Is Apple Greedy?
"Greedy" - Excessively desirous of acquiring or possessing, especially wishing to possess more than what one needs or deserves.
After having just learned that the iPhone 5 may be heading our way this Summer, it seems to me that Apple is really shoving products down our throat at a rate that is bordering on unseemly.
Notwithstanding the dictionary definition of "greedy", of course there is no business model formula I'm aware of that reads if A+B>X = greedy. Nor I am not coming at this from an anti-capitalist standpoint; I realize it is the engine that has driven the American economy these many years, and it is a company's responsibility to maximize profits for it's investors.
However, launching a new premium smart phone model every year - or less - whether we need it or not (I'm looking at you, iPhone 4s) seems a bit, well, gauche.
I realize this may be a personal thing of mine; I acknowledge that it's cool to go buy a new gadget, and it's nice to see improvements that give you the feeling that you are really getting some extra benefits for your money. In some instances though, a software update could also bring some nice new features, and doesn't frequently releasing slightly improved hardware dilute the impact - or are we consumers just as greedy?
I wonder if Apple is taking their loyal customers (and they are a loyal bunch) for granted - and if so, do they run the risk of an eventual backlash somewhere down the road? Are we now officially on a "rapid release cycle" for hardware as well?
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