Based on the rapid iPad 3rd Gen - iPad 4th Gen turnaround, Apple could be moving to 6 monthly (incremental) upgrades, like every other electronics manufacturer.
Price drops could be thought of as clearing stock for the 5S and an iPad 5.
We know iPhone 5S is ready to go, and the flagship iPad just begs to be gifted the new 'feels like it's empty' technology of iPhone5/iPadMini fame.
So it's iPhone 5S in March and iPad 5 in May? Right? Tim?
Let's look at a 6 monthly turnaround for Apple.
The yearly upgrade for iOS devices serves to give customers confidence in an investment in Apple product. I'm the first to defend this scheme. If you upgrade iPhones on a 2 yearly contract basis, you know your iPhone will only be one model out of date before you get to upgrade again.
It appears that Apple's philosophy may be changing. Tim Cook is firmly taking control, and as the supply-guy, maybe he sees a more frequent upgrade cycle as being more comfortable for Apple's increasingly consumer customer base.
What's wrong with buying Apple at the moment? Well, the products are great, but you need to keep track of when new models are likely, to 'time' your investment. Why should customers have to read rumour sites to know when to make a purchase? Regular readers of Apple news and rumours sites may be appalled that this daily/hourly habit might be undesirable or even negated by Tim Cook's Apple.
What's best for customers, might well be knowing that any time they buy Apple, they're getting the latest technology and they don't have to wait for a yearly upgrade to take a leap forward, thus assuring their investment will last as long as possible.
What's good for Apple here, is more constant sales figures throughout the year. This won't make Wall St, "analysts" and maybe even fanatics happy. They all like to see big spikes in sales as proof of success. The net effect might also be that Samsung can't claim in the weeks leading up to an iPhone release, "they're number one!" however temporarily.
Question is… "Can Apple customers get used to more frequent, incremental product upgrades, in the iOS world?" Maybe your iPhone will be 4 models out of date after two years, but if the difference between models is only incremental, will that matter so much? It's a an adjustment in (particularly) fan mindset, but is it too big an adjustment to make? I guess we'll find out if Mr Cook has success with this strategy. One thing's for sure, Apple media events may get a little dull, until the next-big-thing comes along.
Has mobile computing matured so fast that we're now talking incremental updates, like the Macintosh line? Like it or not, this may be true, not least in terms of Apple facing off against, admittedly meagre competition. Channel stuffing by Samsung doesn't seem to be sustainable, but even though the usage statistics tell a different story—the media in general goes with the myth, if for no other reason than it generates drama/readers/clicks, in a world where otherwise, they'd be reporting on how well Apple is doing (again).
Is Apple set to disrupt the rumour industry, too? This could get interesting.
Personally, I'm hoping the sudden maturity of mobile, is making way for Apple's next big disruption, whatever that is.
