this article is compiled by semiconductor industry horizons (id: icviews)

in recent years, apple has faced sluggish growth and must seek new market growth points.

according to channel information, apple's iphone 16 series of mobile phones have begun mass production in india. the main models that apple will mass-produce in india this time are still the standard version of the iphone 16, but they will also be accompanied by a small number of high-end pro models.

these iphones produced in india are mainly sold in india and exported to some global markets, including the u.s. however, domestic users don’t have to worry, because the models produced in india will not appear in the domestic market, so you don’t have to worry about buying an apple phone with a “curry flavor”.

previously, apple would only produce the standard version of the iphone in india, and would not supply it during the first sales period. as apple began to transfer production capacity to india, the production in india is increasing.

sources said that in addition to assembling the entry-level iphone 16, the indian assembly line has also accepted some orders for the pro version.

according to supply chain information, indian factories assembled about 30 million iphones last year, and production capacity increased to 18 million in the first half of this year.

in addition to being supplied to the domestic indian market, these devices will also be exported to the united states. therefore, after the new phone is launched in september, american consumers may be able to buy iphone 16 assembled in both china and india this year.

it is understood that in august this year, liu yangwei, chairman of foxconn's parent company hon hai precision, responded to the issue of "low yield rate of indian factories". liu yangwei said that if the yield rate of indian factories was only 50%, i would have withdrawn long ago.

well-known whistleblower majin bu shared on the x platform that there have been many rumors that apple may make design changes to the 2024 iphone product line, and this picture truly shows these changes. we can see that this iphone 16 is splashed with rain outdoors, and we can clearly see the redesigned camera module on the back, with the flash on the right.

unlike the diagonal placement in older models, the iphone 16 is now arranged vertically. foreign media speculate that repositioning the camera on the back may allow non-pro iphones to shoot space videos and photos. the iphone 16 in the picture is the black version, which is one of the rumored colors. it is reported that the phone may be launched in black, green, pink, blue, and white or yellow. in addition, judging from the iphone 16's "resistance" to rain, the phone is likely to have some degree of waterproof function.

iphone 16 series

in addition to the changes on the back, the iphone 16 and iphone 16 plus are also expected to be equipped with action buttons. this is not surprising, as apple often "generously" transfers high-end features from older iphone pro models to newer base models. recent news shows that apple is expected to increase the ram capacity of the new iphone to make it compatible with new ai features.

the market expects the event to focus on apple intelligence, a set of artificial intelligence tools that will be integrated into all new iphones.

there are also reports that apple is exploring new businesses related to robots. in the short term, apple plans to launch a desktop robot device code-named j595, which combines an ipad-like display with a robotic arm. the product relies on a slender robotic arm to move a large display, and uses a mechanical device to tilt the display up and down and rotate it 360 degrees.

in march this year, apple ceo tim cook appeared in shanghai. in an interview with the media, cook said that apple's generative ai will have news announcement later this year. some analysts speculate that although they don't know what the so-called "highlight moment" specifically refers to, it is likely to be a generative artificial intelligence tool.

"apple intelligence" made its debut at the wwdc2024 conference in june this year. according to reports, apple intelligence will permeate the entire system and provide ai assistance from four perspectives: language, pictures, actions, and personal context. ceo cook said that apple intelligence will change the way users interact with technology in the future, and siri will become more natural, more useful, and more personalized than ever before.

the long-awaited "apple smart" may be a new driving force for apple's growth. if the new iphone can be launched as scheduled in september, the relevant financial data will be included in apple's fourth-quarter financial report. apple expects revenue to increase by 5% year-on-year in this fiscal quarter, and a larger sales share will need to be achieved in the next fiscal quarter.

apple's third quarter financial report shows that apple's revenue in greater china fell 6.5% to $14.73 billion. although apple's performance in the chinese market has declined significantly, china is still the key to apple's growth. some market analysts believe that this quarter will be apple's last quarter of negative growth in china, and the new quarter starting in september will see a turnaround in growth.

wedbush, an analysis agency, estimates that the initial shipments of iphone 16 will reach 90 million units through a survey of the asian supply chain, higher than the expected 80-84 million units. huafu securities believes that conservatively speaking, more than 90% of the existing iphones will not be able to adapt to apple's ai functions. therefore, there is a huge demand for replacement of existing iphones.

in recent years, apple has faced sluggish growth and must seek new market growth points.

apple has previously tried the self-driving car project. columnist mark gurman said in his latest weekly report that although apple's self-driving car project failed, it was not a complete failure because apple proposed the concept of a "giant rolling robot" when developing cars, and the technology behind it can be applied to other fields.

it is reported that kevin lynch, who was previously in charge of apple's car team and watch software engineering, is currently leading the robotics team and serving as the director of artificial intelligence. industry insiders said that the underlying technology, talent training and application fields of autonomous driving and robotics overlap. on the one hand, apple's high investment and accumulation in the field of self-driving will not be wasted and can be invested in robotics projects; on the other hand, apple's years of accumulation in the field of consumer electronics have given it huge advantages in cash reserves, technical capabilities, product design and sales channels.

huafu securities believes that the transition to robots is part of apple's plan to boost sales and leverage apple intelligence. with the help of robotics technology, apple can gain a larger foothold in the consumer home device field and take advantage of advances in artificial intelligence.

people familiar with the matter revealed that the desktop robot will be equipped with siri and apple intelligence technology, and will have the functions of a smart home control center, video conferencing terminal and home security monitoring. the device is expected to be launched as early as 2026 or 2027, with a target price of approximately us$1,000.

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