Apple's new CEO John Ternus is centering the iPhone in the company's AI strategy, echoing Steve Jobs' 2001 approach of positioning the Mac as a digital hub before introducing the iPod. Ternus is directly countering skeptics who predict the smartphone's decline, arguing the iPhone is ideally designed as an intelligent personal assistant.
Apple unveiled its first foldable iPhone Duo with a 7.6-inch inner display and 5.4-inch outer display, along with the iPhone 18 Pro lineup featuring enhanced cameras with variable aperture. The company also announced Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 with AI-powered audio intelligence features, plus upgraded AirPods 5 with improved noise cancellation.
Apple raised prices on existing iPhone models by $100 following the unveiling of its new iPhone 18 and foldable iPhone Duo, reversing its traditional practice of discounting older devices. The price increases, driven by global chip shortages and rising component costs, were steeper in international markets like India, where prices rose approximately 20.5%.
Apple introduced Apple Reference Image, a feature for iPhone 18 Pro that captures signed sensor data to create an unalterable digital record proving whether photos are authentic and unaltered. The company also added support for the SynthID standard to identify AI-generated or modified images, and upgraded the iPhone 18 Pro's main camera with a variable aperture and 48-megapixel fusion sensor for improved light control and night photography.