<i>but my point is: why?</i><p>So they get three years out of a fabrication process and supply chain instead of 8 months if they only allowed you to buy the newest models every year.<p>It&#x27;s not a big choice.  You have &quot;free on contract&quot;, &quot;cheap on contract&quot; (last year&#x27;s models), or &quot;best on contract&quot; (current models).