Apple Preps Radical iPhone As Consumers Turn To Cheaper, Old-Gen Models

Apple may soon work on a radical iPhone with an advanced display feature. The reason behind it is that the company's latest phones, namely the X series of iPhones, are reportedly not doing well, according to the latest revenue report. The signs of the drop in the sales of the recent models started to show in the fourth quarter of 2018. This is due to the fact that many loyal consumers are hesitating about upgrading their old Apple models to the newest X series iPhone.

According to Apple Insider, the Cupertino-based company has been recently granted a technical patent with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). There are speculations that the company may cancel its advanced 3D facial recognition Face ID technology. The new patent reveals an upgraded screen for a radical iPhone that is fitted with vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) that can recognize even the tiniest of the deformations in finger pressure is applied to the display.

It sounds like an advanced 3D Touch feature that may actually end up as in-display Touch ID. With the Samsung Galaxy S10 series being launched with highly accurate ultrasonic in-display fingerprint readers, Apple is also expected to introduce a similar feature on its upcoming iPhones. It remains to be seen whether or not Apple will be introducing such an advanced biometric recognition feature in its iPhones to gain the interest of consumers since they are now reportedly turning to cheaper and older iPhones.

In China, Apple is trying to clear up the inventory by reducing the price of the iPhones. Citing information from UBS analyst Timothy Acruri, Business Insider reported that the estimated sales for iPhones will increase from 32.5 million to 34.5 million units by the second quarter of this year. The increase in iPhone sales suggests that people are now turning their interest to older models like iPhone 8 and other older models.

The interest in older iPhones is causing the sales of the most recent models of iPhones to drop. Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, said that it will take time for them to see how their strategy will come out in China.

Apple is increasingly becoming a luxury mobile phone manufacturer. The company has been consistently increasing the prices of the new phones they release every year. For example, iPhone 8 was launched in 2017 with a price tag of $699. It was $50 more expensive than its predecessor.

The iPhone X is even more expensive, being priced at $999 per handset. Even at this expensive price, the iPhone X managed to outsell other older models every week at the time when it was unveiled.

However, the revenue report showed the iPhone sales started to slow down at the start of 2019. If Apple is willing to reduce the price slightly, it will attract a lot of consumers who are looking for quality goods at bargain price. The iPhone XS, XS Max and XR models carry respective starting prices of $999, $1,099 and $749.

With that said, it may not be Apple's fault that it is selling iPhones with expensive price tags. They need to cover the cost for the R&D and latest components like processors and cameras that are included in their smartphones.