Apple Impresses Again With New Products

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) is known for its fast-paced upgrades. The company generally has two events every year where it unveils some new version of one of its flagship products. The most recent event took place yesterday. Let’s take a look at what’s new and how this will affect Apple’s bottom line going forward.

iPhone 6s and 6s Plus

Touted as “the most advanced smartphone in the world” by chief executive Tim Cook, the new S model phones look exactly like the original 6 model phones on the outside, but here are the differences:

• Aerospace-grade aluminum and stronger glass, mainly to prevent the bending that was happening with the previous model.
• Force touch, called 3D Touch by Apple, allows you to bring up different menus if you put more pressure and hold on the screen.
• Better camera, including a 12-megapixel on the back (a jump from 8 megapixels) and a 5 mega-pixel front-facing camera.
• A faster processor, 70% faster, according to Apple, when using it for typical computing tasks, and 90% faster for graphical tasks like gaming.

Verdict: The newest model is a step up, to be sure. However, it doesn’t seem like it’s as big of a step up as was the 5s from the 5. There will certainly be the Apple diehards and early adopters that rush to pick up the newest version, and there will also likely be customers who still carry an older version of the phone and decide that it’s finally time to upgrade, but otherwise I don’t see as much excitement about the 6s and 6s Plus and Apple may be hoping.

iPad Pro

“Today, we have the biggest news in iPad since the iPad,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook, unveiling the iPad Pro. “This is the most capable and powerful iPad we have ever created.”

The iPad Pro is Apple’s attempt to boost its sagging sales in that segment:

• The new tablet has a 12.9-inch screen, much bigger than the iPad Air 2’s 9.7 inch screen.
• Its chip is 1.8 times faster than the iPad Air 2’s processor — that’s 80% faster than the portable PCs currently on the market.
• A full-sized keyboard and Apple Pencil, a stylus that flies in the face of what Steve Job wanted.

Verdict: Unlike the new iPhone, this has the potential to get the iPad back on the map. It’s a huge step up from the most recent model, and it seems that Apple is specifically marketing it to enterprises in the health industry and creative professionals. If anything can boost sales in the iPad segment again, it’s this.

Apple TV

"Our vision for TV is simple and perhaps a little provocative. We believe the future of television is apps," said Cook. TheApple TV hasn’t been as popular as competitor products like the Amazon Fire TV Stick and the Google Chromecast. It’s price point is much higher and it didn’t offer anything better. But now that’s changed:

• With a new operating system, tvOS, game apps are now available.
• Apple Music is now available
• It now has a Siri-enabled remote to help you navigate, much like the Amazon Fire TV Stick. "Siri will search iTunes, Netflix, HBO and Showtime," said Eddy Cue, Apple’s SVP of Internet software and services. "We will be adding more over time."

Verdict: It’s true the new Apple TV set-top box is much better than the previous version. But is it worth the price? $149 for a 32 GB version and $199 for a 64 GB version seem steep compared with the Fire TV Stick’s $39 price point. But compared with the latter’s 8 GB storage, the Apple TV offers a better experience for those who want to use their set-top box for much more than streaming. While the Apple TV will likely never be one of the company’s flagship products, we’ll likely see a boost in sales on this newer model.

Apple Watch

Nothing too new here. Apple announced watchOS 2, the first Apple Watch software upgrade, as well as new bands and cases for the smart watch. The new OS allows the watch to run apps on the device itself rather than transferring data from the iPhone, which opens up the door to third-party apps. The company also announced a partnership with luxury leather manufacturer Hermes, to improve the band.

Verdict: One thing Cook mentioned that’s of note is that the Apple Watch has a 97% satisfaction rating among users. Not bad, considering all the negative press it’s received. I’m a believer in the Apple Watch, but think that the public will catch on with the next version.