Industry number-crunchers say basic wearables like fitness bands are on the rise, but more advanced smartwatches like the Apple Watch are failing to excite shoppers. Simplistic wearable gadgets such as fitness bands are triumphing over more sophisticated smartwatches in the wearable war, analysts say. Gadget-maker Fitbit's "dominance remains unchallenged" in the wearable industry, according to IDC, which says the wearable market overall grew 26.1 percent between April and June this year. Be respectful, keep it civil and stay on topic. We delete comments that violate our policy, which we encourage you to read. Discussion threads can be closed at any time at our discretion.
Every other year, Apple releases an "S" model of its popular phone, where the S often black & gold sparkle iphone case stands for "same old design." That was the case last year with the iPhone 6S, which looked identical to 2014's blockbuster iPhone 6, The only noticeable design update: a new "rose gold" color option, Besides getting rid of the headphone jack, other changes in the new iPhone device might include more storage (the low-end model may start with 32GB instead of 16GB), a better camera and better water resistance, Those features may be enough for people to upgrade from a current iPhone and for people who want the newest iPhone, But for others, who now have to buy their phones outright for about $649, or for those who are fine holding on to older models for more than the typical two years, Apple's iPhone 7 may be a tough sell..
"We believe the new features..and minor design changes are unlikely to either drive enough existing users to upgrade sooner or attract more switchers than before from Android devices," Oppenheimer analyst Andrew Uerkwitz noted. Apple declined to comment ahead of its event. The iPhone is the most popular device Apple has ever made and remains its biggest moneymaker. Apple gets more than two-thirds of its sales from the iPhone, and in July the company confirmed that it had sold its billionth iPhone since Steve Jobs introduced the gadget to the world in 2007. The device has spawned entire new industries, like apps, and it's changed the way we live.
But there are signs the iPhone phenomenon is slowing down, In April, Apple reported its first-ever drop in phone sales, and that trend continued the following quarter, People just aren't as excited by phones anymore, and it's unlikely the iPhone black & gold sparkle iphone case 7 will change that, Since Cook took over as CEO five years ago, Apple has spent more research-and-development money on things like the rumored Apple Car; its R&D expense this year should rise nearly 30 percent from 2015, estimates Above Avalon analyst Neil Cybart, But based on speculation around the iPhone 7, not much of that R&D has gone into Apple's most important product line, at least not yet..
Apple could be saving its biggest changes for 2017 to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the iPhone. Even so, Apple watchers wonder just where the iPhone's design can go next. Will the only innovations we'll see going forward involve making the phone faster and more battery efficient? Is there really more Apple can do?. "How much can you actually change a design nowadays?" said Carolina Milanesi, an analyst with Creative Strategies. "If you look at what is out there, other than taking the TouchID away and making it part of the screen, I don't see what else they can do."Other handset makers have tried to come up with innovative designs. Apple's archrival, Samsung, which builds its phones around Google's Android mobile software, has started using curved glass in its newest designs, giving users an "Edge" where they can read quick notifications. Samsung has said its Edge devices are more popular than its regular phone models, and the Galaxy S7 Edge, launched in March, has helped Samsung widen its lead over Apple in the phone market. (About 22 percent of smartphone shipments in the second quarter came from Samsung, compared with 12 percent for Apple, according to IDC.).