Apple Bets on iPhone 16 to Catch Up in AI Race. What's at Stake?

10 sept.

Tech heavyweight carries a valuation of $3.4 trillion, making it the world’s most expensive company (on most days, thanks to volatility). But the consumer giant may be running out of ideas — its latest product event “It’s Glowtime” was a spectacle of colors, flashy lights, great camera work and editing. But the crowd went … mild.

Apple (ticker: AAPL) unveiled the latest model of its flagship product, the iPhone 16, at its product launch event “It’s Glowtime” on Monday.

This wonder of technology, which changed how the world communicates (and sends memes), is now in its most advanced form flexing some solid AI muscle. The iPhone 16 is a bet on artificial intelligence — the Cupertino, California-based company is putting its hopes on the buzzy AI trend in an effort to convince users to dump their old non-AI phone for the first Apple smartphone built for AI.

Chief Executive Tim Cook praised the new device, saying this latest model is designed “from the ground up” powered by Apple’s new AI software, Apple Intelligence. Users can get their hands on the iPhone 16 starting September 20 — just in time for the fourth quarter to show how big of a demand there is for this new device, starting at $799.

The product launch event, streamed live on YouTube to more than 2.5 million viewers, didn’t lift Apple shares one bit. In fact, the stock was moving sideways to the downside before it recouped the 1.9% intraday loss and closed hugging the flatline at $220.91 a share. It wasn't a great day for the broader stock market, to be fair.

So why the muted response from Wall Street and the investing crowds on Reddit’s messaging boards? There was merely anything new to surprise markets — most of the announcements were already old news, priced in and well baked in.

What matters now is how well the iPhone 16 sells to the masses. The three months to December are generally strong selling time spans for the iPhone as more people are willing to shell out on smartphones for Christmas. But that could very well be the initial marketing spike followed by fizzled out revenue growth. That’s where Apple’s future hinges on its ability to keep cutting edge and think different.

Backed by the power of AI, Wall Street will be looking for a boost to iPhone sales, which have been losing momentum in recent quarters. Now with the Apple Intelligence software jammed into the latest operating system, iOS 18, Apple is looking to compete for a market share in the burgeoning space for AI smartphones.

The tech giant is not too worried about getting left behind. Its iPhone flaunts a loyal customer base, which generates about half of all company revenue. For the most-recent quarter, iPhone sales pulled in $39.3 billion from total sales of $85.5 billion.

But in practice, Apple is already late to the party. Other mainstays in the upper echelon of tech have rolled out AI phones. Google launched its AI smartphone, Pixel 8, back in October. Samsung, Apple's international archrival running on Android, introduced the Samsung S24 in January, flexing powerful AI capabilities.

Perhaps the biggest news at yesterday’s event was Apple’s foray into healthcare. A new use case has been discovered for the AirPods: they’ll be taking on the role of hearing aids, which makes the $250 Pro model a cheap product in the market for hearing aids. Other product releases, other than the iPhone 16, include the Apple Watch Series 10 with an updated design, and the Apple Watch Ultra 2 in a new color (looks like the Ultra team had an ultra easy job this year.)

So, with that said, what makes you want to invest in Apple? Or maybe trade it? Is it the bright outlook in the AI smartphone race? Or the company’s search for innovation in healthcare? Share your thoughts below!