Neil Cybart 9/12/24 Neil Cybart 9/12/24

Deconstructing Apple’s Product Event (Apple Watch)

Hello everyone. We will continue our Apple event review.

Yesterday’s update was focused on the big picture.

My preference is to go deep into one section (Apple Watch, AirPods, iPhone) before moving on to the next section. For today, we will focus on the Apple Watch part of the presentation. Tomorrow, we will talk about AirPods. That discussion will end up including something of a State of AirPods section that extends behind just what was announced this week. There has been a lot going on with AirPods sales. Monday will be focused on everything iPhone.

Let’s jump in.

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Neil Cybart 9/10/24 Neil Cybart 9/10/24

Apple Just Held Its Strongest September Event in Years

Hello everyone. Today’s update will go over my initial impressions from Apple’s “It’s Glowtime” event. The discussion will have more in the way of big picture takeaways. We will get to the specifics, including my thoughts on the features, on Wednesday and possibly Thursday.

Let’s jump right in.

Apple Just Held Its Strongest September Event in Years

Apple’s “It’s Glowtime” event was jam-packed with HW updates.

The Apple Watch Series 10 marked one of the more significant year-over-year improvements for a flagship Apple Watch in years. We will likely see a bump up in the non-Ultra to Ultra sales ratio.
All four iPhone flagships contained notable upgrades including A18 (for non-Pro models) / A18 Pro (for Pro models), Camera Control (touch-capacitive area with sensors and haptic motors), and improved battery life across the line.
The entire AirPods line saw updates for the first time since the line expanded to three models, with AirPods receiving a H2 chip along with fit and comfort enhancements, AirPods Pro becoming a clinical-grade Hearing Aid, and AirPods Max receiving its first change in its four-year life (USB-C and new colors).
Apple sneaked in a non-HW Apple Intelligence feature, Visual Intelligence, tied into Camera Control. Visual Intelligence provides iPhone users context for their surroundings.

After looking back at prior September events, it’s fair to say yesterday’s event was the strongest Apple September event since at least 2017 (iPhone X unveiling). That is not meant to belittle or

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Neil Cybart 1/4/24 Neil Cybart 1/4/24

More on Apple Watch Ultra, Tesla 4Q23 Deliveries, EV Market Slowing in U.S.

We begin with additional comments related to the latest Above Avalon Report focused on Apple Watch Ultra. The update then turns to the auto space as we look at Tesla’s 4Q23 deliveries and signs of slowing EV growth in the U.S.

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Neil Cybart 1/2/24 Neil Cybart 1/2/24

U.S. Court Pauses Apple Watch Ban, Apple’s Response, Why I’m Not Concerned About Apple Watch

The most recent Above Avalon Report, which went out to everyone via email on December 22nd and via podcast to members with the podcast add-on, was about Apple Watch Ultra / Ultra 2. In tomorrow's update, we will talk about a few things that didn't make it into the report. For today, we will look at the latest regarding the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 U.S. ban. The discussion includes a closer look at Apple’s response and why Neil isn’t concerned about Apple Watch.

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Neil Cybart 12/22/23 Neil Cybart 12/22/23

The Ultra Strategy: An Examination of Apple’s Adventurous Watch (Above Avalon Report)

An examination of the Apple Watch Ultra.

Written by Neil Cybart - December 21st, 2023

In 2022, Apple unveiled an all-new Apple Watch model designed for the adventurous. While previous Apple Watches were able to be used in extreme conditions, this model would be marketed as taking things to another level. A year after its unveiling, Apple Watch Ultra remains the most intriguing Apple Watch model as momentum flows to more capable devices worn on the wrist.

Table of Contents

Apple Watch History
Watch Line Expansion
The Ultra Unveiling
Bad (Initial) Reviews
The Strategy
Differentiation Details
Sales Implications
Future

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Neil Cybart 9/18/23 Neil Cybart 9/18/23

Thoughts on Apple Product Pricing, My iPhone and Apple Watch Sales Mix Estimates, U.S. Carriers Improve iPhone Promotions

In today’s update, we go over a few topics related to the new Apple Watches and iPhones. The discussion begins with Neil’s thoughts on new Apple Watch and iPhone pricing. We then turn to Neil’s estimates for unit sales mix by Apple Watch and iPhone model. The update concludes with U.S. carriers improving their iPhone promotions.

Hello everyone. Welcome to a new week. Let’s jump right in.

Thoughts on Apple Product Pricing

At last week's product event, no major changes to Apple’s product pricing strategy were announced. There were more than a few rumors suggesting iPhone Pro pricing was going up against the board. That did not occur. Generally, Apple pricing rumors should be discounted as Apple is able to keep pricing information under wraps.

Here is entry-level pricing for each Apple Watch collection:

Apple Watch Series SE: $249 (GPS) – did not receive any updates last week
Apple Watch Series 9: $399 (GPS)
Apple Watch Ultra 2: $799 (GPS + Cellular)

We will talk more about my sales mix expectations by Apple Watch model shortly. For now, it is important to point out how Apple is sticking with

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Neil Cybart 9/15/23 Neil Cybart 9/15/23

Deconstructing Apple’s Product Event (Apple Watch), About That Apple “Mother Nature” Video

Hello everyone. We will continue our discussion of Apple’s event with a focus on everything Apple Watch. The discussion then turns to Neil’s thoughts on what has become quite the controversial ad for Apple’s sustainability efforts.

As a reminder, there will be a special Friday edition of the daily update.

This past Tuesday, there was another successful virtual member meet-up. You can check out the discussion in the Above Avalon team in Slack (available here). If you want to add to the discussions, please do so. That is one of the key benefits found with a (written) member meet-up.

Deconstructing Apple’s Product Event (Apple Watch)

Overall / Marketing

The Apple Watch portion of Apple's presentation came across as strong. In what has become something of a trademark of Apple Watch updates, quality trumps quantity in terms of new features. The new features looked useful and add value to Apple Watch out of the gate.

The Apple Watch is still a “new user” business with a majority of sales going to people new to the product. Apple’s target market for Apple Watch Series 9 isn’t Series 8 or even Series 7 owners but rather iPhone users who don’t wear an Apple Watch. In terms of Watch marketing,

(Members: Daily Updates are always accessible by logging into Slack. If you haven’t logged into Slack before, fill out this form to receive an invite.)

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