How iPhone's Subtle Innovation Keeps Us Hooked

In 2007, the iPhone launch changed the face of the mobile phone and internet industry.

In 2024, the iPhone 16…… launched. That too without its most marketed feature- Apple Intelligence.

Apple released a public beta version of Apple Intelligence, but the software is not available for use yet.

And since 2019, iPhone launches have followed a familiar pattern: a new model, subtle upgrades, and scores of people (Android users) asking “What’s changed?”?

Yet, every year, customers rush to buy the latest iPhone. And this year’s incomplete launch did little to dampen the enthusiasm.?

So this raises an important question: What’s cooking?

Just kidding.?

What’s the secret behind Apple’s enduring appeal?

Research tells us that the “Apple Factor” lies not in dramatic leaps anymore but in incremental, thoughtful innovation.?

Look at the first 10 years of the iPhone, and you’ll see that Apple introduced innovative features that laid the foundation of ‘smartphones’, as we know them today >>

1. Touch screen changed the face of the mobile phone industry, literally.
2. Apple app store brought apps to its users, and the ‘mobile phone’ now became a smartphone that could do much more than calling people and clicking photos.?
3. The 64-bit-A7 processor brought computer-like processing power to the smartphone.
4. And 3D touch brought pressure-sensitive screen technology.?

And now, look at some of the features Apple introduced in the last 10 years:

1. Dual cameras and water resistance?
2. Face ID- an improvement over Touch ID
3. Portrait and cinematic mode?
4. 3D touch was replaced by a more intuitive haptic touch
5. Dynamic island?

By 2015, the basic structure of what a smartphone could do was in place. There wasn’t much left to innovate.?

So, the more latest iPhone features are not game changers in isolation, but they focus on improving the overall user experience.

Apple takes a different approach: It perfects tech rather than adding flashy features every year.?

They keep adding stuff that ‘completes’ the user experience rather than disrupts it.

And it seems to work.?

If you’ve ever used an iPhone, you’ll be floored by the premiumness of the device, a clear distinction from its Android counterparts.?

This distinction is not a result of in-your-face fancy features but small iterations that make using an iPhone ‘just right’.?

And, Apple users rarely switch to competitors. Studies have also shown that everyone aspires to buy an iPhone at least once in their lifetime.?

So what’s the lesson?

While competitors race for novelty, Apple sells something more valuable: consistency.

And that’s why Apple iPhone launches are such cultural events.?

It’s not just a phone—At first, it’s a status you’ll be striving to reach. And then, it’s an experience you’ll be unwilling to let go of.