Apple’s Supply Chain Bet

ft.com

10 pointskrn3 comments

One strong reason for wanting to take over the entire supply chain isn't profit on the front end, it's making sure you can squash anyone who will repair your devices by using the government. This keeps people coming back for a new phone every 2 years as the cost to repair a new one rises up above the replacement cost. (Some people will pay more than a new phone to keep certain things)

Another is that their bet on China and the subsequent doubling down was a huge mistake, in retrospect.

> This keeps people coming back for a new phone every 2 years as the cost to repair a new one rises up above the replacement cost

I might replace my 2016 iPhone this coming fall, but the Apple-induced reason has nothing to do with repair or supply chains and everything to do with not running iOS 16 and the impending end of security patches for iOS 15. (Actually there's one more Apple-induced reason: they broke GarageBand, one of my favorite apps, on iOS 15! Very annoying.)

The other reason I might want to upgrade is that technology probably does advance slightly over 6-7 years.

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