Earlier this morning, I saw a poll that was asking smartphone owners, specifically iPhone owners, if they were planning to upgrade to a new iPhone later this year. I've asked the same question over the years, but I typically wait for a few different things to happen. First and foremost, that a new smartphone has actually been announced.
Even for someone like me, who typically upgrades every year, it's not a set-in-stone sort of situation. For example, last year when Apple unveiled the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, I don't think I would have even considered upgrading if they hadn't also unveiled the iPhone X. Not that there is anything wrong with the 8 or 8 Plus, but I was happy enough with the 7 Plus at the time.
Asking iPhone owners if they are already going to upgrade to a new device later this year, when it's only March, seems a little too far out.
Then again, maybe it isn't. Situations are different for every customer, and it's definitely possible that someone's smartphone is on the way out, and they already plan on introducing a new one into their life at some point in the future. That's definitely understandable. Plus, there's also the fact that as phone prices fluctuate (even with the adoption of phone payment plans), a little bit of planning might be in order to afford that new flagship handset.
I don't think about upgrading a phone, or anything really, until there is something new to actually upgrade to. That's even in the cases where I've had a device long enough that it has started to show its age, in one way or another. Don't get me wrong, I've definitely had the thought, "I need a new computer" or something, but I don't start actually planning for that event until there's a new device that I know I actually want.
But that poll, and my own ways of handling upgrades, got me wondering: How far ahead do you start planning, in one way or another, for your next smartphone (or other device) upgrade? Is it something you plan at all, or is it a spur-of-the-moment sort of situation more often than not? Let me know!
