Around Lake Zurich, iPhones are everywhere, from pockets to backpacks to purses. Although the idea of new technology is always exciting, the release dates of each new model are too close together.
Every iPhone model has a release date, the problem is that the dates are immediately one after another. The iPhone 3GS was released about three years ago, and the iPhone 4 followed it with a June 2010 release. The latest iPhone, the iPhone 4S, was released about a year ago, according to an article on the Gotta Be Mobile website.
Within the span of a year and a half, a new iPhone comes out and people buy it and enjoy it. The problem is that Apple waits until the last possible minute to announce that a new iPhone is coming out. Although it seems like a consistent schedule, people never know if a new iPhone is coming out soon, making it harder to wait.
Unfortunately, there are those people who buy the latest iPhone, and soon after their purchase, they hear the better generation is coming out soon. Tricia Edelmann, junior, is one of the many people who have experienced this disappointment.
“One and a half years is not enough time. It makes a lot of people mad,” Edelmann said. “If they knew [a new phone] was coming out, they would wait. It’s just wasting their money.”
The waste of money upsets many people, but they do not know that the main cause of this is the speed of production.
If Apple took more time reworking glitches for at least two years, they would not have to make as many models. Also, by the time the customers are uninterested in the latest iPhone, the newer one will be ready to come out. This makes their production more efficient by using less money to make models and creates a more interested buyers’ market for iPhones.
The iPhone 5 is said to come out on September 12, according to the CNN website. Edelmann is a victim of buying the iPhone 4S right before the iPhone 5 release date was announced, Edelmann said. But the timing is not the only negative thing that comes from rapid production.
The fact that each iPhone is getting more and more complex makes it harder for the older generations to stay updated, losing valuable buyers. Students, having grown up with technology, are able to learn and use iPhones quicker, but it takes longer for their older relatives to learn to use them. The quick process of production makes this problem worse.
Edelmann’s dad just bought an iPhone 4S, but he does not know how to use it, Edelmann said. This is a problem caused by the quick manufacturing of Apple because older people do not have the mindset to adapt to complex changes.
When people have more time to learn about the latest iPhone, they will be more prepared to transition into the next generation and the newer concepts will not be as difficult to master. This reduces the number of questions people have to ask Apple support.
As well as saving money and helping the older generation, slowing down manufacturing would also be more efficient for Apple in the future.
Eventually, Apple might make a phone that will not have any problems. This ‘perfect phone’ would have nothing above it. The faster Apple works, the earlier that time will come. As of now, it seems like that would be best to have a ‘perfect phone’, but after a while, people will get sick of it and Apple will not be able to do anything to top it.
“I like my iPhone 4S, [especially] the messaging. There are small problems, but not enough to make a whole new phone,” Edelmann said. “They could just make a new software instead.”
If Apple desires a better future for their company, they must consider slowing down the production of new iPhones.