Deep in the dark, dusty reaches of your junk drawer lies a lifeless smartphone. Other than being a paper weight since you upgraded to that hot phone released last month, it slowly wastes away until its battery drains and it loses all consciousness-Slipping into smartphone “death.”
Like people, your smartphone has a life cycle. It’s “born.” It “lives.” It “dies.” According to a 2011 study done by Recon Analytics, the average lifespan for a handset in the United States is about 21.7 months. Knowing that, how many old phones do you have tucked away? Knowing that, how 手機維修 many old phones do you have tucked away?
If you bought a smartphone within the last year, you probably already have noticed that your one time must-have super device is feeling a bit dated-And you’re not alone. About seven years ago Motorola debuted its legendary RAZR phone, which remained the hottest selling mobile device on the market for five straight years until the introduction of Apple’s first iPhone. Now, how archaic does the RAZR seem? And how hard is it today to imagine one particular phone model remaining the best seller for five consecutive years? That would be like a smartphone released now still being on top in 2017. Preposterous!
So, how do we find ourselves in the midst of such a frantic pace? Introducing “Android’s Law.” Android’s Law describes rapidly changing smartphone technology. An article on CNNMoney.com depicted the phenomenon as so:
“You picked up the Motorola (MMI) Droid when it went on sale in November 2009, you had the best Android device on the market. But then the twice-as-fast Nexus One went on sale in January 2010. Then the HTC Droid Incredible hit the market in April. Then in June, the Evo 4G put the Droid Incredible to shame. The Samsung Galaxy S came out later that month. Then the Nexus S… You get the point.”
Over the last half-decade, developers have been working faster than ever to deliver products that will satisfy a growing list of consumer demands-And technology is speeding forward at such a fast pace that consumers are having trouble keeping up. Now think about this head-spinning thought: the Ministry of Environment found that on average between 60 and 70 new smartphones are introduced every year. Sixty-to-seventy! Unsurprisingly, each one promises to be faster, snazzier and packed with more features, while claiming the smartphones released before them are now obsolete.
Not long ago, smart device manufacturer HTC estimated the average shelf life of a smartphone to be three years. Now, they figure it’s only six to nine months. I’ve had a jar of jelly in my refrigerator for longer than that. If you don’t know, a “shelf life” is the amount of time items are given before they are considered unsuitable for sale, use, or consumption. For a smartphone, this happens when the device has passed its peak of profitability.