Apple Users Are Keeping Their Devices for Longer as Upgrades Slow

As someone who uses Mac products (macpro, ipad, iphone), I can say I've never had hardware from any other vendor which has lasted so long. Their gear stays functional for several years (especially the macbook pro) and the only reason I upgrade my iphone was because I get tired of replacing the battery.

My old Macbook from 2016 is still being used by my wife and the only issue she has is hard drive space. The compute power is still spot on. My reason for upgrading to a M1 was just because I wanted to play with the ARM chipset.

I've never had any other brand of laptop or phone age so well (maybe because my last Android was from 2014). There's a cost premium for Apple but I think over time, their gear is more cost effective.

It’s because everything else is more expensive and people have lower discretionary spending. If my home insurance, auto insurance, health insurance, car payments, rent, grocery bills, childcare and pretty much everything else went up and stayed there, just maybe I can hold on to my older phone for one more year. Paul Krugman would disagree, but that’s about it.

So is everyone, not just Apple users. Except for specific use cases 3 years in the context of a computer is no time at all now, and hasn't been for at least a decade.

Treat the battery well (avoid wireless charging when you can, don't charge when hot) and these devices can last a long time. And even when the battery starts to die, you can get an official replacement for much less than the cost of a new phone.

If you're a typical high income tech person who upgrades their desktop, laptop, phone, tablet, and watch on a regular cycle, that's a staggering amount of money to stay on the treadmill. I'm consciously choosing to keep my devices as long as possible. I've given up smartwatches, my desktop and tablet are 8 years old, and I plan to keep my phone for at least 5 years.

The Apple upgrade treadmill is an immense transfer of wealth if you trade your old device in so it can be sold on the second-hand market. Used iPhones are a great way for nonrich people to get a decent phone at a low fraction of the price of a new one (with a high fraction of a new one’s functionality).

For many years, I was one of Apple's highest-end customers. I needed the fastest machines they offered for the workloads I threw at them. I made music in Logic Pro with a zillion plugin instruments and effects and I ran a ton of apps with a ton of open windows when I wasn't doing that. I always bought the PowerMacs and then Mac Pro and eventually the iMac Pro when Apple painted themselves into a thermal corner with the Mac Pro.

I bought a MacBook Pro M1 Max in 2021 and started using it as my primary machine driving external Studio Displays. It's the first computer I've ever owned that doesn't feel the least bit slow as I approach the three year mark. I've been asking myself when I think I'll upgrade and I truly don't know; probably not before some incredible new software feature isn't available on this hardware. I used to replace machines when the three year AppleCare coverage expired or soon after. I can't see that happening any longer.

To some degree, this isn't even about Apple Silicon (though that sure helps). Even my iMac Pro with Xeon processor was approaching a point where I'd have got to this milestone eventually. Apple Silicon accelerated the jump by a good margin. I have no doubt I'd be able to tell the difference if I got an M4 laptop whenever they arrive, but I'd struggle to justify it to myself. (I should mention, in fairness, that I've been on a hiatus from making music since partway through the pan and that undoubtedly makes a difference. But even then, I think the game has changed, at least for me.)

I'll keep upgrading my iPhones on a much more regular basis because there's still substantial improvements that I can notice and appreciate (improved displays, cameras, industrial design, etc). I don't think that's going to be the case with my Macs any longer. This will likely be the oldest computer I've ever had as primary when it gets replaced, and I think by a large margin. It's a strange place to be after decades of computing on the bleeding edge.

The M1 was a particularly good buy, IMHO. Going on 4 years now and it's still no slouch.

I went from upgrading every 2 years to planning to wait for 3. One additional year isn't that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things, and my phone is mostly capable of doing everything I want already. The biggest factor though is that I have become more suspicious of new features, rather than enthused by them. I actually don't use most of the new capabilities on my current phone other than the improved camera. Really I just want incremental hardware performance and battery life upgrades and the same capabilities, but I am not given easy options to just avoid the new features in many cases (e.g. forced to turn Siri on to use CarPlay as an example).

Not sure if I'm representative of most Apple buyers, probably not, but I think this is not just me. When technology is exciting and new features are something you want, you will go and buy and shift money around to make it happen if necessary. But if you are not excited, and dread what's coming next (even less privacy, now with AI you don't control), it's a different story.

