I didn’t get the first generation of iphone, but I did get the second—confusingly called the 3G. And a 4 and a 5. They were improving so fast that it kind of made sense to get one every other year. Also, they weren’t cheap, but they were cheaper than they are now.
I might not have gotten a 6 if I didn’t put my 5 in the wash, but I did so I did.
I hung on to that 6 for a while though, and eventually replaced it with an 11.
I recently replaced that 11 with a 16 pro. I’ve switched from a 2-year update cycle to a 5-year cycle.
My wife asked me if it was worth it. I sighed and said “It was an emotional purchase.” I just wanted the new gadget. I do like it—it’s a great phone, and I appreciate the improved camera system and the magsafe back. I do notice that the new phone is faster, but I never felt held back by the old one. The promised AI features are not a selling point for me.
But there was nothing really wrong with the old phone—it’s still a good phone too, although Apple will stop issuing software updates for it at some point (probably about a year from now).
It’s interesting that smartphones have reached a level of maturity such that old phones remain good enough for a long time, and the benefits of a new phone are more in the realm of marginal gains.
#iPhone