Apple announced a new version of its low-cost iPhone on Tuesday that can connect to superfast 5G wireless networks, an update that has been available on the company’s higher-end models for more than a year.
The new iPhone SE is the first time in over two years that Apple’s most popular product has received an upgrade to the bare-bones version. The new iPhone SE will cost $429, an increase of 8% over the previous version’s $399 price tag during the early phases of the epidemic roughly two years ago. On March 18, the new iPhone SE will be available in retailers.
Apple did not invite the media or other guests to the in-person gatherings that it has usually held to showcase its latest products as a pandemic precaution. Instead, Apple broadcasted the ceremony live from its Cupertino, California, headquarters, from the auditorium named after co-founder Steve Jobs.
The next iPhone SE will have a speedier processor, a more robust 4.7-inch screen, and a longer-lasting battery than the previous model, but its main selling factors will likely be its compatibility with still-developing 5G wireless networks and its cheap pricing.
It’s a significant savings over the more expensive iPhone 13 series, which was launched last autumn. The iPhone 13 is available in four distinct variants, with costs ranging from $700 to $1,100. They can all connect to 5G phones, including the iPhone 12s, which will be available in autumn 2020.
Despite the fact that 5G networks aren’t yet generally accessible, the attraction of quicker connectivity has proven to be a big pull, prompting more iPhone users to upgrade from previous models. According to the research firm International Data Corp, the iPhone 13 was such a popular item that it helped Apple beat its longstanding rival Samsung to become the world’s top smartphone seller in the final three months of last year.
Apple CEO Tim Cook bragged during Tuesday’s presentation that the business has been recruiting more new iPhone users than ever before since last autumn, without revealing exact figures. “We’re looking forward to building on this momentum with the new iPhone SE,” Cook stated.
Apple is expected to sell approximately 30 million of the new iPhone SE models next year, according to Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives, satisfying a demand among less wealthy consumers who possess one of the estimated 225 million iPhones that are at least three-and-a-half years old.
Even though Apple makes less money from the iPhone SE than it does from the more expensive models, it will provide the corporation additional opportunity to sell subscriptions to music streaming, video streaming, gaming, and other services that have become significant moneymakers. Tuong Nguyen, a Gartner smartphone expert, agreed.
Nguyen explained, “It’s all about broadening the ecology.” “It’s always good when Apple can persuade you to buy a new phone,” says the author. But it’s much better if they can persuade you to subscribe to all they have to offer since that means recurring money.”
Apple’s services segment has grown into a thriving company, generating $68 billion in sales last fiscal year, up from $24 billion the year after its music streaming service launched. Apple’s success in services has also sparked antitrust litigation and proposed legislation aimed at loosening the company’s exclusive control over its iPhone app store, which gets hefty commissions from digital transactions handled on the device.
Despite supply bottlenecks that have restricted manufacturing, the iPhone remains Apple’s greatest gold mine, with sales of $192 billion in its most recent fiscal year. In January, Apple stated that the issues were reducing as the epidemic subsided and suppliers caught up with backlogs.
Aside from the new iPhone SE, Apple used Tuesday’s event to announce that it has reached an agreement with Major League Baseball to begin showing two Friday night games each week on its video subscription service once the sport’s labor dispute, which has already delayed the start of the season, is resolved. The agreement is the latest entry by a big digital corporation into a sports programming sector dominated by long-established television networks.
Although the inclusion of baseball games may help Apple attract new customers to its two-year-old video service, the firm intends to make them available to all users for free at first.
The Mac Studio, a new desktop version of Apple’s personal computer, will cost $2,000 to $4,000 for the processor unit. Another $1,600 will be spent on a high-resolution 27-inch display screen developed for the Mac Studio. The iPad Air, the newest iteration of Apple’s lightweight tablet, is now available for $600. Apple’s own in-house CPUs will power all of these computer devices.