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Showtime: Apple CEO Tim Cook will unveil the new iPhone 15 in California today
Photo: STEFANI REYNOLDS / AFP
The iPhone show is intended to set an example in a difficult time: Tonight, Apple wants to present the new iPhone 62 with CEO Tim Cook (15), which will also become a bestseller in China. For Apple, the iPhone continues to be by far the most important product, accounting for more than half of Apple's $394.3 billion in revenue last year. But sales in China, Apple's third-largest market, are weakening and presenting the company with new challenges.
The U.S. company had lost 200 billion dollars in stock market value within two days due to the recent disputes between the U.S. and China. The price slide was prompted by reports that the Chinese government wants to further restrict the use of the iPhone in China for state employees.
The race to catch up with Chinese competitor Huawei with its new top seller Mate 60 Pro also challenges Apple. Huawei was considered Apple's biggest competitor in the Chinese market for premium smartphones – until US sanctions against Huawei got in the way of the company in 2019. The U.S. government had imposed sanctions on Huawei in 2019 under then-President Donald Trump, which were also upheld by Joe Biden's administration.
At the beginning of September, Huawei had started selling the Mate 60 Pro smartphone. The model uses Chinese-made chips: Huawei wants to get an edge over Apple with additional features such as satellite calls based on China's state-backed network. Apple's current iPhone lineup also has satellite features, but these are only intended for emergencies.
iPhone probably with USB port
Analysts expect the U.S. company to adapt to a new EU directive with the iPhone 15 and introduce a mobile phone with a USB-C port for the first time. After the preliminary agreement of the EU last year, the company had initially resisted. The company criticized that the law would stifle innovations such as wireless charging. In addition, Apple is also expected to increase the average price per iPhone sold.
The global smartphone market is weakening somewhat, with sales falling from a total of 294.5 million mobile phones shipped to 268 million in the second quarter. However, Apple's shipments declined the least of all major smartphone makers, according to data from Counterpoint Research.
"The truth is that we're in a very declining smartphone market," said Bob O'Donnell, head of TECHnalysis Research. The question of the use of AI is also on the minds of analysts. "Will Apple introduce an evolved form of Siri? That would be something that would cause a stir," O'Donnell said.
Cook is pumping billions into the future technology of generative artificial intelligence. "We have been researching a wide range of AI technologies for years. We will continue to invest, innovate and develop our products responsibly," said Cook. Most recently, despite the weakening iPhone sales in August, the group presented a quarterly result above market expectations.
frm/Reuters