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A concept render of the foldable iPhone. | Image by Scene
Apple is not an unpopular brand by any stretch of the imagination no matter which corner of the globe you visit. Every region across the world has one thing in common: most consumers think of the iPhone and the Mac as the norm, if not as premium devices. And thanks to carrier deals in the U.S., Apple enjoys a very major chunk of market share stateside.
Apparently, the company looked at this insane brand recognition that it has all over the world and decided that it could do even better. How did it go about doing this? Simple: it started targeting the markets that it hadn’t tapped yet. And for those markets that it had, the company has begun to approach product launches much differently.
Long story short? I think we can expect Apple to become even more popular across further demographics around the world.
MacBook Neo: a new approach?
The MacBook Neo is bright and colorful. | Image by Apple
With the new MacBook Neo, Apple is now offering a budget version of one of its most popular product categories. While the MacBook Air already existed, the Neo is a much more affordable variant of Apple’s highly popular laptops. Unlike the Air and the Pro models, however, the Neo is a lot less powerful but absolutely perfect for students and light users.
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This approach towards more casual and younger demographics is also reflected in the color options available for the MacBook Neo. Previously, Apple has only ever released its MacBooks in muted tones. The Neo changes that and takes itself a lot less seriously. Lastly, there is the student discount, which should see this model flying off of shelves.
So now, many of the students who might have opted for a Windows laptop or a Chromebook will now be getting a MacBook Neo instead. More Apple laptops will be visible on college campuses and the company will have captured another major market segment. And this is hardly the only way that Apple is cleverly increasing its annual revenue.
iPhone 17e and the yearly budget upgrades
The iPhone 17e is Apple's second e-series phone. | Image by Apple
Discontinuing the iPhone SE series and replacing it with the e-series phones, starting with the iPhone 16e last year, was a genius move on Apple’s part. The iPhone SE saw some very staggered launches for its three generations of models and it also had a pretty confusing naming convention. These are mistakes that Apple is rectifying with the e-series phones.
This year, the iPhone 17e has launched after the iPhone 16e has only had a year to shine. The names are easier to follow for figuring out which phone is the newest and the numbering system, consistent with the latest flagship models, also makes a lot more sense.
Apple took the budget iPhone lineup and turned it into an annual upgrade as well, sprinkling in just enough improvements to entice many customers to turn in their iPhone 16e for the 17e. With a better naming system and yearly releases, you should also start to see more e-series iPhone models out in public as well.
The iPhone 18 split release
This is what the foldable iPhone will most likely look like. | Image by Talks Tech Newz
According to many reports, Apple has decided to split the release dates for its flagship iPhone models. We will see the first instance of this new release schedule later this year, when Apple will only launch the iPhone 18 Pro, the iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the foldable iPhone.
The base model of the iPhone 18 lineup will instead come out early next year, alongside the iPhone Air 2 and the iPhone 18e. These phones will be hitting shelves around the same time as the Samsung Galaxy S27 series.
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By splitting its releases this year, not only does Apple get more breathing room to perfect software, but it also has the chance to undercut Samsung each year. Details about Samsung’s newest phones start leaking a few months before launch, which might give Apple just enough time to stuff the base model of the iPhone with a feature that beats Samsung’s upcoming base phone at something.
Another iPhone launch each year around that time will also divide the attention that Samsung manages to pull, potentially leading some customers to just go with the iPhone.
Do you think Apple's new approach will help it in the long run?
Even more market share for Apple
The base iPhone 17 sold very well. | Image by PhoneArena
These certain few changes to its approach are going to mean big business for Apple, in my opinion. The company has always mostly targeted the high-end segments — and is targeting even more premium consumers with Apple’s new Ultra products — but it’s about time it started realizing the power of budget products.
Apple might actually even start using the Neo name for the budget offerings of other products. We could see an iPad Neo, an iPhone Neo, AirPods Neo, and more. And, if nothing else, that will be a pretty smart way to categorize its more affordable offerings while perhaps also toying around with more fun color options.
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Abdullah loves smartphones, Virtual Reality, and audio gear. Though he covers a wide range of news his favorite is always when he gets to talk about the newest VR venture or when Apple sets the industry ablaze with another phenomenal release.
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