Is iPhone 15 coming? What new tricks can be played this time?
Introduction: Apple usually launches new iPhone series products at its autumn launch events, and is expected to launch iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro this year.
Apple announced on August 29th that it will hold its autumn press conference on September 12th. The theme of this press conference will be "Curiosity above". The market expects Apple to release a new iPhone and a new series of smartwatches. Apple's stock price closed up more than 2% on the same day.
After the A-share market opened on August 30th, Apple concept stocks also surged. As of noon, Lansi Technology rose more than 4%, Lixun Precision rose 2.5%, Changying Precision rose 1.8%, and Geely Group rose more than 1%.
Against the backdrop of declining global demand for smartphones, Apple's latest quarterly report shows a 2.4% decline in iPhone sales. According to research firm Omdia, global smartphone shipments are expected to decline by 6% year-on-year to 1.15 billion units this year, marking the worst performance in a decade. But the market demand for Apple's high-end models is still very strong.
Apple usually launches new iPhone series products at its autumn launch events, and is expected to launch iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro this year.
There are rumors that the next generation iPhone will bring significant upgrades, including new colors, better battery performance, faster speed, and the possibility of switching from Apple's dedicated connector to USB-C.
In the past few years, the appearance and functionality of smartphones, including the Apple iPhone, have not undergone significant changes. Phone manufacturers have been trying to make more incremental upgrades to their devices, with a focus on camera upgrades and more powerful chips.
Guo Minggui, an analyst at Tianfeng International Securities, said that the highest configuration version of the new generation iPhone will be equipped with a periscope camera, which can increase the zoom ability by more than 5 times.
According to Bloomberg, it is expected that Apple's new series of smartwatches may adopt a biomimetic chip based on Apple's new A15, which will also enhance the performance of Apple's smartwatches.
Research firm Canalys analyst Liu Jiansen told First Financial reporters, "Apple's devices are not very different every year, although they are doing well. These devices are now increasingly emphasizing interactive functions. I think from the perspective of watches, WatchOS 10 may add some third-party accessory support functions and more measurement functions to support applications such as maps."
Guo Minggui's latest prediction is that Apple is expected to surpass Samsung to become the world's largest smartphone manufacturer in terms of shipment volume by 2024. He said that Samsung's shipment volume has been reduced to 220 million units this year. If Apple maintains iPhone orders unchanged until the second half of 2024, this year's shipment volume can reach 220 million to 225 million units.
Guo Minggui stated that Apple's latest target for iPhone shipments in 2024 is 250 million units, and by then, Apple is expected to become the world's largest smartphone brand in terms of shipments. He also stated that Apple's stock price is expected to rebound in the near future.
In June of this year, Apple unveiled the hybrid reality headset device Apple Vision Pro at the Global Developers Conference. But it has provided little boost to the market, with Apple's stock price rising less than 4% in the past three months.
Guo Minggui's prediction was made against the backdrop of market concerns that the shipment volume of Apple's iPhone 15 series phones may be reduced due to supply chain constraints, and the market believes that the shipment of the high-end model iPhone 15 Pro Max may be delayed. Market analyst Guo Minggui predicts that the shipment volume of iPhone 15 series phones will still reach about 80 million units, while the iPhone 15 Pro Max will be shipped in large quantities starting this week. Apple will also increase the shipment volume of several old models.
This prediction also reflects the increasing shift of consumers towards the higher end market of smartphones. According to research firm Omdia, in the first half of this year, the Apple iPhone 14 series had the highest global shipment volume of smartphones, with the iPhone 14 Pro Max having the highest shipment volume among all smartphones, reaching 26.5 million units, the iPhone 14 Pro having a shipment volume of 21 million units, and the iPhone 14 having a shipment volume of 16.5 million units.
By contrast, the iPhone 13 was the best-selling smartphone device on the market last year. This change means that starting from this year, people are shifting from buying entry-level iPhone models to buying high-end models.
Omdia also pointed out that due to the sluggish mid to low-end smartphone market, the shipment volume of smartphones in China has experienced a double-digit decline since 2022. Omdia predicts that the overall shipment volume of Apple iPhones will remain stable or slightly decrease this year, driven mainly by "strong demand for high-end models". Therefore, Apple's iPhone Pro and iPhone Pro Max models are expected to continue to grow.
