To put out different version of the card, that the bank considers "different enough" to not have people who had the earlier version of the card be counted as people who had the card as it stands after the change.

In other words, what my Priority Club example illustrated: That once Chase came out with the Priority Club Select Visa, they didn't have any problem giving bonuses that applied to that card to people who had previously had (but since closed) an earlier type of Priority Club Visa, that was quite different.

What no one knows, though, in advance, is whether there will be a "different enough" version of the Sapphire card you have, nor can well tell (until people have reportable experiences) when a bank considers a new verison of a card "different enough" (to count as a "fresh start" for allowed apps) and when it doesn't. (You can't necessarily tell from the T&Cs. And since banks don't like to talk "in print" about cards they no longer have, they're unlikely to ever explain such a situation in a card application ad or splash page or T&Cs.)