Contents
The tech company can no longer surprise with major innovation steps.
Author: Victoria Habermacher, Benita Vogel
“Today Apple is reinventing the telephone” – the legendary words of Apple founder Steve Jobs 16 years ago at the launch of the first iPhone have long since faded away. Apple once again held a major event to announce “significant innovations” (see box). Simply: the great technological innovations of yesteryear have now become nuances.
This is the new iPhone 15
Open box Close box
Legend: Apple
Apple introduced the new iPhone 15 with a titanium body and a faster chip on Tuesday. The new model includes a brighter display and a 48-megapixel camera. According to Apple, the iPhone 15’s satellite connection will soon be able to summon help in Switzerland. Until now, this has not been fully possible in this country. Apple speaks of a purchase price of 1079 francs (128 GB) for the iPhone 15 Pro.
New charging cable
For the latest series of iPhones you will need different charging cables than before. Apple is switching to uniform USB-C standard connectors in accordance with EU regulations. With the change, future iPhones will be able to be charged using the same cables as most Android smartphones.
When launching the latest generation 15 iPhone models, new colors are particularly important. Not much has changed since the iPhone 11, which now includes three cameras in the Pro version – faster processors, for example, or improvements to the camera.
According to SRF’s digital expert, Jürg Tschirren, technical innovations are now only possible in very small steps: “It would be very expensive to build really big innovations into a smartphone.” Apple is not alone with this problem. “Other smartphone manufacturers are also struggling to match their initial innovative strength.” Evidence of this is the falling sales of smartphones.
Higher prices and clever marketing
Apple no longer releases figures on how many smartphones the company sells. She only talks about sales. She was able to increase this last year – also thanks to higher prices and clever marketing. With the launch of the iPhone Pro generation 11, the tech company managed to address a target group that is willing to pay more for the smartphone. In Switzerland, Apple was even able to exceed the price of 1,000 francs for an iPhone.
In addition to hardware, Apple is also pushing services: with services such as the music service, the TV channel or cloud storage, the US company now generated half as much sales in the third quarter of 2023 as with iPhones.
Dilemma in China
Apple also has enough challenges in other ways. For example in China. The US company generates a fifth of its sales in the Middle Kingdom. However, the Chinese government just recently banned its officials from using iPhones.
China is even more important for Apple as a production location than the sales market. Chips, batteries, production – these are just a few components and production steps that Apple had and still has carried out in China for a long time. After Covid and due to geopolitical tensions between the USA and China around Taiwan, Apple is trying hard to reduce its dependence on China. The tech group invests in companies and suppliers in other countries such as the USA or India.
Enough money – a question of time
Apple has enough money for investments. How quickly liberation can be achieved is another question.
According to an analysis by Bloomberg Intelligence, it takes eight years to withdraw just 10 percent of Apple’s production capacity from China. Whether that is enough remains questionable. One thing is clear: Apple still has a lot to do in terms of innovation and production.