Is the iPhone 11 a "downward movement" or a "return"?

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If the keyword after last year's Apple conference was "expensive", this year we hear more about "ugly".

The "high-end ugliness" of the new iPhone is directly related to the brand-new multi-camera system behind it. However, it is precisely this multi-camera that is said to be ugly that has become the most important difference between several iPhone models this year, and may even divert the product line.

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After the release of the new iPhone series this year, in addition to the traditional dimensions of looking at the product from pricing, functions, technological innovation, etc., we also found that the iPhone now has some new changes from naming to product layout, and these changes may indicate the future direction of the entire iPhone series.

Is iPhone 11 "sinking" or "returning"?

Yesterday, Apple released a total of three new iPhones, namely iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max, which are exactly the same as the previous spoilers.

Anyone with a discerning eye can see at a glance the relationship between these three new products and last year’s three products.

The iPhone 11 is the successor to the iPhone XR, with the same Liquid LCD screen, colorful colors, and unchanged aluminum frame. The iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max are the successors to the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max.

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There are still three phones, but compared with last year, the positioning of the entire product line has undergone a subtle but huge change. The iterative products of the iPhone XR line have been "maintained", while the old iPhone XR is still on sale. This makes the name of the iPhone 11 seem like a "bastard" rather than a "legitimate" product, but behind it is actually the reorganization and adjustment of the entire iPhone product line.

iPhone 11 is the axis of the entire iPhone product line. From the first generation of iPhone to the next generation of "s" series, this unadorned digital series has always been the most authentic and signature product of iPhone. Although several derivative models such as 5c and SE have been released, none of them has shaken the position of the main product until the appearance of iPhone XR last year.

In the early days, iPhone XR was considered to be a repeat of iPhone 5c. However, after it was launched, as the price of third-party channels became more affordable, the frame of iPhone XR was not too thick, the single camera was enough for taking photos, and the aluminum frame was not ugly anymore. In short, it was really good!

In fact, according to the latest statistics from research firm IHS Market, iPhone XR has become the most popular model in the first half of 2019, with shipments reaching 26.9 million units. In comparison, iPhone XS Max ranked eighth with only 9.6 million units, and iPhone XS did not even make the top ten. Another proof of the lack of high-end sales is that iPhone 8 ranked fourth with 10.3 million units shipped.

Expensive is the evaluation of the entire iPhone series last year. Last year, iFanr also pointed out in the article "The new iPhone sells for five figures, what is Apple thinking?" that the price increase of iPhone is not only Apple's "traditional skill", but also to make up for the decline in profits caused by the decline in sales. However, the final financial report and data show that excessively high prices are still the first factor preventing the iPhone from selling well.

This time, the successor model of iPhone XR was "rectified", which means that compared with last year's XS series, the flagship series of iPhone has been "lowered". However, looking at the performance of the past year, this is actually to "return" the price of iPhone, because most people still expect the price of iPhone to be around 5,000 yuan, especially now that the global economy is not very good, the public's sensitivity to prices is increasing year by year.

However, the iPhone 11 is still a phone with a lower price but higher profit. According to previous supply chain news, many of the components of the iPhone 11 are the same as those of the iPhone XR, which means that the overall BOM cost of the iPhone 11 is lower than that of the iPhone XR last year. In addition, the core functions brought by the A13 chip are not missing. In fact, the iPhone 11 is better and cheaper than last year, and it can also make money for Apple.

So Apple will also learn from its mistakes. This time, the iPhone 11 series is priced 50 US dollars lower in the United States than last year's iPhone XR. The price drop in China is even greater, with a direct reduction of 1,000 yuan compared to last year, bringing the entry-level new phone price back to 5,000 yuan from more than 6,000 yuan.

iPhone is replicating iPad product line layout

After determining the price range of the iPhone 11, where will the higher-end XS series go last year? Apple's answer is to learn from the product line layout of the iPad.

Open Apple's official website and switch to the iPad page, you can see that Apple currently sells iPad mini, iPad, iPad Air and iPad Pro of different sizes. These products range from 3,000 yuan for iPad mini to over 10,000 yuan for iPad Pro.

Now, the iPhone product line also has a one-to-one reference. The iPhone 8 is the cheapest entry-level iPhone. The cheapest version can be bought for only 3,500 yuan, while the top-end iPhone 11 Pro Max costs 12,699 yuan.

However, the most replicative aspect of the iPhone's iPad strategy is the launch of the "Pro" version. This is the first time in the iPhone product line, and it also indicates that the Pro line is likely to become a stable and updated product line like the iPad Pro.

In the past few years, Apple has actually tried to change the positioning of iPhone products several times. After the dual-size strategy in 2014, Apple joined the three-phone strategy for the first time in 2017, adding a top-of-the-line semi-concept model, the iPhone X.

