We all know about the ‘Survival of the Fittest’ law which is in the fabric of nature. To understand it better, we need to look at traits that make the fittest. There are multiple traits that define who is the fittest among all. Here, being the fittest does not just mean being healthy, muscular, etc., but also certain external aspects which we usually overlook. One of such traits, is “being aligned with the natural cycle”.
Every year, the wildebeests (Gnu) migrate in search of fertile lands. It is a round-trip that spans hundreds of miles and two countries. The herd moves in millions, cross dangerous rivers. Individuals must keep up or risk being picked off by the lions, hyenas and crocodiles. It is considered as one of the Nature’s Most Impressive Animal Migrations.
Though this migration is treacherous and filled with hurdles, survival demands this. They take their chances and reap the benefits.
In the business world, before iPhone was released, phone manufacturers had their own schedules for new device releases. It was anywhere between 6 months to even 3-4 years. New devices were usually released, ‘when they were ready’ and not at specified intervals.
But Apple when it released the iPhone, it aligned the release cycle to match with the holiday season and made it a consistent annual event for over the last 10+ years. Releasing new device each year is not easy and one mistake can hurt a lot in the upcoming years. But Apple took that risk and perfected it over the years.
Just like the migration, the annual release cycle of the newer iPhone models helped Apple grow tremendously. Other devices (OnePlus etc.) that followed suit were also successful.
This is not something new, a lot of business thrive just based on the seasonal sales. Right from sweaters sale during winter to the seasonal fruits sales like the mango, the major factor that drove them is availability and the need/demand of the particular item.
However, in the case of iPhone, neither the availability nor the demand was particularly high, but innovation drove the sales, creating the demand extraneously.
This natural cycle need not be annual, it can be biannual or even once in 12 years. What is critical is that, it needs to align with the ecosystem where it is built upon.
We need to keep in mind – ‘Being aligned with the natural cycle is critical’
Image Credits: Les Bohlen from Pixabay.