Apple’s iPhone 13 has a lot to do after the success of the iPhone 12

This story is part of Apple event, our comprehensive coverage of the latest news from Apple HQ.

Last year, Apple made wireless 5G one of the main new features of its iPhone 12, promising faster downloads and more reliability. With the next iPhone this year, Apple may be looking to the sky for his next big breakthrough.

The tech giant is expected to offer new iPhones on September 14 this could include technology to make emergency phone calls even without a cell signal. The new feature, which is said to be based on a chip designed to talk to satellites, may not arrive this year, according to an earlier report from Bloomberg. Regardless, the new iPhone should still rely on 5G wireless technology for day-to-day connectivity.

If announced this year, the new feature could help Apple’s latest iPhone stand out, even though it will look similar to last year’s device except for one. rumored smaller notch for the front camera and sensors. Other rumored features include a improved camera, a best screen and potentially new colors.

“The challenge is to get the same level of attention and create a cycle of upgrades,” said Carolina Milanesi, analyst at Creative Strategies. But, she said, Apple has a knack for coming up with something to get fans excited.

An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment ahead of the company’s event.

Read more: Apple Event on September 14: How to Watch the Expected iPhone 13 and Apple Watch 7 Launch Live

This year’s launch will mark another test for Apple, which has already has one billion actively used iPhones around the world. And the popularity of the phone continues to grow. Last year’s iPhone 12 was such a hit, it pushed Apple sales and profits to new record highs, even as the device launched amid one of the world’s worst health crises. and economic of the century. The iPhone 13’s job will be to help Apple keep the momentum going, even with a pandemic that won’t stubbornly go away.

Historically, the hype around new iPhones seems to be muted when the exterior design stays the same. Apple somewhat recognizes this, adding an “S” to the name of these modified iPhones inside, starting with the 2009 iPhone 3GS, which the company said originally meant “speed.” And while some reviewers might say the S stands for “snooze,” Apple has used these iPhones off year to introduce brand new features.

When it launched ten years ago, the iPhone 4S featured the voice assistant Siri. The iPhone 5S, in 2013, introduces Touch ID fingerprint sensor. The iPhone XS offered a “significantly improved dual cameraCNET critic Scott Stein wrote on his 2018 debut. (But it was the iPhone XR, released that same year, that stole the show, with a cheaper price tag in exchange for a lower quality screen and camera.)

Whether Apple calls its next iPhone the iPhone 12S or the iPhone 13, as the internet seems to have already dubbed it, it won’t matter. What will matter is whether Apple can pack enough of it into the device to hit the mark after one of its biggest iPhone launches last year.

The good news for the company is that it already seems to have a head start. A survey by SellCell, a phone reseller, found that 44% of current iPhone owners plan to upgrade to one of the four iPhone 13 models reported when they get started. That alone could represent tens of millions of iPhones.

Read more: IPhone 13: stylish color options and a new design could be revealed at the Apple event on September 14

“Apple does an incredible job creating successful products that seemingly year after year, like a pop group,” said Bob O’Donnell, analyst at Technalysis Research. And like any band, he added, some releases may not reach the general public in the same way as a hit album. “They’re always OK and still important to the fans. That’s probably what we’ll see with the iPhone 13.”

A boost for the Apple Watch

Part of Apple’s success is due to accompanying products like the Apple Watch, which starts at $ 279, and the company price AirPods wireless earphones, which start at $ 159. This ecosystem of interconnected products and services has helped create an industry giant.

So it’s worth noting that while the iPhone doesn’t have a lot of physical changes this year, the Apple Watch does.

Leaks suggest the Apple watch 7, as it might be called, will be available in sizes 41mm and 45mm, slightly up from the 40mm and 44mm offered today. This slight increase should explain a new design with flat edges, marking a significant change from the curved edges that Apple has. used since the device was launched in 2015. Reports from Bloomberg and Apple leaks suggest that the screen bezels may shrink as well, allowing for a more visible screen area.

While the Apple Watch doesn’t sell as well as the iPhone – Apple doesn’t even publish individual sales for the device – it would sell better than the entire output of the Swiss watch industry. . And it has become a key halo device for iPhones, with Apple claiming that 75% of buyers buy their first Apple Watch.

“Traditional Swiss watchmakers like Swatch and Tissot are losing the smartwatch war,” Neil Mawston, analyst at Strategy Analytics, wrote in a report last year. “Apple delivers a better product through deeper retail channels and attracts younger consumers who increasingly want digital bracelets. “

5G is still making waves

Apple watchers saw a sure bet with the iPhone 12 when it launched last year. The tech giant was finally embracing blazing-fast 5G wireless, marking the culmination of years of hype from mobile operators. Now, a year later, Apple CEO Tim Cook said he believed last year’s record iPhone sales were just the start of 5G wireless upgrades.

“We are in the early days of 5G,” Cook said on a conference call with analysts this summer. One data point he noted was that people around the world, and in the United States, still don’t have easy access to 5G signals. This gives people less reason to upgrade now and potentially more reason to buy when the signals come in.

While carriers offer 5G coverage across the country, speeds are often disappointing compared to the hype. Consumers did not rush to adopt the technology, and many people still do not have the new wireless signals available around their homes. But operators have steadily upgraded their networks, improving those dull early experiences. Both iPhone 12 and its new sibling are expected to benefit from these upcoming changes.

Satellite connectivity could also offer an added incentive to help the iPhone stand out from the crowd. Whether this is a regular perk or an emergency use feature remains to be seen, as rumors suggest.

What is certain is that Apple is sure to tout some features of the iPhone 13 as a breakthrough that makes the device the next must-have product. But with a similar design and an S-type year, it could be a tough sell for even the most loyal Apple fan.