What Display Daily thinks: Not a lot. There’s a bunch of speculation, frankly most of it is driven by Apple’s most ardent supporters, and the financial community that is looking for any signs of good news after multiple quarters of gloomy consumer sentiment.
Will there be an upgrade boom because of Apple’s Wonderlust? It’s hard to tell. When you lay out the actual functional changes in the product lines listed below, there isn’t enough to make you certain, one way or another. Putting aside the concerns about the Chinese market, and further restrictions on iPhone sales there, it seems as if the push for the value of these products is coming more from the press and analysts than consumers.
Complacency is not a good thing. In this case, it shows up in the notion that you can do just enough and the masses will rush to fulfill your sales projections. It feels too contrived and lacking in meaningful value creation. So, your guess is as good as anybody’s when it comes to figuring it out if Apple’s user base has pent up demand for a new phone, watch, or ear buds. Well, maybe the ear buds. Everyone is always losing those, like dropping a $200 Tic Tac down the drain.
Apple’s Upcoming Product Launch Focuses on 60% of its Business
Bloomberg has reported on everything that we should expect from Apple’s September 12, 2023, product launch. Mark Gurman, Bloomberg’s Apple guru, believes the event, dubbed “Wonderlust,” is Apple’s most important new product unveiling this year because the products represent 60% of the company’s revenues.
The Chinese government recently banned the use of iPhones for certain government departments, a move that has created uncertainty for Apple watchers as China represents 20% of Apple’s iPhone market. And, Apple is in a sales slump, needing this launch to turn into a big upgrade cycle for its consumers. Apple’s suppliers like LG – which is supplying displays and camera components through two divisions – are anticipating a big bump in revenues and profitability in the fourth quarter, after many quarters of diminishing sales and growing losses.
Summarizing the product launches.
| Apple iPhone | iPhone 15/15 Plus | iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max |
|---|---|---|
| Material | Aluminum sides, Glass back | Titanium sides |
| Display Size | 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch | Slightly larger than previous models due to thinner borders |
| Processor | A16 chip | A17 chip (3-nanometer production) |
| Main Camera Sensor | 48-megapixel | 48-megapixel |
| Zoom (for Pro Max) | N/A | 6X magnification |
| UWB Chip | U2 ultrawide-band chip | U2 ultrawide-band chip |
| Charging/Data Port | USB-C | USB-C (with increased transfer speeds) |
| Wireless Charging | Faster wireless charging | Faster wireless charging |
| Special Feature | Dynamic Island Interface | “Action Button” replacing mute switch |
| Apple Watch | Series 9 | Ultra Second-Generation |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 41-millimeter and 45-millimeter | 49-millimeter |
| Material | Standard materials with more recycled metals | Unchanged from previous model |
| Processor | New chip since Series 6 | N/A |
| UWB Chip | U2 ultrawide-band chip | U2 ultrawide-band chip |
| Heart Rate Sensor | Updated optical heart rate sensor | N/A |
| Apple AirPods | AirPods Pro |
|---|---|
| Charging/Data Port | USB-C |
| Software Features | Improved device switching, auto-mute, Conversation Awareness |
| Upcoming Health Features | Body-temperature sensing, new hearing-test system |
