Apple's Spring Conference: We Can't See What We Really Want

Someone has said that if you love a brand, you should love all its products and praise every detail unconditionally. Perhaps Apple deserves this in the past, but this time, this innovative brand seems to have let us down. At 10 a.m. on March 21 (1 a.m. on March 22, Beijing time), Apple held a spring new product launch at its headquarters in Cupertino, California. At this launch, Cook not only brought us the long-rumored 4-inch small-screen new iPhone SE, but also updated the iPad Pro product line.

Catering to the public's pursuit of sales, the iPhone SE was launched

Unlike Jobs who pursued perfection in products, Cook is more concerned about sales and market share. This can be proved by the detail of Apple Store in Japan launching a screen protector service. If Jobs can make some money and not some money, then Cook can make all kinds of money. He is a shrewd businessman.

This time, Apple made it clear at the press conference that many users are still using the 4-inch iPhone 5s, which proves that the market still has a large demand for small-screen phones. Therefore, this time Apple launched the 4-inch small-screen new iPhone SE, which is simply going against the trend. You know, most manufacturers are currently trying their best to launch large-screen phones.

In order to "circle" users, the above points alone are not attractive enough. The iPhone SE is too similar to the iPhone 5s a few years ago. Therefore, it is necessary to show sincerity in configuration. In this regard, the iPhone SE is comparable to the iPhone 6s. It not only has the same A9 processor + M9 coprocessor, 2GB RAM, a rear 12-megapixel camera, but also supports Apple Pay. However, it is a bit regrettable that the front camera of the iPhone SE is only 1.2 megapixels and does not support 3D Touch. Of course, this is also out of consideration for protecting the iPhone 6s.

In terms of price, the iPhone SE seems to be quite reasonable. Apple announced at the press conference that the 16GB version will be priced at US$399, about RMB 2,587, and the 64GB version will be priced at US$499, about RMB 3,235.

Considering the performance and price, the iPhone SE is indeed quite competitive. However, I have a few questions. Are those who are still using the 4-inch iPhone 5s really not upgrading because they like small-screen phones, or are they economically motivated? At the same time, will those who use large-screen phones give up good visual effects for one-handed operation? In addition, will the addition of rose gold alone satisfy people? Isn't it partly because the iPhone 6s sales are not as good as expected that the appearance improvement is not convincing enough?

By the way, although the dollar price given by Apple at the press conference was surprising, the price of the iPhone SE Chinese version launched on Apple's official website in China was disappointing: 16GB is priced at 3,288 yuan, and 64GB is priced at 4,088 yuan. As one of Apple's most important markets, such a price is uncompetitive. Of course, if we want to test whether Cook's strategy this time is effective, we might as well pay attention to the situation when the iPhone SE is actually released. When the iPhone 6s was officially released, scalpers were frustrated and the dealers' prices fell below the official website price, which indicated that this phone was facing a certain crisis. So whether the iPhone SE can bring Cook a sales legend, we will find the answer then.

Small-screen iPad Pro unveiled, enriching product line

Apple's press conference seemed to be focused on small screens. In addition to the 4-inch iPhone SE, the 9.7-inch iPad Pro was also unveiled. Perhaps Cook has tasted the sweetness brought by the iPad mini, and he chose to continue on this path.

The configuration of the 9.7-inch iPad Pro is the same as the 12.7-inch version released last year. Both are equipped with an A9X processor, 4GB RAM, a 12-megapixel rear camera, and support for Apple Pencil and keyboard. However, in addition to the 32GB and 128GB versions, a 256GB version has been added to the hard disk storage space. In terms of price, the Chinese version is priced at 4,388 yuan, 5,388 yuan, and 6,388 yuan, which is cheaper than the large-size iPad Pro of 5,888 yuan, 6,888 yuan, and 7,888 yuan. In comparison, the 9.7-inch iPad Pro seems to be quite competitive in terms of price.

However, let's take a look at the iPad Air 2, which is the same size as the iPad Pro. Although the latter tablet was produced two years ago, its performance is still satisfactory today. A friend once said, "iPad Pro is indeed very good, but my iPad Air 2 still performs exceptionally well, why should I change it?"

