While it may not seem so when looking at Apple's just-released third-quarter financial results, the iPhone 15 has outsold the iPhone 14, which was released last year.

The numbers suggest that the opposite may be the case: for the three months ended June 29, Apple's revenue from its iPhone business was just under $39.3 billion, down 1% from $39.7 billion aggregated for the same period in 2023. A cursory look at these numbers might lead one to conclude that the phone, launched last fall, was a failure.

However, according to Apple, there is more to the numbers. The decline in sales largely reflects currency fluctuations. If you take those out of the equation, iPhone sales have outpaced iPhone sales in recent quarters. Even better for Apple, the iPhone's installed base has hit a record high in the past three months. (In fact, in the same June quarter, revenue from services hit a record $24.2 billion, up 14% from the same period last year)

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"If you look at the same number of weeks since the launch of the [iPhone 15] and compare it to the [iPhone 14], the 15 is doing better than the 14," CEO Tim Cook told Wall Street analysts during an earnings call on Thursday (August 1). "And that's kind of the state of where we are right now."

Apple executives did not say much about the reasons for the iPhone 15 vs. iPhone 14 sales results, but comparing the two product lineups, it is not hard to understand why the iPhone 15 is so attractive. And when you extend that to rumors about future phones, it suggests that the iPhone 16 could be coming this fall with a lot of momentum.

While different people have different appeals when it comes to smartphones, I believe there are three main factors that contribute to why people are responding to different iPhone 15 models. For starters, Apple has done a very good job in recent years of making the Pro model stand out from the rest of the lineup, and it really came to fruition with the iPhone 15 Pro.

The iPhone 15 Pro Max has arguably the best camera setup Apple has ever offered, thanks to a tetra prism telephoto lens that offers a 5x zoom. This feature alone may convince mobile photography enthusiasts to pay for the Max. The model's high price is somewhat offset by Apple's decision to increase the base model's internal storage to 256GB.

The iPhone 15 Pro may not have an enhanced zoom lens - it does with a 3x optical zoom - but Apple has added other features to enhance its appeal. both iPhone 15 Pro models can activate shortcuts of your choice Action button, and they have the more powerful A17 Pro chipset.

But don't overlook the features added to the standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus. These include a dynamic island feature that replaces the notch on the front display and a 48MP camera that can mimic 2x optical zoom when you want to take close-up photos. More importantly, the improvements in the iPhone 15 make it a much better phone than its predecessor; the same could not be said about the iPhone 14, which had too much in common with the iPhone 13 to get people excited.

Besides the features added to specific models, Apple made improvements to the entire lineup, making every iPhone 15 model more attractive than the one before it. I am thinking in particular about the battery life of the iPhone 15. In particular, the iPhone 15 Plus and the iPhone 15 Pro Max have made the Best Smartphone Battery Life list with over 14 hours in battery tests.

Put another way, Apple has made enough changes to the iPhone 15 lineup to convince people that it's time for an upgrade. It is a script the company is likely hoping to repeat with the iPhone 16 this fall.

The extent of the changes Apple will make to its upcoming phones won't be known until they actually arrive, but the iPhone 16 rumors paint a pretty compelling picture so far. iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus models from the current iPhone 15 Pro model Action button is expected to be used, and all four new models will likely add a capture button to facilitate photo snapping. iPhone 16 Pro side camera rumors include a larger main camera sensor and a 48MP ultra-wide shooter It appears that.

The biggest change rumored to be coming to the iPhone 16 lineup would be one that would end Apple's two-year practice of using different chipsets in the standard and Pro models - a practice that may have elevated the Pro phones but made other phones feel like laggards a move that has come at the expense of making other phones feel like laggards. This time, however, Apple is rumored to be using the new A18 silicon in all iPhone 16 models, even if the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max could be more powerful.

There is one thing that could spur iPhone 16 upgrades this fall, and that is a feature that Apple has already announced: Apple Intelligence, which will launch sometime after the launch of iOS 18 and will allow current iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will be the only current devices that can support those AI-powered features. If you want to have Apple Intelligence, you will need to upgrade if you are currently using another iPhone model.

Cook stopped short of predicting an upgrade when pressed by analysts during an Apple earnings call, but it's very clear the company sees Apple Intelligence as an incentive to check out future phones.

"With Apple Intelligence, I would say we're very excited about the level of value we're trying to provide to our users and believe it presents another reason for a compelling upgrade," Cook said.

In any case, it doesn't sound like Apple is sweating much about the iPhone's immediate future. Currency issues aside, the current phone has sold very well. And it is looking ahead to a fall that is quite likely to repeat that success.