2023-09-13 04:54:32
Buyers of the new iPhones will need different charging cables than before, as the EU rules for standardized sockets apply. Meanwhile, more and more innovations are finding their way into expensive Pro models of Apple phones. And the company claims progress on environmental issues.
The more expensive Pro models of the new iPhones will stand out even more from the standard version this year. The iPhone 15 Pro gets, among other things, a titanium housing and a new chip with greatly improved graphics performance, as Apple announced on Tuesday.
For all new iPhones, you will now need different charging cables than before. In accordance with EU requirements for uniform charging sockets, Apple is switching to the USB-C standard instead of the previous in-house “Lightning” format. With the change, future iPhones will be able to be charged using the same cables as most Android smartphones, notebooks or wireless headphones.
The EU’s charging cable requirement is intended to help avoid electronic waste. Apple had criticized the plans in recent years as a potential brake on future innovations and pointed out that the “Lightning” cables would now be useless in many households. The group introduced “Lightning” in 2012. Now the cable of Apple earphones is also being switched to USB-C.
3D recordings with Pro Max
The largest and most expensive iPhone – Pro Max – gets another innovation: five times optical zoom. A few months before the launch of Apple’s VR glasses, the camera on the Pro models will also be able to take 3D images, which you can then immerse yourself in with the headset.
Meanwhile, the innovations from the Pro version from last year are now included in the new standard model. The iPhone 15 gets the image sensor with 48 megapixels for more detailed photos and the area for dynamically displaying current information.
Lower prices
After Apple raised prices in Europe a year ago, in some cases significantly, in view of the weak euro exchange rate, there is now a countermovement. The cheapest iPhone 15 now costs 949 euros – 50 euros less than the 14 model. The Pro entry-level model is now 100 euros cheaper at 1199 euros, while the price of the large Pro Max remained unchanged at 1449 euros.
Pricing helps Apple offset declines in the smartphone market. Recently, Apple was no longer able to combat the general downturn in the business: According to calculations by the analysis company IDC, a good six percent fewer iPhones were sold in the second quarter than a year earlier.
iPhone is Apple’s most important product
However, sales only fell by around 2.4 percent – which indicates that Apple is managing to sell more expensive models. The iPhone is by far the group’s most important product and brings in more than half of its revenue.
The new version of the Apple Watch computer watch has, among other things, a faster chip and can now process requests to the voice assistant Siri directly on the device. For example, in bright sunshine, the display can be twice as bright as the previous model.
What’s new is that you can also operate the watch’s functions by tapping your thumb and index finger together twice. This is intended to help you operate the watch when your other hand is not free. For example, you can use it to answer or end a call and turn off the alarm clock. The watch detects the type of movement using its sensors and machine learning.
No more leather and recycled aluminum
Apple devoted a significant portion of the presentation to environmental issues. The responsible top manager, Lisa Jackson, announced that the new Apple watches will be completely CO2-neutral. In addition, the group will no longer introduce any new products made from leather. Even the future bracelets from the luxury group Hermes will be made of fabric.
The iPhone 15’s casing is made from 75 percent recycled aluminum. In the Pro model, the chassis inside the device is made entirely of recycled aluminum. The cobalt used in the batteries comes entirely from recycling.
Annette Zimmermann, analyst at the market research company Gartner, said after the presentation in Cupertino that it was remarkable how much Apple was focusing on the issue of sustainability. The company appears to be quite credible, even if there is still some catching up to do in some areas, such as the repairability of the devices. “There are also still a few questions unanswered, such as how exactly a CO2-neutral product is calculated. But Apple is doing well when it comes to the environment.”
Apple reserves certain innovations for more expensive high-end products, such as new camera functions on the iPhone 15 Pro or the better display on the Apple Watch Ultra 2, said the market researcher. On the other hand, Apple customers can also rely on the fact that certain interesting features will be available in all iPhone models over time. As an example, Zimmermann cited the so-called “Dynamic Island”, an innovative information bar at the top of the screen that was previously reserved for the Pro models and will in future also be found in the smallest iPhone 15 model.
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