This means that Jobs’ Mob will only have to come up with something new for it is iPhone once every three years instead of every two years as it does now. It will also clear the field for Apple’s rivals.

The news comes from the Japanese newspaper Nikkei which claims Apple is moving from a tick-tock cycle with a major iPhone refresh every two years to a three-year cycle. In a typical two-year term, fall 2016 was supposed to see a major upgrade. But the changes on the model to be launched this autumn will be minor.

Nikkei says that the change is because smartphone functions having little room left for major enhancements and the market is slowing down. The Tame Apple Press is agast at the reports but has to admit that the fact that the iPhone 7 is going to be identical to the current iPhone 6 is a pretty good clue that the story is accurate.

The news that Apple is pulling back from improving its iPhones particularly fast is likely to give the outfit’s stock a kick in the nadgers. Share prices have been improving since Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway announced it was buying the shares. To be fair Buffett’s history with IT stock has been less than stellar. He lost a fortune betting big on Big Blue.

The Nikkei piece also suggests that Apple is not expecting iPhone sales to return to growth until next year.