Tim Cook can stick his apples up his arse.
Apple’s CEO Tim Cook has revealed why the company releases a new phone each year, if people really need to get the new model every time and what the device could look like in 20 years.
Speaking from Apple’s data center in Denmark, he insisted that the constant reinvention is ‘a great thing’, and explained how they can keep the company more sustainable despite the possible regularity of new phones being replaced.
Apple have released eight new phone models in the last five years – the XS and XS Max (September 2018), XR (2018), 11 series (2019), SE 2 (2020), 12 series (2020), 13 series (2021), SE 3 (2022), 14 series (2022) and 15 series (September 2023).
Mr Cook told Brut: ‘I think having an iPhone every year for those people that want it is a great thing.
‘And what we do is we allow people to trade in their phone, and so we then resell that phone if it’s still working, and if it’s not working, we’ve got ways of disassembling it and taking the materials to make a new iPhone out of.’
It’s a cynical ploy to get the gullible to part with their money. I’ve nothing against development and improvement, but I’m not playing this game. You don’t need to upgrade every year. Does it make and receive phone calls? Does it allow you to message people? Can you access the Internet? If the answer is ‘yes’ then what you have is fine. Wait until it wears out. The last time I bought a new phone was because the previous one wouldn’t charge anymore.
Nothing Apple produces tickles my fancy anyway. Besides which, contributing to that creep’s salary goes against my grain.
I’m very happy with my Pixel 6 (which upgraded itself to Android 14 today) and feel no need to upgrade to the new Pixel 8 (which is lovely BTW).
I’ve never got Apple, I’m lost if anybody asks for help with one and all their products seem outrageously overpriced.
My smart phone is a Samsung SM-G390F. I assume if you know a bit about Samsung phone models you might know how old it is, I certainly don’t. It has recently shown signs that the battery is getting a bit tired, I’ve ordered a new battery, about twenty quid, and to fit it you just have to prise the back off and slot it in. I’ve never understood the need to have the absolute latest version of anything. It does mean that you can get last year’s models at a discount though. I have a Garmin Fenix sports watch that was very expensive when it was first released but much cheaper when I bought it.
Had a CAT android tough phone for probably 5 years now, does everything i want it gets dropped and bashed about regularly and wet now and again and shrugs it all off.
Battery supposed to not be replaceable but no doubt some phone shop fellow can do the biz when needed, battery life/size is its strong point.
The only reason i have a smart phone at all is for keeping an eye on traffic via google traffic maps (can’t make head or tail of waze), if it wasn’t for that i’d still be using a Nokia 3210.
I’m not sure anyone *needs* the latest and greatest handset, and given that recent years have seen only very incremental upgrades rather than genuine new features I’d think a 3-4 year old model would do most people just fine.
That said, these are not bought for performance or function; they are status symbols pure and simple, though with all phones looking essentially the same these days it’s hard to know why. But it’s consumer choice; if the latest shiny iThing is what flips your switch then go for it.
LR, I’m sure you don’t *need* a new bike every now and then, the old one still goes and stops just fine, but if that’s what brings a smile to your face then why not?
True, but that wasn’t what I was getting at here. It’s the way that Apple markets its products. Although there is nothing wrong with marketing, there’s something deeply cynical in the manner that they do it. Although I like to change bikes, it’s usually because I want a different experience as each one has its own unique flavour. However, I have never, and never would, queue up for hours or days to get the latest one. And that is done because of artificial hype. After all, it’s just a phone and as you rightly point out, they are all much the same and the new ones aren’t radically different from the previous ones. They look the same and do much the same things. So, meh, frankly. I’d also add that Cook makes my skin crawl, but that’s a personal thing.
I’ve not got a problem with the marketing tactics; after all a company is there to make money. Some suckers will fall for it, other won’t, and I suspect that for the faithful queuing up outside an apple shop is part of the experience, a reason for buying the thing in the first place.
There is also a wider point here similar to freedom of speech; when does marketing go too far, and crucially, who decides where the line is? Apple adverts seem to me to be way more factually correct than anything you will see from a political party, in that you mostly get what you paid (or voted) for.
Unless they are frog marching punters down to the local iShiny shop then I suggest we leave well alone in case the government turns up to “help” even more.
I wouldn’t dispute any of that. I merely make the point that I don’t like it and it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. And it doesn’t work on me. And at no point am I suggesting doing anything about it.
The point about hype is interesting and has been applied to motorbikes in the past. Brough Superiors are hugely valuable nowadays because of George Brough’s talent for publicity stunts and the antics of T.E. Lawrence. Other firms such as Coventry Eagle made very similar machines but theirs are not as famous. I do love stories like that of the Bodmin Broughs were someone had them in a shed and had no idea what they were until they asked a biker friend if he could get rid of them. Knowledge of such things can be important. I dream of one day spotting a Yamaha GX-1 for sale with a tag on it saying Electric Organ £50.
Broughs are also valuable because of rarity and that for their time, they were a high quality machine. Vincent are similar. Among the more modern classics, the Z1 would qualify. Not so much because of the marketing of the time, but because a generation of riders see them as a reminder of their youth. Thar’s why I bought my Z900RS after all. Interestingly, I get approached an awful lot by people who think it’s a Z1. Speak to anyone with a Royal Enfield Bullet or Classic and they will have similar stories.
On the subject of Apple, the original iPhone was innovative as it was a step away from what had gone before. Now it’s just the incremental stuff and nothing really new, just marketing hype.
Happy with my iPhone 5.
Still rocking my iPhone 11 Pro Max, but looking to upgrade to the New Hotness before Christmas. Once all the usual release day teething problems are fixed, of course!