Why Apple and Samsung Can’t Innovate

In 2007, Apple released the first iPhone, redefining the mobile phone. But now, it’s rare to see anything truly innovative from Apple’s annual releases. What does the future hold for Apple, in this era of pointless innovation?

While still adhering to this annual cycle, in recent years, phone makers have fallen into a more iterative release schedule and have not made the huge strides in technical innovation that they did in the early days of smartphones. Despite toppling major phone brands like Nokia and Blackberry almost overnight, today, the best features Apple can promote are more cameras, improved battery life, incremental improvements in image quality, and more. This compares to the old, annual improvements like the iPhone 3G, front-facing selfie camera, iMessage, iCloud, Siri, Apple Pay, and so on.

This slowdown in innovation is causing consumers to hold onto their phones for longer, with US consumers upgrading their phones every 2.67 years in 2023, down from 2.53 years in 2015. Globally, this figure has dropped to 3.6 years. Additionally, consumers are increasingly opting for cheaper or older models to save money against rising costs. This is reflected in Apple’s introduction of the iPhone brand versus the iPhone Pro and Google releasing ‘A’ models for its Pixel devices. Wearables such as smartwatches and premium devices such as Samsung’s Z Flip and Fold are being used to diversify and offset slowing sales.

As innovation slows, awareness of the environmental damage Apple is causing with its overproduction is now growing. Is Apple’s technological peak coming to an end? Or will they find the Apple magic to innovate again?