Is Tick-Tock the final Marketing and Technical model?

What are we talking about?

Very well known Intel Corporation adopted the Tick-Tock model since 2007 for the development of the X86 line of microprocessors. Summing up, a tick introduces small changes, while a tock can be seen as a new product release.
As of today, Intel is now mostly crushing long time competitor Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) with this model/strategy – up to 2007 AMD was on Intel’s heels in Desktop and Server market, while today is well behind the chip behemoth (referred as Chipzilla – Intel, and Chimpzilla – AMD – in The Register, by the way). Obviously, making decent products helps, too.

So what are we really talking about?

I guess this is somewhat an insignificant consideration on my side, but another example of this model is Apple with the iPhone / iPad line of products. First introduce something new (Tock - iPhone 4 / 5) then improve them (Tick - iPhone 4s / 5s).

Why is this a winning strategy?

The winning word is ecosystem. Smartphones are a life companion (sorry, Samsung), and the phone is not the only thing to be considered. Accessories, software – a Tick results in compatibility with the existing line (form factor and connector placement do not change) and a tock in a new model. Additionally, the tick stays (up to the 5c failure, by the way) as low price alternative.

Why are we talking about it?

I am in the process of exchanging my aging iPhone4 with a Nexus 5. In this process I just began trying to find a case for it, not difficult, but kept thinking about the wide availability of cases for iphone, when the tick-tock concept applied to Apple struck me.

Is Apple keeping up?

They should. Deranging from the model, as said before, did not work with the 5c concept. Old product in a new, cheap package. No tick, no tock. Simple. Will be interesting to see how they will handle the rumored dual screen size of iPhone 6.

Could Android Makers (or Nokia, also) do the same?

Interesting question. The Nexus 5 is a good phone (not perfect, I know). Keep the same factor, update hardware, improve weaknesses (camera, battery), call it Nexus 5 2014 (or S) -  and you have a new winner. But also Samsung, LG, HTC could do that. In my opinion  the ever increasing size of the high end smartphones is somewhat annoying (LG G3 size or Samsung S5 could have benefitted from last year form factor). The G3 is nearly the size of the first Galaxy Note (a Phablet). 

What do you think?

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