Apple’s latest updates ‘strengthen grip on connected devices market’

Apple’s latest round of software updates to its range of devices has emphasised the dominance of the company in the technology sector, one industry expert has said.

Ben Wood, the chief analyst at CCS Insight, said the announcements made during the firm’s annual WWDC event, which spread across updates for the iPhone, mobile payments, desktop computing, smart home and even in-car tech, showed the “ever-increasing breadth and depth of Apple’s business”.

He was speaking after the annual conference, which Apple uses to preview the new features coming to all its most popular devices, including the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac computers, later in the year.

Among the key announcements confirmed by the company was the ability to edit and recall messages sent by iPhone users, a new tool to replace written passwords and an Apple Pay update which will allow people to pay for items in instalments without any interest or additional fees.

This was previewed alongside updates around health and fitness for the Apple Watch and a new-look interface for Apple’s in-car software, CarPlay.

In addition, two new MacBook laptops, powered by a new, more powerful Apple-made computer chip were announced, as were new multitasking tools for iPad users.

“As people reflect on the sheer volume of news from WWDC they will realise the ever-increasing breadth and depth of Apple’s business,” Mr Wood said.

“Its ecosystem now spans beyond its own product franchise into numerous areas such as payments, the automotive industry, content, security and more.

“This all serves to further strengthen Apple’s grip on the connected devices market as a growing number of users select an iPhone as their mobile phone of choice.”

One major talking point of the event was a rumoured announcement that the company in the end did not make, an augmented reality (AR) headset.

“Despite widespread speculation in leading media that Apple would showcase details of its much-rumoured RealityOS, the company shared nothing on this technology,” Mr Wood said.

“The gap between expectations and reality seems to be widening.

“We expect Apple to continue following its typical playbook of waiting till the technology reaches a level of maturity and only then will it enter the fray with a disruptive device that ignites the market.

“Whilst some may be disappointed at the lack of radical new hardware in areas such as AR, Apple’s investment in silicon will play a defining role in future product categories, such as a head-worn device, where power and performance must be finely balanced.”