How Apple could simplify its complex iPhone line-up this fall

It could solely be July, nevertheless it’s by no means too early to start out speculating about Apple’s subsequent massive bulletins. We’re possible one other seven or eight weeks out from the corporate’s annual September occasion, and whereas little is thought about what Apple may need up its sleeves, a brand new iPhone line-up looks as if a positive factor. (After all, it’s not like Cupertino’s simply going to up and stop making them.)

I ventured into an Apple Store lately to assist my spouse improve from her iPhone 6, and as we ran down the checklist of obtainable fashions, I discovered myself pondering again to that two-by-two product grid I mentioned simply final week and the way antithetical it appears to the present crop of iPhones.

That’s not inherently unhealthy: not all the things has to suit neatly right into a grid. But although Apple’s cellphone line-up has a technique to its insanity, it does stay fairly complicated for the typical buyer. Looking ahead to the 2019 iPhone line-up, I ponder if it’s time to start out enthusiastic about slimming issues down a bit.

Seven ate 9?

Apple launched the iPhone 7 in 2016 and adopted it up with the iPhone eight in 2017. The two telephones principally share the identical kind issue, the largest exterior distinction being the rear case of the cellphone, which modified from aluminum to glass with a purpose to allow inductive charging. Internally, after all, the eight options a greater chip and some different enhancements.

But even a tech-savvy particular person wanting on the two side-by-side can be hard-pressed to enumerate lots of these distinctions. To a potential buyer, the largest variations are the capability—the iPhone eight is available in 64GB or 256GB fashions, whereas the iPhone 7 is offered in 32GB or 128GB—and, after all, the $150 to $200 worth distinction, relying on that capability.

There’s little query that the iPhone 7 has remained within the line-up for 2 major functions: first, to offer a lovely $450 price-point for cost-conscious iPhone buyer and second, and relatedly, to offer a straightforward escalation path. After all, many potential consumers could discover the entry-level iPhone 7’s 32GB capability too small, and should you’re already going to pay an additional $100 for a 128GB mannequin, why not throw in that final $50 to get a more recent cellphone within the cut price?

Apple

It’s clear that Apple does want a cellphone to carry down the decrease finish of the value spectrum, however I’d be shocked to see the iPhone 7 stick round after this 12 months. In all probability the iPhone eight will grow to be the brand new least-expensive cellphone whereas the iPhone 7 follows its predecessors, the 6s and 6, to the storied gates of Valhalla.

But there’s one other risk lurking on the market. What if this 12 months includes a new cellphone with the identical chassis as these fashions, however additional up to date internals. Call it, oh, I don’t know, the iPhone 9? (Unless there’s some kind of unusual tech superstition each Apple and Microsoft have fallen prey to right here.) That would…