Apple breaks with past in fragmenting updates from old devices

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Ever since Steve Jobs shocked the world in 2007 with the first iPhone, one of the hallmarks of Apple Inc.'s mobile devices has been simplicity. On Wednesday, Apple broke that paradigm in some pretty significant ways.

All three of the major hardware announcements on Wednesday – Apple TV, iPad Pro and the iPhone 6S – mark a break from the Apple operating system and hardware profiles of the devices that immediately preceded them, and also from each other. And that's the catch: Consumers who want to use the new features will have to buy new products, rather than download free upgrades for older models, further buffeting Apple's already deeply entrenched market lead in premium mobile device sales. Android may outsell Apple, but Apple outearns its competitors by a hefty margin on every unit sold.

Apple has never had any trouble selling iPhones – the iPhone 6 was the best-selling device in its history, as was just about every previous iPhone in its time. But with those annual record-breaking numbers comes stock-market pressure to break records again. Much of Apple's growth in the past two years came from China, currently the source of a global economic cooldown.

Once upon a time, when the annual new Apple device with its new hardware specs came out, the older gear could benefit from some of the operating system changes, too. When Apple added its own software features to iOS (such as the App Store, Maps, iMessage and the recent iTunes Music revamp) it made those features backward compatible, if the hardware could manage it. That way, consumers who spent several hundred dollars on the latest gadget a year ago didn't feel like chumps the second the next device was unveiled.

There have been some breaks in the past: Siri, when it was introduced in 2011, did not work on older models of the iPhone and didn't work on iPads until 2012. Same with Touch ID in 2013, which Apple Pay later required (you need the fingerprint sensor or the software doesn't work). But compared with Wednesday's announcement, those were minor differences in function.

The new 12.9-inch iPad Pro now supports side-by-side or multiscreen apps like you might see on Windows, and it can be paired with a stylus Apple calls the Pencil, which senses depth, tilt and rotation. No previous iPad could do that, and thus far it seems the Pencil will only work on the new Pro device (multitasking is said to extend to old iPads). The new iPad Pros, which start at $799 (U.S.) or about $1,060 (Canadian) will begin shipping in November.

The new Apple TV not only introduces a newly distinct tvOS, but the new device also has on-board storage so you can download your own apps from its new App Store. It also ships with a Bluetooth-connected touch-sensitive controller that allows users to play iPhone-style games on their TV. The old Apple TV has essentially been abandoned; it will not be able to perform any of those functions. The new devices retail for between $150 and $200 (U.S.), and won't ship until the end of October.

Lastly, the new iPhones represent the most dramatic one-year turnover of tech and software of an Apple device in years. The 3D Touch technology adds another layer of user interface to Apple apps and also third-party apps such as Instagram. Instead of having to open an app to use its features, now users can press down hard on an icon and get a menu of quick actions. Apple software boss Craig Federighi's demo of the "emergency selfie" was the most apt – you can choose to open the camera app to override the default rear-facing option. It is sure to create some confusion for users, made worse by the fact that only new iPhone owners will get used to it.

That's because it's not going to be available on older devices – the screen hardware has had to be completely reworked. This is more significant than it first appears: The new iPhones will have a flavour of iOS not available on any other Apple device, new or old. It will include entirely new ways to use popular apps, and unless competitors copy it, third-party app development will fragment into two streams: old iPhones and Android phones, and brand new iPhones.

The prices are also a little high. The larger 6S Plus will cost between $1,029 and $1,289 (Canadian). Apple made it easier for U.S. buyers to get the latest new iPhone with an instalment plan (sorry, not available in Canada) that charges users $32 (U.S.) a month ($384 a year) and lets them upgrade to the newest phone when it comes out. The new phones launch on Sept. 25 in 12 countries, including Canada.

Apple doesn't usually make year-old devices obsolete, though it's clear these new phones are designed to create a new level of urgency in the early adopter crowd. It's not hard to imagine that sales pressure or the need to stay ahead of its Android-based rivals forced it to break with its past on Wednesday.