Analysts are predicting a busy 2024 for Apple, with a significant portion of the approximately 1.2 billion iPhone owners worldwide expected to renew their mobile phone in the next twelve months. It remains to be seen whether they will like the new iPhone 15 with a USB-C port and improved cameras.
In one of the many pre-recorded videos from Apple’s fall conference at the Steve Jobs Theater on its Cupertino campus, CEO Tim Cook praised the significant impact made by people who bought a phone or watch in their brand’s colors.
He must be hoping for a similar impact on the stock market, where Apple shares have suffered since the Chinese government decided to ban its officials from using an iPhone. Apple needs to find its growth elsewhere.
That’s good. Analyst Dan Ives from the American company Wedbush, who has been closely following Apple for several years, believes that the iPhone 15 could benefit from a “super cycle” of renewal in 2024, which will include almost a quarter of the 1.2 billion iPhone owners I’m tempted to buy a new phone.
Apple therefore hopes to attract these potential buyers. The operation is being closely monitored by economists. Apple has the largest value on the American stock market. Its financial health is seen by many as a barometer for the health of the global consumer market.
The iPhone 15 in four flavors
The approximately 2,000 people present on site and the Internet users who followed the conference on the Internet therefore saw Apple present the iPhone 15 and the iPhone 15 Plus, two phones whose dimensions do not change compared to the previous models, but which have elements of previously included exclusively for their more expensive Pro version.
Forced in this direction by new European legislation, Apple is abandoning the exclusive Lightning port on its mobile phones and opting for a more universal USB-C port, as it is the same charging port that is used on almost all other electronic devices can be found on the market.
Other new features include a black bubble called “Digital Island” located around the earpiece at the top of the 6.1- or 6.7-inch screen on this iPhone, which is available in two formats. The camera is also being further developed: its sensor grows to 48 megapixels. The software then optimizes the capture to create 12-megapixel resolution images that Apple says are sharper and more colorful, even in dark lighting conditions.
The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max were also introduced. These two claim a thinner and stiffer titanium case. The newcomers are breaking tradition by foregoing the mute button and instead opting for a button whose function can be personalized in a variety of ways.
Traditionally, their processors are more powerful. Your graphics are more detailed. Your cameras are more efficient. Apple even goes so far as to claim that the iPhone 15 Pro can utilize its three lenses in such a way that the user believes it actually has seven.
Apple is resorting to what it calls “computational photography,” the combination of image-editing algorithms included in its phone. The iPhone 15 Pro Max is also entitled to a new 5x periscope lens, comparable to a 120mm telephoto lens, instead of the 3x telephoto lens on the Pro itself. It’s not the 10x telephoto lens that some are talking about Phones from Apple’s Asian rival brands have it, but it’s a new milestone for the iPhone.
The iPhone 15 Pro can also create stereoscopic videos specifically designed for the Vision Pro mixed reality headset that Apple will launch next spring.
A more environmentally friendly Apple Watch
On the accessories side, Apple wants to continue to convince consumers that its connected watch, the Apple Watch, is more than just a gadget. The company supports the statements of people whose lives have been saved thanks to their watch and emphasizes: The watch is a health device in its own right.
The new generation of watch, called Apple Watch Series 9, is a relatively modest upgrade to this rather unique connected accessory. No other smartwatch offers the combination of services and connectivity that Apple has packed into its small wrist computer. This includes the quick exchange of the virtual business card from one watch to another, as well as an interface that replaces the keyboard of a larger device with speech and certain arm or hand gestures.
The Apple Watch Ultra is also being revised. This is the $1,100 version of that watch, intended to compete with high-end products from brands like Garmin and Polar that specialize in sports and outdoors. The newcomer is brighter and more versatile. Its autonomy, the shortest in this category, remains unchanged at 36 hours.
Apple took the opportunity to send a slightly stronger message regarding its environmental responsibility. In particular, the company uses recycled aluminum or produces it without carbon emissions – thanks, among other things, to technology developed in Quebec. Apple is following in the footsteps of other American technology giants such as Microsoft and has set the goal of making its production climate neutral by 2030.
Apple is already ensuring that its new Apple Watch Series 9 is “completely carbon neutral.” Cupertino is also eliminating the use of leather and using more recycled plastic in its accessories.
Alain McKenna is Apple’s guest in California.