I'm still using an iPhone 6s from 2015, with one battery replacement. Nominally I wanted to upgrade the last few years, at least since the 12 generation, but each time I couldn’t be bothered and found the prices rather high. Now I’m again in the weird timespan waiting for a September event and deciding afterwards.

Thing is: Did I really miss out on the mobile ecosystem in the last years? There are apps, most of them run fine or fine-ish. The biggest problem are lazy developers using non native toolkits. Games, obviously are another problem, but I’m more of a puzzle gamer. The biggest advance was photography but since I couldn’t integrate photography in my life in the last 15 years I don’t think I will now. Whenever I look at newer iPhones, I don’t really feel huge FOMO. What are the mobile use cases to always upgrade to the newest one?

(Maybe because I’m primary a Mac user and the iPhone is more of an appendix to that.)

Leave it to the financial press to take something that’s a win for both consumers and the environment and try to frame it as a problem.

The year over year changes don't really necessitate an upgrade anymore. Even an iPhone 13 holds up really well against the 15. I've moved to a 2 year upgrade cycle, but honestly might even do 3 years.

I'm an iOS developer and try to upgrade every year using the Apple upgrade plan.

Last year I couldn't. Their website just wouldn't let me, with an unspecified error. Other people with similar errors online found no way of fixing it, even after talking to customer service.

It's possible I could have resolved the issue with a phone call, but instead I just dealt with having the phone a little longer. Now I'll own it and have another test device.

Maybe because the devices are now, finally, not shitty and not prone to lots of bugs and don't break down so often? Every Apple phone from iPhone 11 and every mac from the first M1, were more or less bug free. It's not surprising people aren't rushing to trash them.

Im personally upgrading when iOS has reached end of life for my device. Currently on an 11 Pro Max and there aren’t any features I’m missing in my day to day.

Plus the current Pro Max equivalent costs almost a month worth of average salary here so no wonder people are upgrading less frequently.

It's not that I'm uninterested in upgrading; I have the budget, and the interest. It's that Apple don't offer the products I want anymore.

I only upgrade my iPhone when there's a new touch ID model. I have no idea how large this segment is, but it's >1. If Apple kill off touch ID entirely, they'll lose me as a phone customer.

My primary desktop development machine is still a 10-core 2017 iMac Pro. At EOFY every year since 2021 I've checked for a 27" or larger iMac or iMac Pro with Apple silicon. No such product, no sale. The Studio is a nope; the physical ergonomics and convenience of a single-unit workstation matter too much.

I love these devices but we've got all M1 devices (two M1 Maxes, an M1 Air, an M1 iPad) and iPhones 13 and they're just too good to need to replace. Apple really blew it out of the water with that CPU class.

I got the iPhone 3G, 4, 5, 6, and 7 at release. New phone every two years like clockwork. Then I got the 12 mini because finally, a small phone again. Also the 7 was nearing the end of support. I still have the 12 mini. I will keep it until iOS no longer supports it.

I also have an iPad Pro 3rd gen. I thought it would lose support this year, but no! It's confirmed at least one more year.

My wife is still using a Macbook Pro from mid 2009 that was bought as a gift from my father. I have had to replace the hdd a few times, but it still works. The problem now is some SSL certs don't work properly anymore, but installing Brave as resolved that issue for now.

I'm still on an SE2 (April 2020) and plan to stay here until an SE4 releases. It's still completely fine for everything.

I'd probably still be on an original SE, but the battery was poor and I broke the screen so it was easier to just upgrade then replace everything.

I still have a couple old iPhone 7s that work just fine as basic phones that I don't care if I lose them or they are stolen.

The only issue I'm seeing is the iOS updates. Some apps can't be downloaded on iOS 13 any more.

Ya but you want that new Apple Intelligence right?

it's not just Apple devices, i'm still using my Pixel 6 Pro (launched in 2021). i used to upgrade every other year but these days the phones last longer without slowing down and everything else went up in prices. i see no compelling reason to upgrade (no significant camera upgrade or features worth upgrading for).

This isn't hard. The American middle class is disappearing.

I just really like the convenience of the fingerprint reader.

Didn't Apple stop slowing people's old phones down when they were caught a few years ago? That probably plays a factor.