Why The iPhone 14 Will Bring On A Mega-Upgrade Cycle
With some of the recent news and rumors about the iPhone 14 coming out this week, it’s safe to say it’s shaping up to be a mega upgrade cycle type of device.
First, let’s define the mega-upgrade cycle. This happens when a device is launched and it has the feathers and specs to get people to upgrade no matter what previous generation device they have. This pulls demand forward by 1–2 years. Meaning if people usually upgrade after 2–3 years anyone who has a device just 1–2 years old would upgrade.
I would argue that the iPhone X was the last time a feature was introduced that was big enough to pull demand forward for some consumers. This was the introduction of the “ edge to edge” screen (I use quotes because I was disappointed to get it and still have so much bevel!). Since then each iteration has been minor updates. That when taken together has pushed the iPhone way beyond what was offered in the X. Taken individually though they are very incremental changes.
The iPhone 13 was just launched this past October and while it has some great specs, it lacked the killer feature needed to bring about a mega upgrade cycle. The most notable feature was the ProRes format on the iPhone 13 Pro model. While this is a great feature for professional users it doesn’t have much to draw for your everyday iPhone user who just scrolls Instagram and TikTok. What people were looking for was something that would force them to upgrade from their iPhone 11 or 12 directly to a 13 however, that feature was not present. The iPhone 13 did draw a lot of upgrades from models older than the 11 and 12 for its much-improved camera, but this is not a megacycle. This is a normal upgrade cycle every 2 to 3 years.
Now looking ahead to the iPhone 14, what is the feature that could draw people to upgrade from the 11 or 12 or even the 13? Based on recent rumors as reported by MacRumors it looks like it could be a hole-punch display. Having an edge-to-edge display without a notch is what people have been waiting for from Apple for years. This would set this device apart from anything they have done in the past. That is the kind of feature that gets people excited. Enough excitement to get people to upgrade from any previous version, even the iPhone 13.
This change would also put the iPhone on a similar playing field as top-of-the-line Android devices like the Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy. Those consumers who went to Android because of the notch may come back. So not only are we getting upgrades from current customers, we could be clawing back some of those who left.
If you want to know a way that Apple could ensure that this next release prompts an explosion of sales? Check out my other article on what could be Apple‘s next one more thing moment. If they add this one more thing in addition to this punch-out screen on the iPhone 14, we could be entering a new era of Apple dominance in the marketplace.
