Apple To Release iPhone 17 Early Next Year

According to Bloomberg, Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) will release a number of new products in the first half of next year. They include new versions of Macs and iPads. The most important launch during the period will be the iPhone 17e. It is the low priced version of iPhones. The iPhone 16e was released last February. It has a price tag of $599.

The new iPhone 17e will have an upgraded processor called the A19. Apple’s current iPhone chip is the A18. The launch won’t do much for Apple and its investors unless it includes a promised operating system which includes advanced AI. iPhone owners and potential buyers have been looking for these features for months. In the meantime, every major competing tech company has launched AI products which are the center of their software.

Apple has fallen well behind in the consumer software business, although it is still considered the smartphone global leader, a distinction is usually shared with Samsung. Samsung has added AI features to its new foldable phone line-up. The South Korean company recently released its new foldable Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip 7. Each has an AI powered camera and Google’s AI assistant. It is too early to know if foldable phones will go mainstream

Just as serious as the Samsung challenge are a number of Chinese smartphone companies. Together, they have a huge share of the Chinese market, which, with one billion smartphone owners, is by far the world’s largest. Most of these have released AI features. One of the largest smartphone makers, Honor, said it would invest $10 billion in AI features. The company is using a version of Google Gemini.

Apple’s other challenge is whether the iPhone 17 will have a large jump in hardware features compared to the iPhone 16. Most buyers cannot tell whether an iPhone has a more powerful chip or a better camera. The differences are too subtle.

The iPhone 17e may be a step forward for Apple, but it will be a small one, if it does not arrive with major AI features.

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