Apple’s Next iPhone Needs to Be Irresistible
A slump in smartphone sales will be tough to reverse unless consumers view the new model as a significant upgrade.
There is a lot riding on the next iPhone.
Photographer: Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg
Apple Inc.’s third straight quarter of declining revenue is a symptom of the fact that while people love to use the company’s iPhones, they are these days feeling less pressed to buy a new one. If Apple wants to turn that around, bucking an industry-wide slump, the next iteration of its most popular product needs to be a return to the days when owning the latest iPhone felt like a major upgrade.
For the April-June period, iPhone sales of $39.7 billion — a 2.4% drop versus the same period last year — came in below analysts’ expectations, as did the iPad, down 20% year-on-year and the Mac line, down 7.3%. Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri said device sales in the current quarter weren’t looking too hot, either, blaming foreign currency headwinds and supply chain disruptions.