Wonderlust
Even with some of us trying to desperately cling on to the final days of summer, September has finally arrived, bringing with it another inevitability of the changing seasons: a brand new iPhone model.
The world’s largest company has set aside September 12 for an oh-so-mysterious event called Wonderlust, where they will almost certainly debut the new iPhone 15. Rumors are circulating about improved satellite communication, better wireless charging, and, of course, a bigger screen.
Phoning it in
In a surprise to pretty much nobody — given global inflation, Apple’s ongoing manufacturing struggles, and the 14 previous editions of the phone — the iPhone 15 is likely to be the most expensive to date, with Forbes forecasting prices ranging anywhere from $799-$2,000.
Though the price point may be rising, the hype that new models generate seems to have faded. In the decade following Steve Jobs’ 2007 unveiling of Apple’s first mobile phone, worldwide Google Trends data shows that people would routinely rush to search ‘new iphone’ whenever the latest was announced, but recent releases haven’t mustered the same online buzz. 2020’s iPhone 12 Pro amassed a third of the search volume as both 2018’s XS / Max and 2013’s 5C / 5S models.
Go Deeper: How Apple makes its money.