A decade ago, the iPhone changed the way we look at mobile phones by turning them into a pocket-sized entertainment hub constantly connected to the internet. Today, iOS (iPhone OS) has become one of the most important software release platforms, having some of the best apps of the year as exclusive titles and offering users an experience apart. But is this enough to keep iPhone fans excited about the platform they chose or will Apple's dabbling with innovation chase them away to the faster-growing Android world? Well, it might be the latter, considering the unimpressive product launch we've had the chance to witness this September.
The smartphone, reloaded
Apple revealed three new iPhone models this September - the iPhone XR, the iPhone XS, and the iPhone XS Max. Among the new features the Cupertino-based tech giant (that has recently become the first trillion-dollar company in the US for a short time) you'll find an all-screen setup with no home button, a dual-sim option, IP68 certification, and some others - things that Android phones have had for years.
The tech world has a habit of comparing Apple's new phones with older releases from manufacturers on the Android side. One of the best ones to compare the new iPhone XR with is the Google Pixel 2 XL - they have very similar specs but Google's phone doesn't have the M2 coprocessor and has a POLED screen (offering superior pixel density). The two phones have pretty much the same feature set and similar prices... but Google's Pixel 2 XL has been released a whole year before the new iPhone XR.
And when we compare the iPhone XS Plus - clearly the top notch (no pun intended) of Apple's 2018 product range - with Samsung's Galaxy Note 9, it becomes obvious that Apple has once again reinvented the smartphone too late. Samsung's top flagship for this year has more RAM, a bigger battery, more processing power, a higher-PPI screen with a better resolution, and more storage for a similar price.
The end of the iPhone era?
In the second quarter of 2018, Chinese smartphone maker Huawei has outsold Apple for the second time in its history, becoming the second largest smartphone maker in the world after Samsung. Apple's sales might rebound with the coming holiday season but it seems that brand loyalty alone will no longer be enough for the iPhone to maintain its position as the second best-selling smartphone brand in the world. The price tags on Apple's new smartphones (the iPhone XR costs $749 and above) puts it into luxury territory for many, with some already calling it "the Luis Vuitton of consumer electronics". This will likely cause iPhone users to replace their phones less often, ultimately hurting the company's bottom line in the long run.
In the coming years, we may see the end of the iPhone era and the emergence of a new one, dominated by Android in all areas, all countries, all territories of the world. But this might not be as good a thing as it sounds... not even if you are a major Android fan.
