> ...the Ive Doctrine: Always strive for the next version of your product to be thinner and lighter than the current one.

I'd say it follows a rule of "every sequel to a hit movie is worse than original" more.

I worked in OEM electronics since 2007, and I saw this happening all and every time with big public companies. In the industry, we have a term for that. We call it "Brand Fade"

It is near impossible for a big company to resist the urge to "optimise" the product to improve profits after hit sales with hopes of consumers not noticing it.

This is what is happening with Dell now with each newer XPS generation coming out more penny pinched that the previous one.