FOR the iPhone's 10th anniversary, Apple Inc is planning to release new and upgraded models later this year, with updated designs, improved cameras and better screens.

But a more important product launch actually began in mid-March, when the company quietly reintroduced the discontinued, two-and-a-half-year-old iPhone 6 in several Asian countries and Eastern Europe.

That might sound dull. But for Apple, which is banking on the developing world for growth, it's actually a far-sighted move. The company is acknowledging that smartphones have transitioned from elite niche products into mature technologies, owned by everyone and upgraded infrequently. And that means that boring reliability - not innovation - will define the iPhone's future.