Two iPhones and a Watch: Apple's "late" press conference

In September, a month full of new phones, after major players such as Samsung, Sony, and MOTO, Apple finally made a big move and released three new hardware products in one go, including two iPhones of different sizes and the Apple Watch smartwatch that "Apple fans" have been waiting for for a long time.

Although Apple's press conference was full of sincerity in terms of the number of products, the constant speculation from all walks of life and the crazy leaks of the new iPhone before the press conference made this year's most important Apple "feast" seem a bit lacking in novelty and no longer had any unexpected surprises. Even from the perspective of the products themselves, the new products at Apple's press conference came a little too late.

A bigger iPhone

The news about the new iPhone with 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch screens has been widely circulated in various channels for a long time. As expected, Apple, whose confidentiality measures are getting worse and worse, has brought people the large-screen iPhone 6 and the even larger-screen iPhone 6 Plus on top of these two specifications.

This is the second time that Apple has released two iPhone products together. Compared with the last time when iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c were launched together, the combination of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus is more in line with market demand.

Using the same manufacturing process, products with different positioning are differentiated by product size. The 4.7-inch iPhone 6 is more like a continuation of the traditional iPhone products, while the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus is a further expansion of the traditional iPhone products, allowing the iPhone product series to adapt to more different types of consumer groups, which is somewhat similar to Samsung's "dual flagship" strategy of Galaxy S and Galaxy Note.

The enlarged iPhone has indeed made consumers interested in Apple again, but it must be said that this move by Apple is by no means innovative, but should be regarded as a compromise with the market. After all, Android's "big screen trend" was the main reason why many consumers turned away from iPhone earlier. This time, the iPhone 6 Plus finally made the screen big enough, but it was just "big". Compared with Android competitors who have already been able to come up with more tricks when facing the large screen, Apple iPhone, which "met the big screen too late", obviously has not yet figured out what changes and advantages the large screen can bring to its proud iOS system.

The not-so-amazing Apple Watch

From the rumored "iWatch" to the Apple Watch at the launch conference, Apple's smartwatch not only made a grand debut, but also the rhythm of the launch conference was arranged in a way that almost weakened the "king status" of the iPhone to a supporting role.

But when Tim Cook raised his left arm wearing the Apple Watch to accept the cheers and "worship" from the audience at the press conference, facing the Apple Watch displayed on the PPT, we couldn't help but exclaim "What the hell is this?"

When competitors were riding on the wave of Android Wear and targeting smart watches, we thought that Apple's Watch product would leave all competing products far behind. But unfortunately, the thing on Tim Cook's arm looks like a copy of Samsung Galaxy Gear, and its more conservative design is not as stunning as the MOTO 360 with a round dial.

Since iOS7, people have been controversial about the changes in Apple's system style. This time, in the interactive interface of Apple Watch, the product's screen has once again become a stage for Apple designer Jonathan Ive to express his personal ideas without any worries. From the dense arrangement of icons to the dense display of photo thumbnails, we really cannot understand the beauty and practicality of this kind of thinking for a smart device with an extremely limited screen size. Does Apple still have a chance of winning against Android in the smart watch system?

Of course, if Apple Watch was released before Samsung and Sony launched their own smart watches, it would definitely be a product that changed the world. But the reality is that the Apple Watch, which has not yet been put into mass production, is just like the increase in the screen size of the iPhone. It is another product of Apple following the market, so it is quite similar to its competitors. The only difference and highlight of Apple may be the colorful and eye-catching watch strap.

Indeed, no matter how much criticism there is, it cannot stop Apple products from being popular in the market. Moreover, whether it is the new iPhone or Apple Watch, the changes and innovations for Apple's own product system are unprecedented.

But this Apple conference no longer feels as advanced as it did in the Jobs era, and it even feels a little belated. Does this also mean that Apple's idea and belief in changing the world has gradually faded?

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.