Apple is moving away from its familiar strategy of releasing new products, potentially leading to more releases and fewer delays.
Apple changes strategy for releasing products
Apple’s strategy for new product releases has been the same for years. There is an event in the spring with Macs, the WWDC in June with all the OS previews, September is for new iPhones and Apple Watches and in October we will see new Macs and iPads. Apple occasionally deviates from this strategy, but broadly speaking this is the annual schedule.
This strategy by Apple helps employees work towards the same goal and avoids confusion regarding deadlines. It also ensures that analysts and investors know what to expect (a reliable sales increase in the fall, for example). Moreover, the iPhone event always takes place at a time when the holidays are over and there is media attention again.
More products, more events
Yet Apple is about to change this strategy, as we read in the latest newsletter by Mark Gurman. That’s because Apple has a wider range of products these days. It is not practical to update all those products every year. In addition, there are products (such as the Apple Watch Ultra or iPhone SE) that do not require an update that often.
In fact, Apple is already deviating from its usual strategy. New iPads appeared last May and in January 2023 faster Macs and a new HomePod arrived. Apple has also launched new Macs in June (such as the 15-inch MacBook Air during WWDC in 2023 and the 13-inch version the year before). But it appears Apple is moving on to a more fluid approach, releasing products when they’re ready.
Deferred software updates
In recent years, Apple has been forced to delay important new features in software updates, sometimes for weeks or months. The company promised all kinds of improvements during WWDC in June, but some features were pushed back from September to December or even March.
Apple realizes this is a problem. You can see this, for example, in Apple Intelligence. When introducing Apple Intelligence in June, Apple already hinted that the rollout would take place over several months.
More diversified strategy from Apple
An annual update is not necessary for all products. Although Apple will probably maintain the annual strategy for new iPhones, the situation is different with other products. For example, the Apple Watch Ultra and Apple Watch SE will not receive an update until 2025. In part, this is because Apple’s hardware innovation has slowed, so it makes sense to save up two years’ worth of features first.
But there are other signs that Apple’s releases are becoming more staggered. The company is planning several new products in both halves of next year and also plans to release major updates to iOS 18 during that period. This allows Apple to link hardware launches to new software features.
To continue this from 2026 onwards, Apple will stick to the more diversified strategy. The change may make investors nervous, but Apple can ultimately be more innovative without these restrictions (and perhaps generate more revenue outside of the holiday season, too).
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