Apple CEO Tim Cook called it the ‘biggest leap ever for iPhone’, but some said it lacked a truly ‘game-changing’ feature
Apple announced the first major redesign of the iPhone in years on Tuesday, teasing the event with the phrase “awe-dropping” in a bid for the company to impress with its latest devices.
The Cupertino tech company confirmed the launch of a new, thinner model called the iPhone Air.
CEO Tim Cook called it the “biggest leap ever for iPhone”.
iPhone sales
That was one of a number of product upgrades announced during Apple’s annual hardware launch, which also included improvements to the Apple Watch and AirPods Pro.
iPhone sales have been bumpy for years, and Apple has fallen behind competitors like Samsung on artificial intelligence (AI), including being caught in the crosshairs of President Donald Trump’s trade wars.
iPhone Air
During the event, Apple seemed to double down on its hardware leadership, noting how its new devices could enable AI features without making its “Apple Intelligence” the focus of the event.
Apple is betting that iPhone Air will spark a super-cycle of iPhone purchases and reverse the trend of customers holding onto their devices longer before upgrading.
At just 5.6mm thick (less than a quarter inch), the $999 (R17 513 without duties) device features Apple’s new A19 Pro processor and promises all-day battery life with up to 40 hours of video playback.
With the new iPhone lineup, “there is an iPhone for everybody at a reasonable price,” tech analyst and PP Foresight founder Paolo Pescatore said in an email to CNN.
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Apple Watch
The Air joins Apple’s more standard lineup, including the premium iPhone Pro 17, the company’s most expensive and highest-performing model.
In addition, Apple announced the new hypertension feature alongside the Apple Watch Series 11, Ultra 3, and SE 3, which is also coming to older compatible models with the watchOS 26 update. The company has perfected a wearable that measures blood pressure, which is currently only available on the Huawei Watch D2.
Apple’s AirPods Pro got its first refresh in three years with the AirPods Pro 3.
The new wireless earbuds can sense a wearer’s heart rate with improved spatial audio and noise cancellation, live language translation and an improved fit with a wider range of ear tip sizes.
Prices
A big question was whether Apple would raise prices for its devices because of tariffs on the company’s US imports this year. But the base prices for iPhones have remained mostly consistent with last year, when compared to prior-year models with the same amount of storage. In the case of the iPhone 17, users will get even more storage with a 2TB model.
Apple’s stock price experienced a slight dip (around 1.44%) as the event concluded, leading some analysts to characterise it as a “sell-the-news” event and raising concerns about Apple’s pace of innovation in the face of competitors’ rapid advancements in AI and new form factors.
Lacking innovation
While the Apple event showcased notable upgrades and the introduction of the innovative iPhone Air, some suggest it lacked a truly “game-changing” feature to generate significant investor excitement, particularly in the context of the rapidly evolving AI landscape and increasing competition from rivals like Samsung, Google and Huawei.
Meanwhile, iStore South Africa said the iPhone 17 range, including the all-new iPhone Air, will be in South Africa from 19 September.
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