"It looks almost the same as the last one!"
"It's surely not worth upgrading from last year's model!"
"Apple has really lost its ability to innovate lately."
Another year, another iPhone.
But this is how Apple rolls.
People remember the exciting moments. People get excited for the shiniest things.
But often, success comes from the boring: being consistent, executing relentlessly, not letting things slip.
Apple may not be able to hang on to their success forever, but since 2007 they have shipped at least one new, successful model of iPhone every single year. They didn't even let a global pandemic get in their way.
They’ve never once slipped up — no exploding batteries, no massively unpopular designs, no unexpected huge delays.
That’s boring, but that’s a big part of what has turned the iPhone into a business that generates $200 billion per year.
Most of us aren't running a global consumer electronics business, but I think there's something to take away for all of us — whether you're a founder, an employee, or just trying to improve in your personal life.
Often the success comes not from a single moment of genius, but from the compounding effects of showing up consistently and not giving up.
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." — Aristotle