Most smartphone manufacturers have followed Apple and limited the durability of the handsets to its battery, the component with the least longevity. With back-sealed handsets, it has left customers with no choice but to go for upgrades if there is any problem with the battery. “Every fortnight, Nike releases Air Jordan 1 in a new colour,” says Rashid.īut Apple has done something that Nike hasn’t. “Apple upgrades look like facelifts and iPhone 13, 14 and 15 all look the same,” says Rashid. Even then, if one isn’t looking for them, it is very easy to miss the visual cues to the latest version. From one version to another, it has just tweaked the appearance of its iPhones and Apple watches. Unless there is a path-breaking technological innovation, the shape of things to come will only be different visually.Īpple is a master in that. It seems we have reached the peak of smartphone evolution, at least, as far as hardware is concerned. “Unless you run some benchmarks that measure theoretical performance, you won’t be able to make out if it is an iPhone 12 or iPhone 15,” says tech journalist Aman Rashid. There is not much change in the performance from iPhone 12 to iPhone 15. This expectation of change and upgrades fits perfectly into the free market’s foundational ethos – that there will be an ever-increasing cycle of needs.īut what are these upgrades or variants that are being pushed into the market? And is it that the companies are to blame for exploiting us? Where you have to change and keep evolving and that creates anxiety. While each individual aspect of change is expected, the consequence of that is you live in a world that is more unstable. It is like you are entitled to that change, that upgrade,” says Santosh Desai. It is an expectation that you will have an upgrade, a new iPhone, of an app. But for the younger generation, it’s an expectation. “Tech change for the older generation is still about fascination, wonder and what all is possible. How we see the upgrades has to do with our mental model of technological advancement. The younger generation also perceives that change is a way of life, that upgrades are its entitlement. Where you have to change and keep evolving and that creates anxiety, says author-columnist Santosh Desai. The Guwahati-based psychiatrist says practitioners get many cases, mostly adolescents, with behaviour problems because of the constant urge to upgrade and adds that the conditions improve with psychotherapy and medication. It is more prevalent among adolescents, leading to behavioural problems in many,” explains Anweshak Das. This leads to fear of missing out, leading to anxiety and depression. There’s restlessness and anxiety to change the device, which many cannot afford to do. The person thinks his device is outdated. “For example, a person buys a new mobile phone and within a few days another newer version is launched. It is like an addiction for them.' This is a big statement coming from Rashid, who is devoted to Nike’s Air Jordan 1 series and bought a pair for Rs 42,000 from a reseller store when it was priced at just Rs 14,999.įrequent facelifts and variants pushed into the market do cause anxiety and stress among people as they try to keep up with the advancements, says psychiatrist Anweshak Das. “It is not about spending big money, but about being frequent buyers. “I find the guys queuing up outside the Apple store crazy,” says Rashid.

Is this constant urge to upgrade leading to some anxiety? Is the need to be in possession of the latest version of everything a mental disorder? Why do brands come up with so many versions so frequently? And more importantly, who or what makes people like Rahul, Vivek and Aman Rashid queue up? IS SEEKING IPHONE 15 A MENTAL DISORDER? In 2019, he stood in a long queue at an Adidas store in 2019 to buy the latest pair that was all the rage at that moment in time.īe it mobiles, earphones, sunglasses, videogames, sneakers or cars, the world around us is changing fast. “This urge to buy new variants isn’t just for phones, it is true for sneakers as well,” says Rashid, admitting coyly that he is a sneakerhead, who has 50 pairs of shoes in his collection.

But is the urge to upgrade, the desire for the latest variant limited to just gadgets?

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