But in the second year, this strategy changed, with the high-end iPhone X deriving two models, the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, and launching a cheaper model, the iPhone XR.

This year, the regular iPhone series is "sinking" and the price is even cheaper than last year, while the two "Pro" series are directly pushed up, and the two lines seem to be diverging from this point. This also brings up an interesting question: Will the iPhone and iPhone Pro series not necessarily be updated at the same time in the future?

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For iPad, this answer is possible. In March this year, Apple just sorted out the iPad product line, restarted the iPad Air series, and updated the iPad mini, filling the gap of 3,000-5,000 yuan through different configurations. As for iPad Pro, another product line, the non-full-screen version was cut off, leaving only the full-screen 11-inch and 12.9-inch versions.

As for the iPhone series, the current update pressure is on 5G support. Due to the difficulties in Intel baseband development, Apple had to reconcile with its old friend Qualcomm, with whom it has a love-hate relationship, in order to ensure that the iPhone can solve the current signal problems and support 5G next year.

According to Apple's pace of updating the iPhone once a year, it will take until September next year to see the release of an iPhone that supports 5G. For the mobile phone industry, which is eager to use 5G to complete the update of its existing market, this time is a bit too late.

If, I mean if, the current iPhone has some possibility of separate updates, then there will be more room for maneuver and it will become much more interesting.

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On the other hand, as the iPhone Pro series further expands its product line, it also needs to find more differences from the standard iPhone series to differentiate itself. I think the iPad Pro series still gives Apple a lot of inspiration in this regard.

Unlike the iPad and iPad Air, which are positioned for entertainment, although the iPad Pro is often ridiculed as "productivity before purchase, iQiyi after purchase", it is very obvious that Apple wants to turn the iPad Pro into a productivity tool for creative workers and is continuously promoting this. Now the iPhone Pro series has the same intention.

Apple intends to demonstrate this through the iPhone Pro series' rear triple-camera, and "innovation" can also be understood as "new tools for creative workers" in a sense.

New tools for videographers

In iFanr’s Apple conference summary article, it is mentioned:

• Before the iPhone launch event began, I noticed that there were significantly more photographers invited to the Steve Jobs Theater - this means that the new iPhone may make a big splash with its camera.

That's right, in this press conference where one-third of the time was spent on services and no One More Thing was announced, the most common scene on site was video playing. There were hard advertisements, but there were also more demonstration videos about the photo and video recording functions, especially the video capabilities of the iPhone Pro series, which were the most amazing this time.

Both the front and rear cameras are 12 megapixels, and each camera is capable of 4K 60fps video recording. The consistency of these parameters is not accidental but deliberate on the part of Apple. The algorithms and computing power brought by the A13 Bionic chip allow seamless zoom switching among multiple cameras and consistency in color temperature and white balance to reach an unrivaled level in the industry.

When the picture of four cameras recording simultaneously appeared, I knew that video creative workers would definitely like this feature. Multi-angle simultaneous recording, front and back dialogue recording, seamless zoom recording, front slow motion, etc., Vlog bloggers will definitely be able to create more different ways of playing.

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This difference was also infinitely magnified on social networks, with video workers shouting "Apple is still awesome", "Chinese mobile phones are the best", and "video tolerance is invincible". But on the other side, passers-by were all thinking "Who would use the front camera to shoot slow motion", "What's the point of recording three videos", "I'm too lazy to take photos, let alone record videos" and so on. The difference brought by the attributes of the tools is clear at a glance.

As a result, the overall tone of Apple's press conferences has gradually shifted from technological innovation of individual functions to the changes in humanities and lifestyles brought about by computing power and algorithms. Apple's exclusive A-series chips have gradually become a unique advantage that is difficult to imitate. Just like Touch ID and Face ID, you can catch up through supply chain technology, but even though Apple has been the first to use multiple cameras at the same time and consistency on Android for so long, it is still the best in the end.

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However, this is ultimately a feature that shows off technology and computing power. It is indeed amazing from a technical perspective, but it is far less urgent for consumers than 5G and handy weight. Unlike tablet devices such as iPad Pro, the public is not tolerant of mobile phones, and can even be said to be too demanding, so the new iPhone series will eventually face some unavoidable problems. As Apple's last 4G flagship, this may be the biggest hidden danger factor for the iPhone 11 series, and Apple itself can't even do anything about it.

As mentioned last year, users who have already purchased an iPhone have higher expectations for innovation and surprises. As the global mobile phone market becomes saturated, it is not easy to persuade old users in the existing market to change their phones.

Today, the layout of the iPhone product line is quite complete, from price coverage to cost control, it can be said to be impeccable. The only problem is that if the sales momentum of the iPhone 11 series does not reach the target, then what happened last year will have to happen again.