iPhone 11 pricing shows Apple is learning from past mistakes.

iPhone 11 pricing shows Apple is learning from past mistakes.

KEY POINTS

  • Apple announced its newest, basic model will be priced at $699 rather than $749.
  • Apple has shown an ability to be tactical and understand the market dynamics” with its pricing, says Bank of America’s Wamsi Mohan.
  • The tech giant is selling the iPhone 11 at a price drop that will hopefully draw in customers since iPhone unit sales peaked in 2015.

Apple on Tuesday announced its new iPhones with improved technology, but the focus is on the attractive price point. The tech giant is selling the iPhone 11 for $699, a $50 price drop from last year’s equivalent model. The lower pricing is an unusual move for the company, which has historically maintained premium pricing.

But analysts believe Apple’s newfound pricing strategy could rekindle iPhone sales, which peaked in 2015. Apple stopped reporting unit sales this year.

“Apple has shown an ability to be tactical and understand the market dynamics,” said Wamsi Mohan, senior equity research analyst at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, on “Squawk Alley.”

A Goldman Sachs analyst echoed similar sentiments to CNBC earlier in the day.

“The pricing on the iPhone, the base iPhone, is attractive,” said Rod Hall, a senior equity analyst. “I would expect unit share to shift over to that aggressively.”

Hall added that there’s not much room left to raise prices on the iPhone, even though it becomes “more attractive” with upgrades.

It’s a move that took several analysts by surprise.

“We came out largely positive from the event… led by Lowered Pricing of iPhone 11 relative to XR, which could act as a positive driver for volumes in the entry-level premium smartphone segment,” wrote J.P. Morgan in a research note Wednesday.

However, Hall said he’s not confident the drop in price will boost sales.

“You’re probably not going to get a lot more unit demand coming through as a result of that lower price,” he said.

Shares of Apple rose around 2.87% on Wednesday after climbing more than 1% on Tuesday.

Canon unveils a nw 32-megapixel 90D DSLR mirrorless M6 Mark II

Canon has announced two new enthusiast-grade cameras that are similar in capability but very different in form. Whether you’d get along better with the EOS 90D or the EOS M6 Mark II will entirely depend on your feelings about the never-ending DSLR-versus-mirrorless debate.

Both cameras have a new 32.5-megapixel APS-C image sensor,

a DIGIC 8 image processor, an electronic shutter capable of speeds up to 1/16000, uncropped 4K/30 video recording, dual-pixel autofocus in live view with 5,481 selectable points, built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, and USB-C. But the 90D looks like every other mid-range Canon DSLR, while the M6 Mark II’s compact form is essentially unchanged from the original M6 from 2017.

Instagram targets Snapchat with new ‘Threads App’

Instagram parent company Facebook is developing a new messaging app called Threads that is meant to promote constant, intimate sharing between users and their closest friends, we have learnt that Threads, which is designed as a companion app to Instagram, invites users to automatically share their location, speed, and battery life with friends, along with more typical text, photo, and video messages using Instagram’s creative tools. The app, which is designed for sharing with your “close friends” list on Instagram, is now being tested internally at Facebook.

Instagram declined to comment.

In May, Instagram ceased work on Direct, a standalone messaging app that it had been developing since late 2017. At the time, executives said that beta testers were frustrated about having to switch between Instagram and a second app whenever they wanted to send a message. But the company has remained interested in building new messaging experiences, executives have said. Instagram employees who work on messaging were moved to the Facebook Messenger team earlier this year as part of a broader consolidation between the parent company and its prized acquisition.

A messaging app built around your close friends might be more popular. That’s what Snapchat already is today for a healthy portion of its users. Reports have indicated that the average Snapchat user spends more time inside the app than the average Instagram user does. For Facebook and Instagram, which have long coveted Snapchat’s strong engagement among younger users, Threads could represent another effort to chip away at their rival’s appeal.

 

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 doesn’t have a stainless steel frame

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 doesn’t have a stainless steel frame but Aluminium

Samsung managed to prompt some confusion on the release of the Samsung galaxy note 10.

A video was uploaded to their YouTube channel, with a voice over that mentioned that the Galaxy Note 10 was made from stainless steel.

“Stainless steel and glass meld seamlessly to minimize bezel,” says the video’s narrator.

Wait a minute?

The company never mentioned anything about switching from aluminum which we are familiar with on their other flagship device, nor was it brought up onstage during the previous week’s Unpacked event.

Why would Samsung upgrade to a new material and not tell anyone?

But well, it didnt , the video was completely wrong .

Samsung has now confirmed that the Note 10’s frame is made from aluminum.

Just like the company’s other flagships in recent years. It’s odd that such an erroneous voice-over made it into a promotional video.

Apple and spotify are reportedly in talks to allow siri play your discover weekly

Apple and Spotify are in talks about potentially enabling Siri to play songs, albums, and playlists from the leading subscription music service.

Reports confirms it that spotify would be taking advantage of the upcoming feature on ios 13, which allows other apps to have equal footing with apple music when making music requests through the company’s Siri voice assistant. If Spotify takes advantage of the new tools, you’ll be able to play music without having to open the app on your iPhone or iPad.

If the integration breaks through the it would signifiy progress between the two online streaming giants.

 

Microsoft Bans April Fools Day Pranks From This Year

You may hate (or love) April Fools’ Day pranks, but tech companies surely love them. Big or small, pranks from major tech companies have become pretty common over the last several years. It’s a day when companies promise out-of-the-world products and services, and, unfortunately, some people actually end up falling for them. While some pranks are purely hilarious, some seem very close to being real. But Microsoft is finally taking a stand against it.

Microsoft is putting an end to April Fools’ Day pranks. In an internal memo, obtained and verified by The Verge, Microsoft’s marketing head Chris Capossela has asked everyone in the company to not indulge in any ‘public-facing April Fools’ Day stunts’.

In his memo, Capossela claims such pranks have a very limited positive impact and can result in ‘unwanted news cycles’. While most people on the Internet have now grown used to such pranks, it’s still hard to filter out the real news on April Fools’ Day when everyone is throwing all sorts of silly pranks at you.

Microsoft’s move seems to make a lot of sense, especially in the age of social media where fake news takes just a few minutes to spread around. In his memo, Capossela, further adds, “I appreciate that people may have devoted time and resources to these activities, but I believe we have more to lose than gain by attempting to be funny on this one day.”