Perhaps it's more than that. The increments are smaller and more frequent. Paradigm shifts are less common.
Technology feels a lot more exploitative too. Getting a gadget is no longer a one-way trade. You get a feature in return for something that isn't your money.
You don't wait for months and read all the reviews before something comes out. You don't even leave the house to check it out and order it. You just watch a few videos and have it delivered to your door. Getting something is such a non-event these days.
Since then the internet has gotten worse, most apps are either shit or need a subscription and basically the whole thing has become designed to addict you. Getting rid of it would make work and family life harder. The few legitimate conveniences it offers, like knowing when a bus is going to come, work just as well on pretty much any phone.
The other side is that the rate of change has decreased on the phones themselves. We used to get big new features, but phones have converged on what seems to be the ideal feature set (for now at least). New versions usually only see a slight camera improvement, incremental speed or battery improvements, and maybe a change in the camera notch/hole.
I remembered when I first got my iPad, I would spend hours digging through the app store to discover and download apps.
Now its just basic email, messaging, delivery and shopping apps
The web and app experience of today feel like I’m looking at a grocery store tabloid.
The more discerning users of technology have likely narrowed their focus to the fewer and fewer remaining high quality sites and apps available (HN included).
But I wonder if today's young teenagers are just as excited?
But of course not in the same children (until nostalgia kicks in).
Sure, the new ones are always bringing something slightly better and shinier, but the cost keeps rising each generation and the benefits are diminishing.
If you look at what you can actually buy if you get a refurbished iPhone11/12 today it’s an absolutely amazing value. When chip shortages are stable and something genuinely new comes along in a big way (5G/VR/AR/whatever) perhaps there is a new interest in new phones. But right now I don’t quite feel there is any need. Apple’s AirTag tech was actually good and I wouldn’t want a phone without it now, but that was something I discovered after getting the phone. It wouldn’t be enough to upgrade on its own.
Eventually, I realised that smartphones are just substandard device:
- for doing programming, still not a match for PC/laptop
- for making pictures, still not a match for your favorite APSC/FF/medium format cameras
- for reading books/comics, not a match for you favourite dedicated book reader
- etc
These days, I only use my phone mostly for Whatsapp, Telegram, social media, music, reading some papers/books. No need for the latest, shiniest phone for those. My main phone is already 4 years old and doesn't receive update newer than Android 10. Probably will buy a new phone next... or the two next year.
Nowadays, there are better or equally good phones (my opinion), and Apple has also increased the relative cost for the newer models. People are really wondering whether they should spend more money to get pretty much the same phone. With more availability of phones and more options, there are just going to be more people who dislike the product/like the product but buy something else.
Additionally, there are still people waiting in the cold for new iPhones, it just may not be you because you have grown as a person and you feel waiting for new technology is behind you.
To me, it feels like the PC market 20+ years ago compared to nowadays. When Moore's Law was still in full effect, your 4 years old PC (or Mac) was a slow piece of junk. Today, a computer from 2018 is perfectly fine for almost every task unless maybe you're a Java developer or film editor. The reason is different, the effect is similar. Let's see what others comment on this, regarding Apple Silicon :)
Sure the screen is bigger and better (but not breathtaking at a reasonable brightness), photos are way better for sure, but the rest, meh.
The battery life is not impressive, the OS is kind of irritating (and all excessively... rounded?), TouchID and FaceID do not work better.
It's OK, it works, but yeah it's hard to get excited with newer models.
No company has introduced anything groundbreaking in the phone industry. However, in the 2010s many features that we have today in smartphones just weren't there.
Regardless, I think Apple is getting better at making money off me regardless. Their Apple One subscription is really nice. I pay it quite happily.
But your bog standard slab phone has barely changed over the last 5-6 years. In the past the features came in thick and fast - quick charging, wireless/reverse charging, better cameras, much better batteries, multi-touch, waterproof, OLED hi-res screens, more storage... but now the changes are much smaller and more incremental, it's natural to be less excited about them. For example, the practical jump between 3G and 4G was much bigger than between 4G and 5G. I just don't find it exciting at all.
The companies that make them have also become much more serious as well. That new camera module or button feature is now billions of cut-throat R&D.
Now you will need to at least wait 3-4 years to upgrade to see the WoW factor ( mostly in Camera ).
What is in the list of improvement?
QNED? but the difference isn't as drastic as LCD to OLED. Especially when its main improvement is its longevitiviyty.
SoC, would doubling the ST and MT performance really makes much difference to your phone experience. I.e When was it CPU bound?
5G SA, and WiFi 7. Most of these wouldn't be much from a single user experience, your mainly benefits are in capacity constrain situation. Important and Nice to have but it isn't your 3G to 4G upgrading experience.
Camera. -
The biggest hardware innovation that is left on Smartphone is battery.
During a time when running certain software would be a challenge for your phone or taking a picture or video would produce quite grainy quality.
Especially when even todays midtier phones can handle almost any software and produce decent quality footage.
It doesn't help that most gimmicky phones just haven't catched on, even Samsungs fold.
It happens unfortunately https://youtu.be/zxRFQ_333_Y
Just a thought.
Edit: personally I want apple to make an eInk iPhone. It will never happen, but oh how I wish.
I literally just bought a top of the range 14, being an upgrade from a 7+ today. Very much doubt I'll manage a 5+ year jump again though since I'm guessing there will be some interface paradigm shift coming. (AR or whatever)
Things will get exciting again when they can do something new, probably something AI, rather than a now unnecessary percentage improvement of what they can already do.
I've never been able to understand this kind of devotion. But then again, I got my first smartphone many years after everybody else I know did.
It's always been hollow and gauche (and I would add trashy). You just didn't realize it back then.
Basically, if a firm profits in selling you something and then manage to convince you to get emotionally involved, you're being played.
Anyway, I'm glad you've opened your eyes.
EDIT: I just read other answers here and at this time they're literally all "it's because iphones haven't improved". I'm speechless.
Usually it is a faster CPU, which matters less than it sounds because most things I do on the phone are messaging or talking to a web service, not CPU bound, or camera tweaks.