Apple kicked off its iPhone 15 unveiling event on Tuesday, with analysts expecting new charging ports, titanium cases and better cameras, as well as a possible price hike for the flagships. models.
The event at Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, California, comes amid a global smartphone slump and lingering economic uncertainty, particularly in China, Apple’s third-largest market, where it faces challenges in expanding restrictions. about the use of its iPhones in government offices and the first new flagship phone in several years from Huawei Technologies.
Apple will also introduce new models of the Apple Watch and AirPods at the event, but the star of the show is the iPhone, which still accounted for more than half of Apple’s $394.3 billion in sales last year.
The biggest change for most Apple customers is the switch from Apple’s own “Lightning” charging cables to USB-C, a standard that Apple already uses in its laptop and some high-end iPads. .
The company was forced to make the change by European regulations, but analysts believe the company will position the change as an upgrade, taking advantage of the faster data speeds it can transfer. of high-quality videos made on iPhones.
Analysts also expect new “periscopic” camera technology to give the phones better zoom capabilities and titanium casings, as well as improved chips. These “periscopic” lenses can use mirrors or prisms to achieve a longer lens without having to enlarge the camera module too much.
The big question of the day is whether Apple is reserving parts for a new high-end device and making minor updates to cheaper models.
“Just like we’re seeing people who aren’t Ultra athletes buying the Apple Watch Ultra, we’re going to see more people buying it even if they’re not camera or photography enthusiasts, just because they want the latest and greatest. biggest.” said Ben Bajarin, CEO and principal analyst at Creative Strategies. “That alone creates that buzz and momentum and attracts the high end.”
Prices of iPhones are expected to rise
Specialists expect Apple to increase the average price of each phone sold to increase its profits, but the question is whether it will do so by raising prices across the board or only on premium versions.
The global smartphone market collapsed, from shipments of 294.5 million total devices to 268 million in the second quarter, but Apple’s shipments fell the least of all major manufacturers, falling from 46.5 million phones. up to 45.3 million, according to data from Counterpoint Research.
“The truth is that we are in a very low smartphone market,” said Bob O’Donnell, head of TECHnalysis Research.
Google teased the announcement of the new charger
The implementation of a new USB-C type charger, widely used in cell phones with the Android operating system, was leaked a few days ago by special technology media.
On the eve of the official announcement, Google published a commercial in which it mocked – in a veiled way – the smartphone made by Apple, by adopting a connector that has been used for many years in the main its phone, the Pixel.
In the ad titled ‘Spa day’, a Pixel and -what appears to be- an iPhone ‘relaxing’ in a sauna can be seen, when the Apple phone says it feels stressed at the launch event of new model.
When the iPhone told him it had “an ace up its sleeve” for the event, the Pixel responded in a teasing tone “do you finally have a USB-C charger?”
