The unveiling of tech giant Apple's new product lineup has sparked active debate in the professional community. During the presentation, the company's new CEO John Ternus officially introduced the brand's first foldable smartphone — the iPhone Duo, with a starting price set at $1,999. This event marks the company's entry into a new hardware category, which some industry experts compare in terms of impact to the historic launch of the brand's smartwatch or wireless earbuds.
The fall product lineup, which includes the foldable smartphone as well as the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max models, reflects a clear strategic focus on expanding the premium device segment. Experts note that the key software announcement was a major update to the Siri voice assistant with deep artificial intelligence integration. According to analysts, this update represents a critical milestone on the path to creating a fully autonomous AI agent embedded directly into the iOS 27 operating system, which is expected to fundamentally transform the user experience. Opinions within the financial and analytical community are divided regarding the impact of these new products on the company's market position. Some experts express optimism about the decision to stagger the launch of flagship models. This approach, in their view, could support growth in the average selling price of devices. This is further reinforced by the introduction of a new 2-terabyte built-in storage tier and pricing adjustments across the Pro lineup.
However, other specialists urge caution in their assessments. They point out that initial shipment volumes of the foldable iPhone Duo this year will likely be limited to 8–10 million units due to the inherent complexities of the supply chain and the calibration of new manufacturing processes.
Certain analysts draw attention to the structural challenges facing the corporation. In particular, the view has been expressed that simply increasing screen size does not address deeper systemic challenges in retaining a diverse audience. At the same time, the new CEO's management style is characterized by experts as decisive and focused — qualities considered essential amid the rapid race in agentic artificial intelligence development. Nevertheless, concerns exist that the absence of updates in the budget smartphone segment until next spring could create some difficulties for short-term overall sales figures. Additionally, a number of observers believe that the current level of AI integration in the company's products does not yet fully meet the market's high expectations.
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