For ordinary consumers, price is an important factor in deciding whether to buy. The iPad Air 2 is currently priced at only 2,888 yuan, not to mention that it performs well. Some people may say that the iPad Pro is not for ordinary people, but for professionals. But since it is aimed at professionals, why not be more professional? Wouldn't a large screen be more helpful for design and other work?

From the release of the above two models, we can see that Cook has made every effort to increase market share. The iPhone SE is not only aimed at those users who are still using 4-inch Apple phones, but its greater goal is to attract more people from the Android camp. Perhaps, for Android users, the iPhone SE is a good entry-level machine, but for the original loyal Apple fans, it is not what they want. For those users who want to buy iPad Pro but give up because of the high price, the 9.7-inch iPad Pro has a certain appeal, but the current tablet market is shrinking, and it will take time to give an answer whether it can become a shot in the arm against the market trend.

iOS 9.3 Night Mode is quite useful, and the password of the notes can further resist the FBI

This time, Apple released the official version of iOS 9.3. From the version number, we can see that this is not a big update and it only plays a small role in this conference. However, the screen supports the automatic adjustment of the color temperature at night (Night Shift), which has finally arrived. In the past, we would be affected by the brightness of the mobile phone screen and sleep, but now, this function can improve this situation and is quite practical.

In addition, iOS 9.3 also adds a new memo password protection function, Apple News headline function, and CarPlay update. It is a pity that Apple still did not announce when Apple News will be launched in China. As for the new memo password protection function, I believe it is still useful for many users. Who doesn't have some secrets that they don't want others to know? Of course, we can also interpret this as Apple's further confrontation with the FBI. Do you want a system that is easier to crack? No, we want to make it more difficult to crack.

By the way, the official version of iOS 9.3 has been pushed. I updated it and tried Night Shift as soon as possible. After setting it, the screen will indeed show warm tones. If you are not used to the sudden warming, you can also adjust it manually.

Apple Watch updates straps, but can you use them?

Last year, Apple's first smartwatch, Apple Watch, was officially launched. Although this product soon beat similar products to become the best-selling product and dominated the market share, many users are still dissatisfied with it, and one of the biggest complaints is that it has simple functions and little use. Before this press conference, many sources said that Apple would update it. Although this is not the case, it also proves that users are looking forward to the second generation of products. Unfortunately, this time Apple did not launch Apple Watch 2, but a new watch strap.

The new watch straps are divided into two types: sports and nylon. The sports straps are available in three colors: black, yellow, and orange, while the nylon straps are available in seven colors: royal blue, pink, aqua, gold with red, and gold with royal blue. Although Apple's official website uses an attractive copywriting such as "match your unique style", the appearance of the nylon strap is really hard to compliment. If you are not careful, you might think someone has put a belt on their hand.

Most importantly, this superficial update method cannot enrich the functions of the Apple Watch product, but instead makes people feel that Apple lacks sincerity. Speaking of this, I suddenly remembered that this is the third time that Apple Watch has appeared on the stage of Apple's press conference. I can't help but think of a domestic manufacturer that has released a certain Note phone 8 times. We must admit that this is indeed a good way to increase the sense of presence.

Let's look forward to the autumn conference.

In fact, when Cook took over the CEO position from Jobs, Apple was destined to change. Cook was once Apple's COO, but he was not only responsible for operations, but also took part in sales and manufacturing. He valued the market more than Jobs and cared more about user reactions. It's not surprising that he launched the iPhone SE for greater sales and a higher market share. There's nothing wrong with a businessman wanting to gain more profits, but for loyal fans, it's really hard to accept Apple compromising its products for the sake of profit.

The conference was short but contained a lot of content. The hardware included the iPhone SE and the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, iOS 9.3 was officially unveiled, and the Apple Watch strap was also updated. But perhaps because the product types were only enriched without major updates, we always felt that it was not very satisfying.

In a word, what we wanted didn't come, but a lot of what we didn't want came. We might as well regard this conference as an important step for Cook to pursue market share and sales. Although we can feel the ambition, there are not enough surprises. If we want to really see Apple come up with innovation again, we can only wait for the autumn conference.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.