Apple Will Launch IPhone 15 With Improvements Related To Battery Charging And Camera Technology

Apple launched several new products adapted to EU regulations. (photo: dock. apple)

Apple is expected to announce its newest iPhone 15 line on Tuesday, September 12 while facing questions about market access in China and competition lurking around the world's most valuable listed companies.

The iPhone accounted for more than half of Apple's total sales of US$394.3 billion (Rp6,052 trillion) last year, but faces new challenges in selling its products in China, which is the third-largest market for this Cupertino, California company.

Apple's latest phone is expected to have a new charging port, a case made from titanium, and an upgraded camera. However, this launch comes amid the Chinese government's decision to expand some restrictions regarding the use of the iPhone.

Apple also has to compete with Huawei Technologies, which is Apple's main rival in China's premium smartphone market to US export control damaged Huawei's mobile phone business in 2019. Last week, Huawei started selling Mate 60 Pro, a high-end phone that uses Chinese-made chips that some US lawmakers trust to be manufactured in violation of US trade restrictions.

Huawei wants to excel from Apple by adding additional features such as satellite calls that rely on networks supported by the Chinese government. The iPhone line currently also has satellite capabilities, although they are meant only for emergency situations.

Apple is expected to focus on their new product line. The biggest change for most Apple subscribers will be switching from Apple's "Lightning" charging cable to USB-C, a standard that Apple already uses on laptops and some high-end iPads.

Apple was forced to make these changes by European regulations, but analysts believe the company will position the changes as an upgrade, leveraging faster data transfer rates to transfer high-quality videos made with the iPhone.

Analysts also expect new "perscope" camera technology that can provide better zoom capability phones and titanium-based cases, as well as upgraded chips. A "perscope" lens like this can use mirrors or prisms to get longer lenses without having to make the camera module bigger.

The biggest question today is whether Apple will keep those features only for new vertex devices and make small improvements to cheaper models.

Apple is expected to increase the average price per phone sold to increase its revenue, but the question is whether it will do so by increasing the price in general or only on the premium version.

The global smartphone market has slumped from a total shipment of 294.5 million phones to 268 million in the second quarter, but Apple's shipments experienced the least decline compared to other major smartphone manufacturers, down from 46.5 million phones to 45.3 million, according to data from Counterpoint Research.

"The reality is, we are in a very sluggish smartphone market," said Bob O'Donnell, head of TECHnalysis Research.

O'Donnell said he would also look for clues about Apple's plans regarding what is known as generative artificial intelligence, the technology trend behind applications like ChatGPT from OpenAI and Microsoft's "Copilot" assistant technology for its Office software.

Analysts have asked Apple several times about its plans for the technology, but the company hasn't provided much guidance, except for comments from CEO Tim Cook in July that the company's covert work in the technology is increasing research spending.

"Will Apple give a leak about Siri's further form? It will be something that will cause joy," O'Donnell said.