Apple has released a new model of their smartphone annually, even though some are saying for the last few years that technology in smartphones has hit a plateau. 

The new iPhone 17 lineup releases on Sept. 19, and with prices continuing to go up, it has raised concerns among some. 

Jaiden Winborne, a computer science major at Central Connecticut State University and Apple user, explained Apple’s yearly iPhone releases often feel disingenuous to the benefit of the consumer. “Money wise, it feels more like a money-making scheme rather than it being beneficial for Apple users.” he said. Since Apple’s recent price changes, with last year’s iPhone 16 Pro Max increasing by $100 and the iPhone 17 now matching that price, a jump Apple attributes to raising the minimum storage from 128GB to 256GB on both Pro models. 

Another new addition to Apple’s lineup is the iPhone Air, which is in place of their usual iPhone Plus models, and it costs $100 more. 

Apple said that the new iPhone 17 is more durable than previous models, meaning more benefits for long-term expenses. 

According to Apple they have put an updated version of their Ceramic Shield not just on the front of their phone, but on the back for the first time. This, coupled with a unibody design, makes the phone more structurally secure and makes scratches and cracks less likely. 

The phone has a high upfront cost, but these could save you money on those smartphone repairs when having an accident with your phone. 

The iPhone 17 Pro has a 48-megapixel fusion and ultra-wide camera, something that CCSU students in film or photography-based majors could get a lot of use out of with something that fits in their pocket.  

However, the 48MP main camera is not new to this year’s pro model but was new to last year’s 16 Pro. 

The new iPhone Pro boasts a “new” chipset, but beneath the branding, it mirrors last year’s iPhone 16 Pro. It also still runs on the same 6-core central processing unit, the smartphone’s brain, raising questions about how much innovation Apple is really delivering. 

The iPhone 15 and 14 lineups had the same 6-core CPU. 

So, even if your major uses intensive applications, if you are utilizing them on the last three generations of iPhone Pro models, it’s the same.  

According to Apple, the iPhone 17 Pro has up to 33 hours of continuous video playback battery life, and the Pro Max has up to 39 hours.  

This could be useful to the CCSU students who start early and spend all day in classes and extracurricular activities that keep them out into the late hours. 

Upgrading to a new battery alone could be a factor for students who find their phone dying before a full day on campus ends.  

The similarities between the new iPhone Air to the iPhone 16 Plus are hard to ignore. They both share 27 hours of battery life, 6-core CPU, and a 48-megapixel main camera with the Air only differing in its smaller screen size. For some users, that lack of distinction shows why their recent updates have lost its innovative commitment as a company. “I only upgraded because my 12 started to feel like an older generation, and I upgraded to feel more current with my phone, not the features,” Winborne said, proving that some users aren’t upgrading for the new technology but more so out of pressure to keep up with the pace with Apple’s release cycle. This was a four-year wait for an upgrade, but he said he could see himself waiting even longer next time. 

“It really depends on the features that have been implemented. If there are new features that are actually worth going for, then yeah,” Winborne said. 

Winborne believes tech companies should be using a longer time frame for an upgrade cycle, rather than annually. 

“I would say companies should wait probably around two or three years (to release a new smartphone). I feel like they already have planned out new features inside the phone, and they can wait to update while considering how the outside can be further worked on,” he said. 

Sales data released by Apple and CNBC supports that the regular iPhone user is beginning to upgrade more years apart.  

iPhone sales peaked at 231.2 million units in 2015, dipped to under 200 million by 2019 to 2020, and peaked again at 242 million in 2021. Since then, sales have leveled off at around 230 million units a year through 2024.  These numbers show that Apple only really sees a large increase in their number of iPhone units sold every few years, and for the last three years running the figure has not changed all that drastically. 

This suggests that people are holding onto their phones longer, as Apple reported at the end of the 2024 fiscal year that they have a projected 1.4 billion active iPhone users.  

With only 230 million new units being sold every year, this would not even be 18% of their active user base in 2024 buying a new iPhone model each of the last three years. 

Users are waiting longer to see more features and innovative changes before deciding to upgrade.