- Published
Apple has launched its most expensive iPhone ever - a foldable handheld that costs at least £1,999 and marks the first major iPhone design change in almost 20 years.
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that → publish → years
The iPhone Duo is a gamble by new boss John Ternus, who took over from long-time chief executive Tim Cook this month.
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who → take → Cook
Apple is entering the foldable phone market comparatively late, following the likes of South Korea's Samsung and China's Huawei.
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Apple → enter → Samsung
Ternus told an audience at Apple's California headquarters: "Others have created foldables that just feel like two phones awkwardly stuck together."
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that → tell → phones
Apple's model, he claimed "redefine[s] the experience of using a foldable phone".
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he → claim → phone
In the US, prices start at $1,999, but can go up to $3,200.
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prices → start → 3,200
It has taken eight years to develop, something Ternus was directly involved in after spending many years as a top executive inside Apple's hardware division.
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Ternus → take → division
When unfolded, it looks like a small iPad and a wider iPhone when it is folded.
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it → unfold → iPad
Ternus said: "It's entirely new and at the same time remarkably familiar.
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It → say → time
A similar size to your passport, it feels familiar to hold and comfortable to use with one hand.
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it → feel → hand
But the product is facing established competitors.
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product → face → competitors
"The real fight is China, where Huawei owns nearly 80% of foldables."
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Huawei → own → foldables
said Francisco Jeronimo, vice president for data and analytics, devices at IDC EMEA.
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Jeronimo → say → EMEA
Ben Wood, chief analyst at technology research firm FDM CCS Insight, said it was likely Ternus's promotion was timed specifically "to coincide with what will be arguably one of the biggest iPhone launches for many years".
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what → say → years
"Nothing happens by accident at Apple," he said.
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he → happen → Apple
Carolina Milanesi, an analyst at Creative Strategies who attended the Wednesday presentation, said the spotlight on Ternus made it feel "almost like he was a product himself."
Altering the design of the iPhone may address some criticism that Apple has yet to land a major product hit or truly exciting innovation since the first iPhone came out in 2007.
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iPhone → attend → 2007
"The foldable risks becoming a premium-priced ornament in the portfolio, imparting badge value but not meaningful growth," said Dipanjan Chatterjee, an analyst at Forrester.
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Chatterjee → risk → Forrester
Previously, the highest starting price of the newest iPhone was $900 (£664).
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price → start → iPhone
Apple also revealed on Wednesday the new iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max, which in the US start at $1,199 and $1,299 respectively.
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which → reveal → 1,199
Chatterjee said the foldable iPhone could go the way of Apple's Vision Pro headset, which the company priced at $3,699 and has not been a hit with buyers.
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company → go → buyers
Or, he said, it could be the company's next Apple Watch which, while not as popular as the iPhone, is bought by millions of people each year.
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which → say → people
The way people have become accustomed to the way the iPhone operates is another potential hurdle to Apple seeing big sales of the new design.
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Apple → become → design
"Foldables are interesting devices", Milanesi noted.
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Milanesi → note → ?
"A lot of people are intrigued by it, but the software and the learning curve that you have from moving from a traditional phone to a foldable is real."
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you → intrigue → foldable
Wood noted that the current market for foldable smartphones from the likes of Samsung and Huawei make up only 2% of smartphone sales.
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market → note → sales
Even with Apple's version likely driving interest and demand, sales are only expected to reach 4% of the total market in the next decade, according to data and analytics firm FDM CCM Insight.
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sales → drive → Insight
The iPhone has been Apple's top-selling product and accounts for more than half of the company's sales each year.
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iPhone → sell → sales
In recent quarters, the company has boasted that the iPhone is more in-demand than ever, with the most recent version of the device becoming its most successful product launch.
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version → boast → device
The company also revealed more about the coming relaunch of its audio and chat assistant Siri, which it now calls Siri AI.
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it → reveal → which
Starting with the iPhone 18, the bot will now be able to go across information on a person's phone, like messages and emails, to find information, answer queries and take action on a person's behalf.
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bot → start → behalf
Some Siri AI features will also be available on the new Apple Watch, including the ability to take notes of conversations and transcribe them, should a wearer enable that feature.
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wearer → include → feature
Ternus referred to new AI-enabled capabilities on the iPhone as an "intelligent personal hub", and admitted that Apple would be making use of "the most private details of your daily life."
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Apple → refer → life
He insisted that all of it will remain private, with the AI features often running "on device", meaning not through third-party companies.
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features → insist → companies
And when a third-party is required for a function, Ternus said it will remain private in a remote server, or cloud.
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it → require → server
"Others see that data as something to collect and store", Ternus said.
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Ternus → see → something
"Here, not even Apple can access what's yours."
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what → access → ?
The Aporia
