Barbara Ortutay
Apple has unveiled its latest generation of iPhones, including a widely anticipated foldable version called Duo.
The company’s new chief executive, John Ternus, who took over from Tim Cook on September 1, introduced the latest lineup at the Steve Jobs Theatre on Wednesday (US time).
After cycling through other updates to the iPhone, the Apple Watch and AirPods along with artificial intelligence advances, Ternus told the audience that “actually there is one more thing,” in a nod to the trademark phrase from Jobs that Jobs himself borrowed from the 1970s detective show “Columbo.”
Called Duo, the phone has the “largest display ever on an iPhone, yet fits into your pocket,” Ternus said.
The phone opens to a 7.6 inch display that is 80 per cent larger than the newest iPhone 18 Pro. It will let people use an Apple Pencil on the phone, a capability previously reserved to iPad users.
Duo, Ternus said, “will redefine the experience of using a foldable phone”.
The Duo also lets users split the screen to use two different apps on the device, or two windows the same website for things like comparison shopping.
The iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max, Ternus said, bring improvements to the battery, camera, and performance. They will start at $A2099 and $A2299, respectively. The Duo starts at $A3499. Customers can pre-order the phones starting on September 12, and they will be available on September 18, although the Duo will be available on October 23.
The new models feature a long battery life – 45 hours of video playback for the Pro Max – and faster charging. The camera offers what Apple called “cinematic effects” from regular video captured on the phone, as well as new options for manual controls and “smart focus tracking,” which lets users focus on a single moving subject, such as a kid during a soccer game.
Apple is also focusing on Siri’s new AI capabilities with the new phones, emphasising privacy and security to stand apart from rivals who are further along in incorporating AI.
Many of Apple’s biggest rivals, such as Samsung, Motorola and Google, have already come out with foldable smartphones. But Apple is not one to rush on new technologies.
“The foldable launch is straight out of Apple’s playbook: Wait for the product to work out its kinks and for the market to offer glimpses of viability, then enter and shape the category,” said Forrester analyst Dipanjan Chatterjee.
“The difference is that foldables still represent a minuscule share of the smartphone market. The test of Apple’s ambition will be whether it can expand that niche into a meaningful new segment.”
Earlier this year, Apple unveiled artificial intelligence advances, including upgrades to its Siri assistant, emphasising a focus on privacy and day-to-day use as the company tries to catch up with rivals on AI.
The keynote address for Ternus at the tech giant’s headquarters in Cupertino, California, will set the tone for his vision of Apple’s future, Chatterjee said.
“John Ternus inherits perhaps the most successful consumer technology juggernaut in modern times. That is both a boon and a burden for him. Tim Cook’s perfected execution, scale, and monetisation set a high bar, and Ternus must extend that run,” Chatterjee said. “But he must sustain that momentum while positioning Apple to disrupt itself in the near future, when the iPhone, or any smartphone for that matter, will cease to be the consumer’s primary conduit to the world.”
Last year’s iPhone 17 lineup, which included a new ultra-thin model, has been selling well. That generation saw a new slimmed-down model that adopted the “Air” name that Apple already used for its sleekest iPads and Mac computers.
AP
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