Apple’s Real Advantage Is What's Inside the New iPhones and Watch
- Chip innovations give company an edge in wearables and AI
- Improved processors will force owners of old phones to upgrade
Munster: Apple's Mobile Future Shifts to Wearables
When Apple Inc. unveiled a trio of new iPhones, an Apple Watch and TV set-top box on Tuesday, much was made of the products’ elegance, new features and luxury-level prices. But perhaps the more important story is what’s under the hood: semiconductor technology that could keep Apple ahead of rivals and force people with older phones to upgrade.
Consider the Watch Series 3. It has a new Apple-designed processor that lets Siri talk rather than just provide a written answer. The new Watch can also connect directly to cellular networks but remains about the same size as its predecessor, a significant engineering feat. In an interview, Andreessen Horowitz partner Benedict Evans noted that “if you look at the Android smartwatches that have cellular, they are literally twice the size.”