Prepare for iPhone Price Hikes

For the first time since 2017.

Author

Brandon Butch
July 28, 2023

Not yet a subscriber? Sign up here!

Good morning! ☀️ *Tim Cook voice*

iPhone 15 price hikes & design changes incoming, Twitter is now 𝕏, iOS 17 releases, and more!

Estimated reading time: 3.5 minutes

📊 Poll

Last week, I asked: if you were to switch to Android, what iOS feature would you miss the most?

Here were some of my favorite replies:

Continuity - “When I worked in Cell Phone sales, I was tempted ALL the time by the newest Android devices, but never actually pulled the trigger because of the ecosystem I have created.” It’s impossible to escape!

iMessage/FaceTime - “I was abroad recently and was able to keep in touch with my friends for free by using iMessage. Those on android set me back a lot of money causing me to limit access to them.” I can relate!

Other - “all of the above… also, the UI, UX, and quality of apps; many apps are not on Google Play, and those that are do not function—or have the same functionality (missing capabilities)—as their App Store counterpart.” I used Android again last week and the apps were so much worse than iOS, especially social apps.

This week: What is your current battery capacity? (Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging > Maximum Capacity)

What is your iPhone's Battery Capacity?

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

📲 iPhone 15 Price Hikes & Design Changes

The iPhone X was priced at $999 in 2017, and the 14 Pro was priced at $999 in 2022. Apple has managed to keep the starting price of the “Pro” model iPhones the same for 5 years!

But that’s about to change this year with the iPhone 15 Pro (according to a Barclays analyst).

  • iPhone 15 Pro will cost up to $100 more than the iPhone 14 Pro

  • iPhone 15 Pro Max to cost $100-200 more than the 14 Pro Max

  • Pricing will remain similar for the iPhone 15 & 15 Plus models

Potential Pricing

So if this rumor comes true, here’s the pricing we’re looking at this year (in the US):

  • iPhone 15: $799 (unchanged)

  • iPhone 15 Plus: $899 (unchanged)

  • iPhone 15 Pro: Up to $1,099 (vs. $999 now)

  • iPhone 15 Pro Max: Up to $1,299 (vs. $1,099 now)

The iPhone 15 Pro Max could see a bigger price increase due to the rumored Telephoto lens with periscope technology, something the 14 Pro likely won’t receive this year. The analyst believes the periscope lens will add ~$50 to the 15 Pro Max's bill of materials

And while a price hike had to come sooner or later due to inflation alone, at least we’re also going to see some added features like the periscope lens, USB-C, a titanium frame, customizable Action button, etc.

Design Changes

Speaking of the customizable Action button, it looks like that might actually be happening!

In the code of iOS 17 Beta 4 are references to 9 different “action button” options that users might be able to choose from (via MacRumors):

  • Accessibility: This option would presumably let users access various accessibility features, such as VoiceOver, Zoom, AssistiveTouch, and more.

  • Shortcuts: As on the ‌Apple Watch Ultra‌, this option would let users run any shortcut they have created or downloaded from the Shortcuts app, such as sending a message, playing a playlist, or controlling smart home devices.

  • Silent Mode: Similar to how the switch works on current ‌iPhone‌ models, this option would let users toggle silent mode on or off, which would mute or unmute the ringer and alerts.

  • Camera: This option would likely let users launch the Camera app and/or take a photo or video with a single press of the Action button.

  • Flashlight: This option would let users turn on or off the flashlight on the back of the device.

  • Focus: This option should let users activate or deactivate a Focus mode.

  • Magnifier: This option would presumably let users activate the Magnifier app to use the ‌iPhone‌'s camera as a magnifying glass to zoom in on small text or objects.

  • Translate: This option could let users launch the Translate app and start a conversation or text translation with a single press of the Action button.

  • Voice Memos: This option would let users start or stop recording a voice memo with the Voice Memos app.

As someone who owns the Apple Watch Ultra and hardly ever uses the Action Button, I’m actually hoping for this to come to the iPhone. I would find it much more useful than on the Apple Watch! Thoughts?

😵‍💫 Love it or Hate it, Twitter is now “𝕏”

If you were on Twitter this week, there was no avoiding the news that Elon Musk rebranded Twitter to 𝕏.

And while many saw this as coming out of nowhere, Elon has actually been working on this 𝕏 brand for a very long time.

Elon’s goal is to make 𝕏 much more than Twitter was initially set out to be. His vision is more of an “everything app.”

Here’s what Linda Yaccarino (CEO of Twitter) says about the future of 𝕏:

My Thoughts

I’m still processing this change and while I’m absolutely in the minority who is looking forward to the change, I understand those who are upset by it. The Twitter name and logo are iconic, so why fix something that ain’t broken?

That was a rhetorical question, but the answer is very simple: it’s Elon Musk we’re dealing with here.

Whether you love or hate him, he’s superhuman & loves to make his wild ideas a reality in one way or another. I’m not going to knock something before it fully comes to fruition, so I’m on board with the change and look forward to something completely new and innovative.

Whether this succeeds or fails is anybody’s guess at this point, but what are your thoughts on the change? Vote below!

Do you like the change to 𝕏?

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

🤔 M3 Macs, iOS 17 & More

If you’ve been waiting for M3 to upgrade your Mac, that time is quickly approaching.

  • According to DigiTimes, Apple's supply chain is gearing up for the launch of new Macs later this year

  • Gurman has said the first Macs with the M3 chip could launch as early as October

  • The first Macs to get the M3 chip will likely be the 13” MacBook Pro, 13” MacBook Air, and 24” iMac

  • The high-end MacBook Pro and Mac mini will not likely see the M3 treatment until late 2024

iOS 17 & iOS 16 Releases

After a boring week in the iOS update world - only receiving the iOS 16.6 RC build for beta testers - next week will be a lot more exciting.

  • iOS 16.6 final was released and while there aren’t any major features/changes, there are quite a few important security patches. Here’s what’s new.

  • iOS 17 Beta 4 (and Public Beta 2) was also released this week and it includes quite a few changes. I covered more than 25 in my what’s new video.

  • If you’re Beta testing macOS Sonoma, you should know that Beta 4 is not installing properly for some users. Might want to hold off for now.

🤝 Show Support

Just reading these newsletters & giving feedback is much appreciated. But if you are feeling generous & want to support my work directly, you can buy me a coffee!

100% of the proceeds go right back into the business, and helps keep the quality of content high!

Until next week, ✌️

What did you think of today's newsletter?

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

🫶 Reader Love

Great reminder to add me to your VIP list :)

Subscribe to keep reading

This content is free, but you must be subscribed to The Apple Den to continue reading.

Already a subscriber?Sign In.Not now

Join the conversation

or to participate.