Apple has long mastered the art of the upsell. The latest batch of iPhones may prove to be the biggest test yet of the company’s ability to keep its customers from trading down.
They have a lot to choose from these days. With the new iPhone 14 family announced on Wednesday, Apple now sells 26 different configurations of its smartphone compared with the 16 it sold as new five years ago. The lineup ranges in price from $420 to nearly $1,600—the latter more expensive than even some of the company’s Mac computers. Apple also used Wednesday’s event to showcase a batch of new Apple Watches and a long-awaited update to the AirPod Pro earbuds. The products will anchor a wearables business that now generates more than $40 billion in annual revenue.