Apple Watch may see more upgrades than iPhone 16. Here's why

Apple (AAPL) unveiled a range of new products at its iPhone 16 launch event on Monday, but investors remain cautious about whether these offerings will drive a significant upgrade cycle. CNET Editor at Large Bridget Carey joins Wealth! to discuss her outlook.

Carey notes that iPhones are lasting longer, leading consumers to question the necessity of upgrades. While the new models boast improved battery life and camera capabilities, the much-anticipated Apple Intelligence features won't be immediately available when the iPhone 16 models are released on Friday, September 20.

Interestingly, Carey suggests that this year's Apple event spotlight was on the Apple Watch Series 10 and AirPods updates rather than the iPhone. She highlights that the new health features introduced on the Apple Watch Series 10 might actually drive more upgrades than the iPhone 16.

For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Wealth!

This post was written by Angel Smith

Video Transcript

Apple held their latest event yesterday in Cupertino where they unveiled a host of new products and features including the iphone 16, the 16 pro, the Apple Watch series 10, the launch of Apple's new intelligence features as well.

But yeah, here's the cold water, these new products and features are they worth paying for an immediate upgrade?

That's the big question.

And here to help us is Bridget Carey cnet's editor at large.

Bridget.

I mean, you're making the face that says no right now, I don't even have to ask the question.

I think it's the question we always ask because our phones are lasting longer.

We're holding on to them longer and you kind of go.

All right, you know, do I really need it?

So I, I look at Apple's presentation from the angle of OK, what's Apple gonna focus on when it talks?

And so yesterday, you heard a lot about some magic words, battery life is better the camera and this is the reason that people upgrade.

And then yes, there was a lot of talk about A I because that's right now in the tech space, but that's not coming out when the phone lands on September 20th, right.

Some of the analyst reviews that we had seen come out and I'm not gonna get too close to the, you know, just how Wall Street is looking at this.

I mean, the mode of this was largely no surprises.

And ultimately, this looks like a software type of year that doesn't sound sexy for people who are looking to try and figure out if they should spend hundreds of dollars on a new phone.

You look at what Google and Samsung even present.

It's always like very a I heavy.

This one actually was a little bit hardware, heavy up front.

And I think the star of this iphone event wasn't the iphone, it was the updates to the watch that, uh, pods, you know, this is the kind of thing where maybe people go, oh, I don't mind spending that to get an upgraded, you know, experience in health tracking with sleep apnea or having some sort of new, you know, uh, audio experience rather than drop down, you know, a lot for a new phone if their phone is still good.

So right now people might be waiting to see what the reviews are on the phone before just immediately hitting by, on the pre orders.

Yeah, I mean, look, I'm inevitably gonna be able to, or we have to upgrade to new airpods anyway when I lose the current pair that I had to buy because I just found one of the airpods behind uh software or a uh uh console in the, in the apartment, all that considered.

So I'm gonna get the new airpods at some point.

But the Apple watch, I think.

So, some of these other devices, the wearables, how much do you think that the features are actually enough to tell consumers mentally?

Like?

All right, I'm gonna get more health care features in this and, and is that enough to make people try to initiate that new purchasing cycle for an Apple watch or other?

We, it's been 10 years since Apple came out, you know, in, in, introduced the Apple watch.

This one's larger screen.

I think it's gonna be, you know, kind of making people's heads, you know, turn a little bit like, oh, a larger screen now.

Oh, I can, uh, be able to monitor all these different health issues because it just keeps adding up every year with the sleep apnea.

It's kind of giving you a heads up if you might have a problem if you're breathing during your sleep.

But, um, when the price point is lower than the phone.

Yeah, people go.

Ok, maybe I'll upgrade into that.

And what's interesting is that the $400 new series 10 watch is larger of a screen than that high end $800 ultra watch.

So people who might have been holding on might, you know, kind of go in a different direction when they want the 10 instead of the ultra maybe.

I mean, the the pricing power that Apple has, has been something that's talked about by analysts a lot.

But from the consumer side, is there enough of the wow factor to support the pricing that Apple puts into the market at this juncture right now, I the the phone prices haven't changed, right.

So people are kind of getting used to it.

I thought it was interesting in the messaging that you start to see in these presentations from Apple that they kind of lean more into the whole, hey, you know, with a trade in with a trade in you, you can, you can get a little discount.

So they're kind of like letting consumers know, hey, if you have your old says, you know, why, why don't you go ahead and upgrade?

It's just a different way of kind of pitching the same thing.

But I think people still like those air pods and they might actually if they haven't upgraded in a while.

Look at those.

Yeah.

All right.

Well, a lot of it felt like a personal attack when they were saying you need to upgrade and just trade in that old phone because I am one of those people because people don't really care that much about A I right now.

Yeah.

No, and my phone works.

So that works too.

Bridget Carey cnet's editor at large.

Joining us here in studio.

Thanks so much for the time.

Thanks.