Day: September 25, 2025

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Interesting. The rush for new iphones & watches doesn’t seem as fevered this year.

Something I watch after each Apple iPhone release is the backlog.

I had to wait for weeks when I wanted to get an iPhone 12. It was almost 2 months when I got my Apple 5s.

I had to wait for almost a month to get my Apple Watch Ultra. They just weren’t available. I got my ultra because I happened to duck into a store to look at their display model and found they had a few in stock. It wasn’t the band color I wanted, but I had the unit in hand and bought it knowing I had a collection of bands at home from previous Apple Watches.

This year, yes, there are shortages in some stores but nothing like in years past. It looks like I could head down to my local Apple Store, or my preferred Apple Store in Orange County & pick up a new watch and phone today if I was of a mind to.

We’re less than one full week out from the release date. In years past, no-one would have stock.

I see two possibilities. 1) Apple is better anticipating the demand, 2) Folks aren’t running out to drop a ton of money on the new products.

Perhaps it’s a combination of both.

I might replace my current Ultra, I’m thinking about it. My watch is 3 years old. My phone is 2 years old. Technically I could replace both without thinking too much about it. The watch battery is showing signs of age but it still gets me through a day and then some, more or less.

Apple Watch Ultra on Wrist Pocket My phone is showing signs of normal battery degradation but it’s not annoying me, generally speaking it does what I want it to do, with power lasting until bedtime.

In both instances, I’m intrigued by the new features but not enough to be drooling or demanding Apple take my money.

The trade in values do tend to make upgrading a tad more attractive. I wonder if other people are in the same boat?

Maybe people are starting to question the yearly rush to get the new “shiny”. Or maybe people are seeing that the products are kind of iterative and that waiting multiple years between upgrades gives them more value for their dollar.

I’m interested in the AirPods Pro 3. I’ve really enjoyed my version 2s and an update in that area would be welcome.

It’s just interesting to note that the rush doesn’t seem to be as intense as it’s been in the past.