Apple preps for iPhone diversification

Once upon a time, Apple introduced a new iPhone every year. These days, in some years it introduces five of them. Have we reached saturation point? Possibly. Solution? Ship six iPhones a year. As expected, Apple is building a new market dynamic.

Think of it this way. Until now, competitors knew the pace of Apple releases, a cadence that gave them confidence in the market share struggle. By dividing iPhone releases into two, Apple creates an opportunity to move its devices in multipole directions – some will be faster, some will be thinner, others will be more advanced. It means that rather than competing with just one high-end iPhone, competitors will fight with six high-end devices, each slightly different from one another, with prices spanning mid- to high-range markets. Each iPhone will host its own powerful Apple Silicon processor, and splitting the cadence across two years will let Apple pour massive quantities of new tech into the highest-end models.

What we’re hearing

So what’s the claim? The idea is that Apple will introduce three high-end iPhones in fall 2026, with lower-end iPhones, possibly including a new edition iPhone Air 2, set to ship in 2027. (The Air is expected to gain a 2nm A20 processor, which will make for much better battery life.) In what is really just a rehash of speculation reported earlier this year, the cadence of the release, according to Bloomberg, will be like this:

Fall 2026: iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the hotly-anticipated new folding iPhone.

Spring 2027: iPhone 18, iPhone 18e, iPhone Air.

These alternating launches will then be repeated in future years, and we’ll no doubt see the difference between Apple’s Pro and other iPhone models accentuate over time. (The 20th anniversary iPhone might be part of this.) The Pro Max will likely be the most technology-packed smartphone money can buy, while the folding device is likely to be the most advanced device on the planet. It is also worth noting that — reading between the lines of the report — Apple doesn’t necessarily intend to update all of these models annually, nor will it need to as it continues to diversify the range.

Daring to be different(iated)

The decision to diversify the iPhone offer didn’t come that easily to Apple. Until now, the company has woven a delicate dance in which, while offering multiple devices, somehow all of those smartphones were seen as one iPhone. 

Moving to split the release between mid-range and high-end launches means the company is deliberately putting distance between both types of iPhone. It also means bad news for some of the other mobile manufacturers who shore up their share with mid-range sales. Even as Apple’s A-powered MacBook is coming to grab a slice of the healthiest part of the PC market (low/mid-range sales), the company is also moving to seize some of that part of the smartphone business. This will inevitably put further price pressure on others in that part of the space, and might prompt another wave of mergers and acquisitions, as that is where most mid-tier manufacturers make their business. 

The medium is the message

Beyond market dynamics, messaging could be another reason Apple might be moving to segmentalize its market. Think about the most recent iPhone launch and how many of the nuances of each model were buried by more generalized reporting across all of them. The iPhone 17 I’m using myself maintains everything about the iPhone range, but the vast majority of reports on the new models focused on the higher-end devices.

With that in mind, it makes sense for Apple to put partition between its iPhone families. Doing so will enable it to explain the benefits of each product better. It gains freedom, flexibility, and the opportunity to build an iPhone range that encompasses a variety of different forms, builds, and features. Diversification, it thinks, is power.

I believe the move will help Apple sell more iPhones. It’s also worth noting that this is not actually a major departure from what the company already does, with some devices already usually appearing in spring. Apple is setting the scene for change, and as the company does everything for a reason, that means it has plenty more planned.

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