Published on Sep 12, 2023 at 7:42 p.m.Updated September 13, 2023 at 7:22
It was the most important event of the year for Apple: the Apple brand organized on Tuesday, from the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, the presentation of its new iPhone and Apple Watch models.
Nothing as “revolutionary” as last June, when Apple presented the Vision Pro, its virtual reality headset, which will arrive on the market at the beginning of 2024. But a huge strategic challenge, because the families of products presented count for more half of the company’s turnover: 48.5% for smartphones ($205 billion last year) and 10.1% for “wearables”, a category bringing together watches and headphones.
“It’s great to have you with us”launched Tim Cook on stage at the opening of the event, before giving way to a long series of video clips showing the new products, with lots of special effects.
Renewal of watches
Jeff Williams, Apple’s director of operations, first presented the Apple Watch 9, a new version of the watch launched in 2015. The design remains the same, but it benefits from a new processor and a more screen. luminous. The Apple Watch Ultra, a sportier – and more expensive – model also benefits from an update.
The event also served to promote the brand’s initiatives in favor of the event, through a sketch showing the direction of the group in the face of “Mother Nature” – an opportunity to showcase a long list of commitments and achievements , particularly in terms of carbon neutrality, a goal that Apple must achieve in 2030.
Price up on the Pro Max
But the highlight of the show was the presentation of four new smartphones, in line with previous generations: the iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max. The entry-level model and the Pro version start at the same prices as last year ($799 and $999), but the Pro Max sees its price increase by $100 (from $1,199).
The iPhone 15 Pro benefits from a titanium shell, a new processor (A17 Pro) engraved in 3 nanometers and a 5x optical zoom. The Pro will soon even be able to film in a “spatial” mode, specially designed for the future Vision Pro headset. The iPhone 15, for its part, inherits in particular the A16 processor, which appeared last year on the most expensive ones, and a new photo sensor. The products can be ordered from this Friday, September 15, and should arrive in stores the following week.
As Tim Cook explained, “The iPhone impacts just about everything we do. » However, in a global smartphone market in sharp decline, including for Apple (-2.4% in the last quarter), the group must convince consumers to re-equip themselves as the end-of-year holidays approach. year.
Uncertainties in China
Will the new products presented be enough to slow down the erosion of sales? It is too early to say, even if the manufacturer can count on the renewal effect: according to estimates from the WedBush firm, a quarter of the 1.2 billion iPhone owners in the world have not changed their model since at least four years, the date of the arrival of 5G. “The fact that Apple is not increasing the prices of basic models while integrating premium functions will probably encourage owners of slightly older models to re-equip themselves,” analyzes Francisco Jeronimo, vice-president of “data and analytics » from IDC Europe.
The other uncertainty will come from China, where the government bans the use of the iPhone in public administrations and where Huawei, almost absent from the global smartphone market for two years due to American sanctions limiting access to components, has just presented a smartphone with an advanced Chinese technology chip.
Meanwhile in France, according to our colleagues from “Parisien”, the National Frequency Agency notified Apple this Tuesday to withdraw its iPhone 12 from sale because it would emit too powerful waves.
Apple adopts USB-C port under pressure from Europe
For many consumers, the most striking innovation, common to all the models presented this Tuesday, is the change in the socket which is used to recharge the iPhone and exchange data. Apple has chosen to turn its back on the proprietary Lightning connector, which appeared in 2012, and now replaced by the market standard: the USB-C port, already present on most electronic products (smartphones, computers, tablets, etc.) . A requirement from the European Commission that Apple had resisted for several years. This about-face will have a cost, because Tim Cook’s group will have to do without the licensing revenues paid by other manufacturers to offer accessories compatible with Lightning, and will probably sell fewer replacement cables. “But beyond European pressure, it was also a change wanted and expected by customers,” notes Francisco Jeronimo, from the IDC firm.