Except that the iPhone 4S (and iPhone 4) - are very much alive. I'm sure if we look we can come up with a relevant example - but, regardless of how we look at

Except that the iPhone 4S (and iPhone 4) - are very much alive. I'm sure if we look we can come up with a relevant example - but, regardless of how we look at it, the meta point "The old reign is gone, but the new reign begins, ensuring uninterrupted persistence" - is quite likely true of hardware. Every generation or so, the themes associated with hardware will die, but they will be replaced with new ones.