At its keynote under the motto, Apple showed a lot of new products. And although they are of course the best iPhones and Apple Watches that the company has ever shown, the enthusiasm is not as great as usual. However, this is also due to the very high bar that Apple has set in recent years.
As always with Apple, it was an evening of superlatives. When Tim Cook and his team invited them to the virtual keynote from their homeland, California, it was clear that the best iPhone and the best Apple Watch of all time would be presented there once again. And they actually did. Nevertheless, the group will find it difficult to surpass the gigantic success of last year.
This is not primarily due to the products themselves. Whether the new entry-level iPad, the revised iPad Mini, the new Apple Watch Series 7 or the four models of the iPhone 13: All new products are the best version of the respective device. All have received good, meaningful innovations. But compared to the leaps of the past, they look a little paler.
High hurdles
There is, for example, the Apple Watch Series 7. When it was first introduced seven years ago, Apple was the first manufacturer to show that a smartwatch can be more than just a pedometer and a second display for notifications. The Apple Watch was a piece of jewelry. And it still is today. But the tentative revisions of recent years ensure that the enthusiasm for a new model is simply not as great as it was with the Apple Watch Series 4, for example, when Apple enlarged the display for the first time.
That doesn’t mean the Apple Watch Series 7 is bad, on the contrary. With a slightly larger display, a slightly rounder case, and improved protection against dust and bumps, it’s no doubt an improvement over the Apple Watch Series 6 (an overview of the new features can be found here). The fact that it still disappoints somewhat is due to the higher expectations. Many fans had wanted a more clearly visible new design, rumors spoke of clearer edges, as known from the iPhone 12 or the latest iMac. The fact that the watch has not received any new fitness sensors for a long time also tarnishes the joy of the new model. That doesn’t mean it won’t sell. But whether it can trigger such a willingness to switch as the Apple Watch Series 4 back then in users of an older model is another matter.
Heavy competition – from the predecessor
The latest iPhones could have an even harder time. Here, too, it’s not down to the devices themselves. The iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Mini are clear progress with better cameras, a faster chip and more battery power. The Pro models also have the great promotional display and the refresh rate adapt to the content (here you can find out all the details about the new iPhones). But the iPhone 12, with its new design and the cool Magsafe charging magnet, was such a leap that the customer’s incentive to buy was completely different. Apple also felt this: With the 12 generation, the group was able to achieve sales figures that were no longer thought possible for a long time, and even in the otherwise weak third quarter – nine months after the presentation – the iPhone 12 models broke records.
The biggest drawback is that you don’t immediately understand the biggest innovation at first glance. As is so often the case when the design has been adopted from the previous model, Apple relies on the camera to set the new iPhone models apart from the previous year’s models. The result of the efforts is really impressive: With larger image sensors, even more precise recordings should be possible, the great night mode is now supported by all camera lenses. Even more impressive is the ability to change the focus of the recording in videos and thus capture cinematic footage. For the Pro models, the calculation is made live in the camera app. If this really works as advertised in tests, it would – once again – shift the standards for smartphone recordings.
Self-set standards
The problem is exactly this time again. Because: Apple has long expected precisely these shifts in scale. Because the company succeeds again and again. To trigger real enthusiasm and hype, it might be a spark too little. So you were almost disappointed when the keynote after the introduction of the iPhone 13 Pro was almost simply over. Steve Jobs’ trademark, the “one more thing” that is an important part of Apple’s magic, just failed to materialize. So it is not surprising that the stock market price initially fell slightly shortly after the keynote.
In the end, Apple will of course have outstanding sales figures. At least compared to its significantly weaker competition in the premium sector. Whether you can break your own very high hurdle is another question. It’s a bit like football: Manuel Neuer would be accused of having scored a goal that others consider untenable.
David William is a talented author who has made a name for himself in the world of writing. He is a professional author who writes on a wide range of topics, from general interest to opinion news. David is currently working as a writer at 24 hours worlds where he brings his unique perspective and in-depth research to his articles, making them both informative and engaging.
