Geopolitics may affect sales in a big market – and customers may be annoyed by the new charging socket too
Apple chief executive Tim Cook will hope that the launch of the latest iPhones on Tuesday will be enough to buoy consumers and investors in the face of a falling share price caused by deteriorating international relations.
Given that the global phone market has been in decline for the past eight quarters – driven by the increasing cost of living, desire to keep handsets longer and consumer apathy about technological advances – the iPhone appears to have its work cut out., the headline feature of its new handset is one it probably did not want: a switch in the charging socket from the firm’s long-standing Lightning connector to the universal USB-C.
The firm will undoubtedly hide its chagrin and market the change as an upgrade, alongside the usual faster chips and better cameras. That will be partly in the hope of avoiding a repeat of the outrage that greeted its switch to Lightning from the 30-pin dock connector for iPods and iPhones in 2014, which rendered countless speaker docks and other accessories incompatible. A cable in the box with the new model may help ease the transition.
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