The Age of Upgrades: How and Why Our Devices Dictate our Decisions

Graphic by Samantha Wolf

Graphic by Samantha Wolf

The late Steve Jobs is rightfully touted as a visionary thinker, executive, businessman, and tech mogul. Apple, a constant monopoly-threat on everyday technology, is now led by CEO Tim Cook, who has carried on Jobs’ legacy well. 


This month, the latest iteration of the iPhone rolled out with sleek features such as 5G capability, higher camera quality and even a reimagined stainless steel finish. 


The new line of Apple smartphones — iPhone 12s — have been released with force: there are four new iPhone 12s, along with three other lower priced models such as the iPhone SE. That makes for seven(!) potential Apple smartphone candidates for first and second-world citizens to choose from. 


The projection is that this line of iPhones will make 5G the new baseline of network speed and processing power. Smartphone downloads and streaming will occur at a rate that, not long ago, would have been considered wholly infeasible. 


Let me go back for a moment to 2007. Apple launched the very first iPhone, presented on stage by Jobs, sporting his trademark black turtleneck (the YouTube video of this has since gone viral, with over 27 million views). 


The new device touted all the capabilities of Apple’s once-flagship product, the iPod, but with the additional features of a new-age telephone that, in his presentation, Jobs promised was “five years ahead of any other phone on the market.” 


In a mighty leap of faith, Jobs phased out his own landmark invention — the arrival of the iPhone instantly made the beloved iPod obsolete. 


Consider the gravity of this endeavor — for one to intentionally render their own claim to fame as unnecessary, superfluous, and outmoded takes serious self-belief and vision. Sure, we praise the genius of Steve Jobs. But often we forget this subtle yet magnificent show of faith he had in himself and his new smartphone. 


Since the 2007 introduction of the first iPhone (and the subsequent redundancy of the iPod), Apple has released a new iPhone every single year. Each year, they squeeze in new features and proceed to sell it to the world as if it were a brand new, never-before-seen product. 


Casual Apple users and die-hard loyalists alike camp outside Apple stores on launch day just to get their hands on a product that, fundamentally, they have been purchasing year after year. 

Like anyone else, I fall into this vogue too. The slick marketing campaigns with attractive actors, futuristic animations and savvy calls to action convey something along the lines of, how has anyone survived without this phone before?

Brighter colors. 

Sharper cameras. 

Bigger screens. 

Higher definition. 


Most of these changes that happen from one year to the next are too subtle for non-experts to pick up on. To hold this year’s iPhone 12 in one hand and last year’s iPhone 11 in the other, could the discrepancy be anything but negligible?  


Throughout history, the acquisition of the inventions of the day — whether candle wick or printing press or lightbulb — have kept man abreast with the times. This trend has steepened in trajectory to such a rate that by the time you learn to use a “new” device, it has already become outdated. 


In 1965, Gordon Moore, CEO of Intel, observed that the “number of transistors in a dense integrated circuit (IC) doubles about every two years.” This theory, dubbed Moore’s Law, was extrapolated to technology at large. The hypothesis of doubling processing power every two years has remained, to a great extent, accurate up to today. 


The implication of Moore’s Law is that any attempt to stay abreast with technology is a Sisyphean task.


Each year, the products that dominate our livelihoods — smartphones, laptops, headphones — are released anew by the companies that have both our loyalty and a deathgrip on our wallets. Like clockwork, Apple sells their smartphones at something close to a thousand bucks a pop with the guarantee that it is a different product than the year prior. 


Asking whether or not one can afford this is no longer the most pressing question; rather, it seems people ask instead how soon can I get my hands on this? 


At first and up until only recently, it remained unclear whether this compulsion to upgrade was primarily coming from the seller or buyer. Then, in 2017, Apple admitted to intentionally slowing down older models of their iPhones. Their claim was that it preserved battery life, however internet forums claim otherwise: this was a ploy to force people to buy Apple’s latest and greatest. 


With Apple, among other companies, regularly releasing new models of old products, the challenge posed to consumers is one of intentionality. To be more intentional about what technologies are purchased out of necessity and want. To be more mindful about whether an upgrade is worth it, in the monetary cost or the changes from the previous model. 


This is not to say that upgrades are inherently bad. We need them to move forward and improve, as individuals and as a planet. I appreciate my 2020 Macbook because it allows me to do things — unavoidable and necessary tasks — that I could not do otherwise on my previous device. 


However, upgrading for the sake of upgrading raises concerns of gluttony and decadence. This is where intentionality factors into the consumer calculus. Developing a weary eye for ostensibly landmark iPhone releases is a good place to start. 


How can Apple continue to make the very same device “revolutionary” 13 years in a row (and counting)?


Or, a better question instead may be: how come we as consumers keep falling for the same, arbitrary promise? The answer to this may be a hard pill to swallow.


While the computing power of the devices in our pockets have skyrocketed, we as people have stayed generally the same. Sadly, Moore’s Law does not also apply to human brain power or evolutionary trajectory. 


The age of upgrades is upon us. How long humans continue living in it is something that our devices will decide for us.

Phil Rosen

A USC grad, Insider Journalist and bestselling author, Phil spent much of the last few years overseas. He loves long-form narrative writing and finding stories of people and places that are usually untold. Phil has a passion for sports and fitness, and an undergraduate degree background in kinesiology and philosophy.

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