Apple To Debut Slew Of New Devices On Wednesday

Apple is set to premiere a variety of new products this week at the company’s Apple Park headquarters in Cupertino, California. According to Bloomberg, the focus will be on Apple’s new iPhones — not surprising since the phone generate about two thirds of the company’s revenue and often lead to the purchase of other Apple devices and services, such as app subscriptions, movie downloads and iCloud storage.

The three phones expected to launch include a top-of-the line model with a 6.5-inch screen, while a slightly smaller model, also with an OLED edge-to-edge screen, will be 6.1 inches. The last model will have the same 5.8-inch screen as the X, along with the latest upgrades. Last month, a survey revealed that consumers are excited about the new iPhones, with 48 percent saying they were interested in upgrading.

Goldman Sachs analyst Rod Hall predicted last week that the new LCD iPhone will be priced around $849, with a $699 version unlikely since it wouldn’t benefit the company’s earnings.

In addition, Apple is expected to reveal an upgraded iPad Pro, a new entry-level laptop with a sharper screen, a pro-focused Mac mini desktop computer and new accessories like the AirPower wireless charger. It will also introduce new Apple Watches with larger screens that go nearly edge to edge. The upgrades will be the most significant changes to the smartwatch since the product launched in 2014.

As global smartwatch shipments grew by 37 percent year over year in the second quarter, Apple has maintained dominance in the category with a 41 percent market share.

“Back in Q4 2017, Apple stepped up its strategy in the smartwatch segment by enhancing the features of smartwatches into broad-based functionalities, including some health and fitness tracking capabilities,” said Counterpoint Research Analyst Satyajit Sinha. “Moreover, Apple is catalyzing the trend of ‘smartwatch as a standalone wearable device’ with adoption of cellular connectivity, which is driving the new wave of cellular-connected wearables globally — great news for mobile operators.”