At 1 AM Beijing Time on September 10 (Wednesday), Apple (AAPL.O) will hold its fall new product launch event in Cupertino, California. This event is considered a "full-category update," with 10 new products expected to be launched across areas including smartphones, tablets, smart wearables, and audio devices. At the same time, the speculation about the "hidden price increase" for the iPhone 17 series and details on hardware upgrades have become the core focus for the market and consumers.
1. New product matrix at the launch: covering multiple categories, full scenario updates
This lineup of new Apple products is the most comprehensive in recent years, covering 10 products across mainstream smart device categories, specifically including:
- Mobile phones: iPhone 17 series (including the newly added iPhone 17 Air, removing iPhone 17 Plus)
- Smartwatches: Apple Watch Ultra 3, Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch SE 3
- Tablets and XR: New generation iPad Pro, Vision Pro
- Home and audio: Apple TV 4K fourth generation, HomePod mini second generation, AirPods Pro 3
- Other accessories: AirTag second generation, Studio Display 2
All new products focus on 'performance upgrades, function optimization, and design improvements,' among which the hardware breakthroughs of the iPhone 17 series and Apple Watch Ultra 3 are the most anticipated.
2. iPhone 17 series: Lightweight innovation + chip upgrade, Pro Max imaging breakthrough
According to foreign media reports, the iPhone 17 series has adjusted its model layout this time—removing the poorly performing iPhone 17 Plus, and adding the iPhone 17 Air, which focuses on 'extreme thinness.' The entire series is expected to start pre-orders on September 12 and officially go on sale on September 19, with core highlights concentrated in three aspects:
1. Design and screen: Lightness as the core label of the Air version
- iPhone 17 Air: With 'lightness' as the core selling point, the body thickness is only 5.5mm, equipped with an approximately 6.6-inch display, and the weight is further reduced compared to the basic model, balancing large screen and one-handed operation experience;
- Full series screen upgrade: All models are equipped with ProMotion display technology, supporting 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, addressing the screen experience differences between the basic and high-end models from the previous generation;
- Pro series design adjustments: iPhone 17 Pro/Pro Max adopts an aluminum body and 'half glass half aluminum' back panel design, reconstructing the camera module shape and enhancing visual recognition.
2. Imaging and performance: Pro Max periscope telephoto + self-developed chip power
- Imaging breakthroughs: iPhone 17 Pro Max is the first to feature a 48-megapixel periscope telephoto lens, supporting 8K video recording, combined with optimized computational photography algorithms, further upgrading telephoto shooting and video capabilities;
- Tiered chip configuration: Pro series equipped with A19 Pro chip, basic model and Air version equipped with standard A19 chip, both based on improved 3-nanometer process, performance and energy efficiency improved by 15%-25% compared to the previous generation;
- In-house component implementation: iPhone 17 Air is the first to use Apple's self-developed Wi-Fi 7 chip, replacing Broadcom's supply solution, and some models are simultaneously testing the self-developed 5G modem to reduce dependence on external chip manufacturers.
3. Pricing controversy: Hidden price increases are highly probable, analysts warn of average price increases
Although Apple has not announced new product prices, Wall Street analysts and market institutions generally predict that the iPhone 17 series may increase the average selling price (ASP) through 'hidden price increases,' with the core logic focusing on three aspects:
1. Cost pressure: Tariffs and component price increases transmitted
The current US tariff policy has affected the consumer electronics sector, with Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo all raising game console prices in the US market this year; simultaneously, the costs of core components such as camera modules and chips have continued to rise in recent years. IDC data shows that the average selling price of smartphones worldwide has been increasing year by year, making it difficult for Apple to fully absorb cost pressures.
2. Hidden price increase strategy: Cancel low storage version, forcing high-end choices
Analysts point out that Apple is likely to continue the 'not directly increasing prices, but adjusting configurations' hidden price increase path:
- JPMorgan predicts that Apple will maintain the starting price of the iPhone 17 basic model and Pro Max, but will cancel the 128GB entry version of the Pro series, requiring users to pay $1099 to purchase the 256GB version, consistent with the logic of the 2023 Pro Max starting price rising from $1099 to $1199;
- Jefferies analyst Edison Lee clearly predicted in a July report that the average selling price of the iPhone 17 series will increase by $50 while maintaining Apple's stock rating as 'hold';
- Goldman Sachs further pointed out that Apple's model lineup continues to shift towards higher price points, 'the thinner iPhone 17 Air (expected at $899, the same as the previous Plus) may attract some users, but the compromise on battery life may struggle to compete with the basic model, ultimately driving users to choose higher-priced models.'
3. Apple's pricing inertia: Using functional upgrades to 'rationalize' price changes
Since 2017, Apple has maintained caution regarding the basic price of the Pro series ($999), but has repeatedly achieved indirect price increases by adjusting the positioning of entry-level models: the entry-level model increased from $699 to $829 in 2020, the $699 iPhone Mini was canceled in 2022 and replaced with the $899 Plus, and the starting price of the Pro Max increased by $100 in 2023.
IDC analyst Nabila Popal stated: 'Apple will not attribute price increases to tariffs, but will emphasize the upgrades in the screen, memory, and AI chip of the new device, using functional value to obscure price changes.'
4. Tariff response: Cook's 'gifts + investment' to cushion, but costs ultimately fall on consumers
Although Apple has shown a proactive response to tariffs—CEO Cook presented a gold-plated glass medal to Trump in August and promised to increase $100 billion in US investment in the future, successfully avoiding the direct impact of tariffs on business—Wall Street believes that the hidden costs of tariffs will ultimately still be transmitted to consumers through pricing.
Currently, the market's pricing expectation for the iPhone 17 Air is $899, which is lower than Samsung's thin model Galaxy Edge priced at $1099, but considering the storage configuration adjustments and the Pro series' 'hidden price increase,' Apple is still expected to achieve a slight increase in average selling price this year.
For consumers and investors, the core focus of this launch event is not only hardware upgrades but also how Apple balances 'functional innovation, cost pressures, and user acceptance'—after all, against the backdrop of slowing growth in the global smartphone market, pricing strategies will directly affect its sales and profit performance in the second half of the year.
