Apple unveiled a new line of iPhones with a speedier chip, a new titanium body, and enhanced gaming capabilities.
The biggest surprise about the upcoming iPhone 15, which will be released on September 22, is that prices were left unchanged, suggesting a general decline in smartphone demand.
The event at Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, California, takes place in the midst of lingering economic uncertainty, particularly in China, Apple’s third-largest market, where it faces challenges from expanded restrictions on using its iPhones in government offices and the first new flagship phone from Huawei Technologies (HWT.UL) in several years.
APPLE EMBEDDING MACHINE LEARNING
While Apple avoids the terms artificial intelligence or AI, the technology drove several new features. Huawei raised its second-half shipment target for the new Mate 60 series smartphone, which has satellite capability, by 20%, the nation’s official Securities Times reported on Tuesday shortly before the Apple event.
According to an Apple executive, the business uses machine learning to identify people in the frame. It enables users to instantly or later convert a photo into a portrait in the Photos app.
Apple also unveiled new watches, including the Series 9 Watch, which has a function called “double tap” that enables users to conduct actions like answering a phone call by tapping their thumb and finger together twice without touching their watch.
According to Apple Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams, it employs machine learning to identify minute variations in blood flow when a user taps their fingers together, freeing up the other hand for other activities like carrying a cup of coffee or walking a dog.
The 48-megapixel camera on the iPhone 15 Pro and other models will both be brighter, and their batteries will be made entirely of recycled cobalt.
Roadside help can now be requested using the satellite connectivity of the iPhone 15 according to Apple. In the US, it is launching the feature in conjunction with the American Automobile Association (AAA).
Both the iPhone 15 and the charging case for the AirPods Pro are getting USB-C charging cables, according to Apple. The change complies with European authorities’ demands for USB-C and permits the use of the same charging cables currently in use for iPads and Macs.
“I was expecting Apple to try and spin the all-USB-C decision in a certain way, but they didn’t they were very matter-of-fact in the way they talked about it,” said Carolina Milanesi, an analyst with Creative Strategies. Because of the quicker throughput for data transfer, she claimed that the change “added some difference to the iPhone Pro. People who utilize the tool for professional photography will find that useful, according to Milanesi.
Additionally, Apple claimed that the iPhone 15 Pro can record “spatial videos” by utilizing two cameras to record a three-dimensional video. According to Apple’s marketing executive Greg Joswiak, such videos will be watchable on the Vision Pro headset when it launches early next year.
The Pro is lighter and more durable than earlier variants made of various metals thanks to the usage of titanium.
The stable prices, according to TECHnalysis Research’s Bob O’Donnell, were unexpected.
“I believe that both Apple and the carriers are aware that it’s become more difficult to persuade customers to update as a result of consumers feeling the financial strain and the absence of significant advancements. Maintaining constant prices ought to contribute to that, he said.
The price of the iPhone 15 is $799, the iPhone 15 Plus is $899, and the Pro series is $999. The Pro Max has the same costs as last year for the same tiers of storage, starting at $1,199. Apple provided a $1,099 iPhone Pro Max variant with less memory the previous year.
Although the worldwide smartphone industry has shrunk from shipping 294.5 million total phones to 268 million in the second quarter, Apple still depends on the iPhone for more than half of its sales. Apple’s smartphone shipments decreased the least of any other major manufacturer, from 46.5 million to 45.3 million, according to Counterpoint Research’s data.
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 for outdoor activities offers additional diving and cycling features, as well as what Apple claims is its brightest screen ever. On September 22, the Series 9 watch will go on sale for $399, and the Ultra 2 watch will start at $799.
Apple’s head of environmental affairs, Lisa Jackson, announced that the business will no longer utilize leather in any of its products. The company is replacing some of these items with a fabric dubbed “FineWoven,” which it claims has a suede-like feel.
The presentation was centred on Apple’s efforts to become carbon neutral by 2030, including the introduction of watches with less carbon.
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