As iPhone users, we’re used to seeing Apple introduce a new model every year, with camera, performance, and design improvements. However, in recent years we have noticed a change in this annual update policy. And the reason for this change is clear: the Pro models.
In recent years, Apple has introduced two lines of iPhone: entry models and models with Pro surname. Regular models often include camera and performance improvements, but often don’t include the latest technology. It is in the Pro models that Apple gives free rein to the specifications and try new technologies. And this seemingly simple change makes the idea of having a new iPhone every year stunning.
Simplify and diversify at the same time
The double line of the iPhone has become more and more obvious. For example, the iPhone 11 Pro included a triple camera and an OLED display, while the iPhone 11 did not include these features. If we move on to the iPhone 14, the difference is, once again, more than clear. It’s in the iPhone 14 Pro where we find the new design with the Dynamic Island and a new chipwhile in the entry models the changes are minor.
Now, with the iPhone 15 Pro, it is expected to include a periscope lens, a technology that enables powerful optical zoom. This technology is rumored to not reach the entry of the iPhone 15, but yes it could be present in all iPhone 16 models. Again a key differentiation.
Let’s add one more element to the equation before jumping to some conclusions: the iPhone SE. Rumor has it that Apple may have canceled the iPhone SE 4 and as far as we know this model could disappear from the catalog. The same thing has already happened with the mini variant of the iPhone.
Years ago, the difference between iPhone sizes was basically this, the size difference. But we have been seeing a change for some time now. With the disappearance of the iPhone mini and perhaps the iPhone SE, annual releases are happening at two speeds. While the iPhone with the Pro family name receives the most important news, entry models take an extra year.
It is said that every year Apple releases an iPhone, but the truth is that there are four, five or even seven models if you count the choice of storage. The iPhone is a product with many users and must cover as wide a range and spectrum of needs as possible. Maintaining a double-speed when it comes to new releases can be the key to maintaining certain price ranges while regularly introducing new releases.
Although the most enthusiastic, surely many of us reading this article, have a propensity for the best of the best when it comes to the iPhone, there are many users who value the iPhone for its operating system. and nothing else, for example. Yes, they will take pictures, but not for just any contest either. For this spectrum of users, a iPhone that upgrades more easily while maintaining a significantly lower price it can be really attractive.
We will need to closely monitor how this strategy evolves in the future and its effects on users and the iPhone ecosystem in general. But if the tendency to simplification in terms of models and specification differentiation continues, this could mean that the concept of having a new iPhone every year could change, and users of the entry models could take a little longer to receive the latest technology. Good? Evil? More options to choose from.
