Even before many different sectors of the technology market had yearly refreshes, it moved quickly. I can still recall, “back in the day,” listening to people complain about the TV they just bought, and how a brand new one was somehow better. Bigger, thinner, higher definition, cheaper for the same size — there were plenty of scenarios.

Now we’ve got phones, tablets, smartwatches, computers, and a variety of other markets that see refreshes right around the corner.

And, for those of us out there that choose to buy new pieces of technology every year, we’re fully aware that, 12 months from that purchase date (if we manage to get it on launch day), something new and better is just waiting to replace whatever it is we’re buying today.

Yearly upgrades are part of the fun these days, and there’s nothing to stop the madness. Apple, Samsung, HTC (for awhile longer, anyway), Motorola, and pretty much every other company dealing with smartphones, laptops, tablets, smartwatches and other products are working on the next big thing the moment they announce the thing they’ll be replacing.

I can’t help but wonder if that’s the case for tablets, though. It’s something that you’ve probably heard spoken about, too. People say, “Folks don’t upgrade their tablets as often as their phones,” and that’s probably true. But why is that the case? A tablet is just a bigger phone, usually, and, more than that, companies are typically launching new and better versions a year later.

So of course I’m curious to know why those folks might not be upgrading their tablet every year, but they’ll upgrade their smartwatch, or phone. And perhaps the same can be said for computers, too, but for now we’ll just focus on tablets.

I can understand the reasoning behind not wanting to buy a new tablet, or phone, or smartwatch, every year, because what you already own is good enough. As long as it keeps doing what you initially bought it for, and the battery life is still okay, upgrading isn’t the most important thing, right? But is this really the reason why some people might not upgrade their tablet every year?

I upgrade my tablet every year, typically. I guess I’ve had this iPad Air 2 since it launched, and since Apple didn’t unveil a successor at the tail-end of 2015, I’ve had it a bit longer than I typically would. However, if Apple does indeed announce an Air 3 at an event in March, I’ll be trading up. I do it for the upgrades in the processor, and other additions, but more often than not I’m replacing a tablet with a new one just like I do my smartphone.

But, what about you? If you have a tablet that you use, do you upgrade every year? Or do you typically keep it for a longer cycle? Let me know!