An expected high-end iPhone price increase and features like iPhone 15 Pro Max's periscope lens show Apple is getting more aggressive with its premium strategy
Apple is set to unveil the iPhone 15 on Tuesday, alongside updated watches and AirPods. And once again, the company …
BloombergMark Gurman
Context & Ripple Effects
Apple had already been widening the gap between standard and Pro phones: earlier coverage pointed to Pro-only processor and camera upgrades, while later planning emphasized thinner bezels for the iPhone 15 Pro.
The reported Pro Max-only camera feature makes that segmentation more consequential. It also fits reports that Apple had considered an even higher-end Ultra tier above the existing Pro lineup.
First-order effects
The expected increase would raise the cost of entering Apple’s top iPhone tier, while the periscope lens gives buyers a feature reason to choose the Pro Max rather than a smaller or standard model.
Apple concentrates its most distinctive camera hardware in its largest, highest-priced model, sharpening the distinction within its own lineup.
Second-order effects
A larger feature and price gap makes the Pro Max a more important product for Apple’s premium mix, while standard and smaller Pro models must compete on lower-price entry points rather than feature parity.
Other flagship-phone makers face added pressure to differentiate their own top trims through camera hardware and clearer premium tiers, rather than treating their largest models as simple screen-size variants.
Third-order effects
If sustained, this approach shifts the iPhone from a broad family of closely related models toward more explicitly tiered flagship hardware, where exclusive components justify successive price steps.
The reported Ultra discussions suggest the ceiling may not be fixed at Pro Max: the long-term question is whether enough buyers accept increasingly specialized top-end tiers without weakening the appeal of lower models.
The trend: Smartphone makers are using exclusive flagship hardware to build steeper product tiers and support premium pricing.
I think it's a PR mistake for Apple not to include a USB-C brick in the box for the iPhone 15 series. — Non-nerds will give them enough crap about the port change already — but the “money-grab” narrative will be amplified by the requirement to separately purchase a C power bric…
Latest tidbits from retail: - Low/no stock of Watch Ultras, watch bands, leather cases, MagSafe wallets, iPhone 12, 13 minis, Pro phones - Merchandise reset on evening of Sept. 12 with manager call set for after event. Uncharacteristic for event days - Plan to push USB-C bricks
🚨 Hermès has completely removed the Apple Watch from its website. Bands are gone too. None of them show up in search either. AirTags are still listed though. First image is what's live, second is what it used to be... [image]
I'll be honest, the iPhone 15 series feels like a fairly big upgrade compared to last year or next year. -Action Button -USBC -Titanium -Periscope Lens Does anything rumored about the iPhone 16 excite you? At all? [image]
My bet is that the Hermès partnership is over. They can't go out there and wax poetically about how not making leather accessories is better for the world and then still be partnered with one of the world's best known leather product manufacturers.
I don't believe there will be any reason to upgrade to the Apple Watch Series 9 or Ultra 2 if you have a Series 8 or Ultra 1. Unlike with a phone, iPad or Mac, performance gains aren't as noticeable or useful. If they were, the watch wouldn't have gone 3 years without a new chip.
A feature of the new Apple Watch may be an environment focus and how many recycled materials/components it will use. It may be (or come close to being) Apple's first fully recycled product ahead of that 2030 goal for all devices. My event preview: https://www.bloomberg.com/... [i…
I have been wanting one charger for all my devices for quite a while. Glad to see USB-C now finally coming to the iPhone. Now, we just need to open up the Apple ecosystem for other ways to purchase to make the internet economy fairer and more innovative. Thank you, @alexagiussali…