natural upgrade cycle.

You may have an iPhone that is older than that or isn’t now supported by the latest iOS upgrade, then the need to upgrade is there. Or you could be using an Android phone wanting to make the switch to Apple.

Everyone upgrading and buying their next gadget will generally fall into one of the those scenarios.

But, why is that? Well, there are several reasons. One is that the market for smartphones and high value personal devices is becoming more saturated and competitive, meaning that there are fewer new customers to attract, and more existing customers to retain.

They’ve got to entice the new customers with something that going to make them switch and with the existing customers, who they’ve already got, all they need to do is give them something that’s going to make their experience better and this is something that Apple does really well with there ecosystem (and marketing).

If you’ve got one of these, then you might want one of these, to enjoy the sounds exactly how they should sound, why not get this, or watch those videos on one of our displays because this is how we think it should be watched. Sound familiar?

They (Apple) have created a uniform and coherent user experience because all of their products and services integrate so well with each other, meaning that existing customers are just going to buy more things that make it convinient, it might not be upgrading your phone every year, but maybe getting those Airpods that you haven’t got because it just works or in the future, that Vision Pro, because it means you’re going to get a familar experience that your used to, but presented in a different format.

The Apple ecosystem, possibly the envy of other manufacturers who have and are attempting their own versions of the ecosystem, just to be able to try and gain an advantage, and have a loyal customer base that uses (primarily) the single brand.

Another reason is that technological innovation is slowing down, meaning that there are fewer breakthroughs and more incremental improvements in each generation of devices. Another is that the cost of upgrading is increasing, meaning that customers are more reluctant than ever to spend money on new devices that offer only marginal benefits over their old ones.

So what does this mean for you as a consumer? It means that you should be less concerned by generation-to-generation improvements, and more by improvements over multiple years and generations.

It means that you should not feel pressured to buy a new device every year, but rather to buy one when you feel like your current device is no longer meeting your needs or expectations. You should be comparing different devices not only based on their features and specs, but also on their value and longevity.

Of course, this does not mean that you should never upgrade your devices, or that you should ignore the new products that come out every year, because who doesn’t enjoy watching keynotes without going wow, “I wish mine did that”.

There might be some cases where upgrading makes sense for you, such as if your device is broken or outdated, or if there is a new feature or service that you really want or need. There might be some cases where you are genuinely impressed or excited by a new device, and you want to reward yourself or treat yourself with something nice. That’s perfectly fine.

But the point is, don’t let the hype and marketing influence your decision too much. Don’t let them (the manufacturers) make you feel like you have to buy something that you don’t really need or want. Don’t let them make you feel like you’re missing out on something that you’re not.

Remember, these presentations are not aimed at selling to you, but to someone else. You’re just not someone else. You are you. Only you know what’s best for you.

So the next time you hear the words “available today” in a keynote presentation, then remember, you don’t have to buy it, unless you want and need to.

If you want to see the video version of this article, check out the YouTube link below: https://youtu.be/yTskdKiIYi8