Why do people want a new iPhone? This research gives a fascinating clue

You have a deep need.

So, you will be sitting in front of a screen Wednesday morning, in desperation as to the number of new gadgets that Apple will reveal.

Rumors insist that it will be three new phones. We will probably even have an excessive size.

Also: New iPhone 2018: all you need to know

You will just need one. Because, well, you have to do it, right?

You wonder why?

I imagine that the popular opinion is that people just want the bright new thing, the one everyone is talking about.

If you have it, then you are in harmony with the world and the world will respect you. If you do not have it, then you are a lifeless worm who has opted for a benign beige banality life.

Is the need for sexy and new is the only reason? Or even the main one?

I've accidentally encountered published research in the Harvard business review. Conducted by two experts from the consulting firm Oliver Wyman, the study looked at how people buy clothes and shoes.

You may think that it has nothing to do with the iPhone.

Also: iPhone XS: the only reason I do not buy

Yet, Apple has always shown its gadgets as alive in the world of fashion as much as the world of technology. The appearance of the iPhone – and the simply fascinating annual marketing videos of Jony Ive – suggest that the iPhone is something you wear as much as you use.

It's a piece of machine that says something about you. Just like your clothes and your shoes. And soon, you will wear it anyway.

These researchers examined five myths about fashion buying. The most intriguing was whether consumers always want something new.

They found that 83% of the races were what they called "repeated purchases". Yes, for most people, it is a replacement and not an improvement.

The researchers offered this advice to companies: "Success could mean finding consumers who like a product and selling it, and not always trying to reinvent the wheel – the customer, not the product, should be a priority."

Through this prism, how many people will watch the offers of Wednesday by a vertigo without limit?

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And how many are just those who are watching their current phone, see the screen crack a little, see the unsightly signs of wear and sigh: "I guess I should find a new one"?

There have already been indications that these become the majority. Last year, global smartphone sales declined for the first time.

More people are settling for refurbished phones. This is just one of the reasons why Apple publishes more handsets to meet more mentalities – yes, even those that include value in their personal equation.

Many of them could then move away from Wednesday 's presentation and conclude that the products were not really exciting.

Also: Photos: Apple iPhone models through the TechRepublic years

But they need the equivalent, you know, new black pants or new sneakers.

At least now they have more choices. And in all the right sizes, too.

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