n the last two years, Apple has focused its iPhone
hardware upgrades primarily on the camera. Better
lenses, better zoom, and higher clarity have been the
highlight of Apple’s recent announcements. While
these changes are defi nite improvements, Apple has
been perfecting advancements made by competitors instead
of leading the charge with innovation. This isn’t necessarily
Apple’s fault; the iPhone is an amazing product that seems to
have matured.
The future of Apple’s growth will likely be lateral. Additional
camera lenses and increased storage capacity will only take a
company so far without innovating new features. This is prob-
ably why Apple has been focused on paid services. In August,
Apple released the Apple Card for consumers and tied the
benefi ts directly to future purchases of its products with a tar-
geted cash-back program. In October, Apple Arcade debuted
with exclusive titles for Apple consumers. And November
adds Apple TV Plus to the services catalogue, featuring shows
that are produced and owned exclusively by Apple.
So who’s the target audience for new Apple products, and
where is the company headed next? From the newest gener-
ation of the iPhone and iPad to Apple’s new menu of services,
here’s a rundown of the 2019 fall announcement and what it
means for customers.
“THE THREE CAMERAS REMIND ME OF A
COCONUT”
The internet had a fi eld day with the design of the new
iPhones. The iPhone 11 looks like what we’re used to, but
the iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max both took a lot of guff due to
the prominence of the extra camera lens. Comparisons were
made to the three holes in a coconut and a surprise face
emoji, and images lampooning the new design as excessive
trended on Twitter for a few days. The overall presentation of
the new design at the Apple announcement was partially to
blame. It felt a bit like when someone arrives unprepared for
an oral presentation in English class and spends 30 minutes
focused on the signifi cance of the cover art chosen by the
publisher; look at what I did, as opposed to what I didn’t do.
The iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max are upgrades of the
XR, XS, and XS Max, respectively. In a price comparison, the
new iPhone 11 starts at $699. The XR started at $750, making
the iPhone 11 a great deal if you didn’t upgrade your iPhone
last year. However, the 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max are
both selling for the same cost as their predecessors,
starting at $999 and $1,099 respectively.In addition to creating a cheaper entry point with the
iPhone 11, Apple is pushing its buying programs where
existing customers can trade in existing iPhones for dis-
counts. For example, if you have an iPhone 7 Plus that’s in
good condition, you can save up to $200 on a new iPhone.
You can also sign up for a fi nancing plan. Now that two-year
contracts are a thing of the past, Apple has joined cellular
carriers in allowing users to pay off their new iPhones in
monthly installments.
The pricing, trade-in program, and fi nancing options all sug-
gest that Apple is trying to make up for the decline in recent
hardware sales. Apple has always been a luxury brand, but
the high cost of the iPhone may be outstripping customers’
ability to keep up with the newest releases. Now that Apple
is slowing down the price hikes, buyers might have a chance
to get their hands on the newest iPhones. But are the new
iPhones really that big of an upgrade?
All three of the new iPhones have many shared features;
the A13 bionic chip upgrades the iPhone’s machine-learning
to enhance your photography with better edge detection,
improved highlights, and a new Night Mode that takes low-I
“ADDITIONAL CAMERA
LENSES AND INCREASED
STORAGE CAPACITY WILL
ONLY TAKE A COMPANY SO
FAR WITHOUT INNOVATING
NEW FEATURES.”