(AP/NEXSTAR) — On Wednesday, Apple unveiled the 14th series of its iconic and ubiquitous iPhone during its first in-person product launch event since before the coronavirus pandemic began.
New features of the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max include crash detection, which can sense motion of a vehicle crash and offer assistance, and something Apple is calling the “Dynamic Island,” a little capsule that is where the iPhone’s signature “notch” used to be.
The capsule adapts to whatever you’re doing on your phone at any given time and can be expanded to give you more information and options to help, Apple says.
Another new feature is the SOS feature — which allows iPhones to communicate with satellites for the first time, in the event of emergencies outside of cellular reception and WiFi.
Also new to the iPhone is the Always-On display, which keeps up certain information on the lock screen. Apple said the display “keeps essential information always available at a glance.”
The iPhone Pro’s camera features a quad-pixel sensor, “its largest ever,” according to Apple. It’s about 65% larger than previous models.
In April of 2020, just as the pandemic was crushing the U.S. economy, Apple released the second-generation iPhone SE with a price tag as low as $399, a 40% markdown from the most affordable iPhone 11 unveiled last year.
Now, with 9% inflation battering Americans’ household budgets, analysts wonder if consumers won’t wait a little longer to upgrade phones, or pass on the earphones that can cost as much as filling up their gas tanks each month.
“Pricing is a key watch-point in a tough macro which comprises inflationary pressures and pull back in consumer spending, but we believe it matters more for wearables which are considered more discretionary purchases relative to iPhone by consumers,” JPMorgan analysts wrote.