Yeah I'm curious how much longer it will be profitable to release a new phone every year. The updates are so small it feels like it hardly warrents the R&D and advertising

I think it's similar to understanding how your car works. At a base level you know that when you press the accelerator gas goes into the engine and the car moves. But if you understand the more specific order and process of it: it allows you to understand your car better overall and, more importantly, helps you pinpoint problem areas when things go wrong