Tech Tonic | Are tech companies brave enough to break routine refresh cycles?

Let me start with a factual spoiler alert. Unlikely. That’s the simple answer to a question posed. For a lack of a better strategy, or simply because it is a habit, most tech companies will not be too keen to switch into a lower gear. It is actually more complex than that. I’ll get to it. Foremost, the cue to take this up, is that Apple is reportedly mulling a change in approach that’d be a contrast to the current annual refresh cycle. But if you look closely, it is already in play—prioritising products is the only way to manage.
This supposed change in tactics may not warrant a big web story now unless Apple decide to follow a similar strategy with the iPhones too. And then, the repercussions on the ecosystem. There are reasons, and context, for why I believe so. Apple may well be mulling delinking from the pressure of an expected new hardware update every year, across its product lines. Let me illustrate.
One, these product lines are now much broader than they ever were before. Take the Mac portfolio for example. The MacBook Air 13-inch, MacBook Air 15-inch, MacBook Pro 14-inch, MacBook Pro 16-inch, iMac, Mac mini and Mac Studio. In parallel is an iPad line-up that now includes the entry-level iPad, the iPad Mini, the iPad Air 11-inch, the iPad Air 13-inch, the iPad Pro 11-inch and the iPad Pro 13-inch.
Chip update cycles may warrant most, if not all Macs, get their due with an annual refresh. The Mac mini, considering its audience and usage demographic, hasn’t been updated since the M2 chip made its way into that compact form factor, almost a couple of years ago. Not everyone wants the newest and greatest chip to get work done. The iPad Mini still runs an A15 Bionic chip from a few years prior—though I have a suspicion Apple may not have ideally liked this rather long lifecycle without a refresh. But that’s just how it is, balancing what needs an annual refresh, with anything that isn’t as much a priority.
Secondly, releasing a newer version comes with a medley of expectations such as a refreshed design, a step forward in performance and some value adds. It may not always be possible to rewrite the template. HomePods haven’t been tweaked for a fair while now, and while there can always be an argument for something newer and better, they simply work. The Apple TV doesn’t need an annual refresh either. And it was after a good four years that Apple decided to give the AirPods Max some new colours and of course, the mandated USB-C port.
Even the Apple Watch Ultra 2 didn’t make way for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 this year (though that new black colour looks gorgeous; I’ll not get tired of saying that). It is practically impossible for every gadget in the portfolio to match a perception of the annual refresh cycle.
Apple’s unique structure that puts expertise first, makes upgrade decisions more streamlined, whether it is a green flag or a message to hold. Broad umbrellas are software, hardware and services. Software, for instance, is further spread between iOS, iPadOS, macOS, visionOS, watchOS and tvOS. But that also means the hardware teams may find their time and resources taken up in varying intensities, and rarely would they be able to focus across the entire spectrum. The iPhone takes priority. As does the software.
And from what we are seeing, the Apple Intelligence suite is looking at a phased rollout to get things right. We’ve seen generative AI make high-profile mistakes in the past, and while it isn’t to say Apple Intelligence won’t, the attempt is to minimise those risks.
Back to my earlier question about whether tech companies, particularly phone makers within that demographic, can effectively make the switch. There’s nothing to say they cannot, but it is still close to impossible that they will. Android phone makers, let us take their example with due respect, that go strong now are the ones who curated this habit of annual and in some cases more than one refresh cycle every year for at least the flagship phones.
I’ll illustrate why and when things changed. Remember the OnePlus 6 launched in May of 2018? The OnePlus 6T arrived later in the same year. By May 2019, the OnePlus 7 series had rolled out, with the OnePlus 7T range following through in late September. While OnePlus, much like many other Android OEMs has slowed down to a more controlled pace, volume is still the default approach which makes something akin to a 2-year refresh cycle, quite unappealing.
Fast forward to now. In just the first nine months and a bit more of 2024 covered, Samsung has already added around 20 new phones to its line-up. And it is not as if all phones 2023 and prior were purged instantaneously; many of them are on sale as well. Realme, another phone maker that relies on having a massive portfolio, has already added around 39 phones to that list.
It may be easier for PC makers perhaps, to line up certain product lines in their portfolio for refreshes at intervals greater than 12 months. But then, would they not have the annual chip refreshes adorn their flagship computing devices? Unlikely again.
Slowing down launches may boost the perception of innovation when a new gadget arrives on the scene. But for tech companies, particularly phone makers who’ve found an accountancy sweet spot by flooding the market with many, many new devices every quarter (we often lose track, it’s humanly impossible to keep tabs on all), semblance of order may be impossible to adopt.
A quick check on Realme’s India website points us to 2 models under the GT series, 6 for the number series, 3 in the P series and 6 for the C series. That’s before you get to the Narzo branded line-up, which has six more listings. Mind you, these are basic model families, the RAM, storage and colour-dependent configurations inflate this number further.
Can a customer really be expected to know exactly what phone would work best for them, in these (unnecessary and totally avoidable) overwhelming circumstances?
Apple’s change in approach may well make a few other tech companies to step back and reassess their strategies. But then again, it is absolutely not possible that 2025 will not see the iPhone 17 series. After all, that rumoured iPhone 17 “slim” (or “air”, as some rumourmongers seem to suggest), looks rather striking.
Vishal Mathur is the technology editor for Hindustan Times. Tech Tonic is a weekly column that looks at the impact of personal technology on the way we live, and vice-versa. The views expressed are personal.