Apple Re-Targets Annual Refresh - Maybe

While the average person might go through several pairs of inexpensive headphones in a year, few items truly need refreshing every 12 months. Yet, over the years, tech companies have implanted fans with an intense FOMO, or Fear of Missing Out, by keeping their products on tight release schedules.

Apple's calendar had been as predictable as the moon's phases - a sneak peek in June before products go on sale in the autumn.

That all changed in 2024, when Apple announced plans to pull back from a regular release cycle for its biggest models, reducing delays and getting products out of the factory more often. Leaks of the iPhone 17e suggest, however, that Tim Cook's company might be about to backtrack on that idea, just a little bit.

Super-Powered Devices

The number of devices in the global smartphone catalogue seems at odds with how popular low-power, low-spec apps and games are. Longer battery life, more memory space, and just greater efficiency overall remain highly attractive features for modern devices.

But this doesn't stop users from seeking apps and settings that even further maximize the efficiency of their devices. For instance, the casino slots that Paddy Power have been making increasingly available on iPhone are designed for brief sessions. That said, their app does support longer, more intensive game shows and live casino sessions, thereby catering to both the limits of the technology and the more common usage.

With this in mind, the super-powered devices coming out each year seem primarily to serve the needs of the exceptions, those games pushing the boundaries of handheld tech. Also, we may well be years into a power plateau, where a fair amount of tech rarely seems to be making any major strides.

The smartphone market declined in 2018, when software company IDC noted a slight dip (0.2%) in sales worldwide. That figure would have been insignificant if not for the fact that the industry experienced a slump in 2022 and 2023, as well. The downward trend corrected itself in 2024, but there's evidence that new mobile phones are being released into an unappreciative market, one that increasingly prizes second-hand models.

"Speed Bump"

So, the news that the iPhone 17e will get a version each year might seem to go against the current industry grain. Yes, the outlook is brighter, with growth in the smartphone market between 4-7%, depending on the analysts, but much of that growth came from China, via brands like Xiaomi and Vivo. Also, experts note that 2023 was the worst year in a decade for the market.

The iPhone 17e does have a better chance than most, though.

According to the grapevine, the iPhone 17e will release in May 2026, later than this year's iteration of the 'e', which launched in February 2025. This date does seem to confirm the return to an annual release cycle for at least some of Apple's devices, but keep in mind that this is all the evidence the internet has at present. Worryingly, MSN described the 17e as a possible "speed bump" due to the 16e's recent revamp. It might not have much in the way of innovation for eager fans.

The good news is that the 'e' is the most affordable smartphone in Apple's orchard, with the potential to reach both lower-income households and the second-hand or 'grey' market that doesn't contribute much to the company's coffers. Still, sometimes, it's worth wondering just who the device-a-year model is actually for.