Sherwood News

We are so far past peak iPhone hype

Cheaper, AI-powered, and missing a few frills — can the 16e turn things around for Apple’s iPhone?

2/20/25 10:56AM

Five months after the latest iPhone hit the shelves, Apple just dropped a more affordable version: the iPhone 16e.

The 16e sheds some extras like the ultrawide camera and faster wireless charging, but the price, which will start at $599 in the US, is perhaps best summarized as kind-of-wallet-friendly-but-not-as-cheap-as-some-people-hoped. After all, the 2022 iPhone SE, which is now discontinued, was just $429.

Some analysts are blaming the slightly higher-than-expected price on looming tariff threats. But, whatever the reason for the final price, the only question for Apple is: will this latest release breathe some life into slumping iPhone sales?

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Indeed, the 16e comes as new iPhone hype keeps fading and Apple feels the pinch in core markets. In the US, Apple’s largest region, nearly one-third of iPhone users had held on to their devices for over three years as of last March — up from just 6% in 2015, per CIRP — as buyers struggle to justify getting the latest iPhone unless their current one is on its last legs.

Things are rougher in China, Apple’s second-largest national market: iPhone sales dropped 17% year over year, its steepest annual decline in the region since 2016, losing ground to local brands like Huawei and budget phone maker Vivo. Missing AI features might explain some of that underperformance in China, though it seems that Apple Intelligence is beloved by Apple execs but often berated by some of its users.

With its quarterly revenue slipping despite the holiday season, Apple’s new budget iPhone feels crucial. In 2024, iPhones still made up over half of Apple’s revenue, raking in a whopping $201 billion. But you don’t see many people queuing outside the Apple stores like they used to, and that’s a problem for the world’s largest company.

Nia Warfield

13h

Fox and News Corp slide as investors digest $3.3 billion Murdoch succession settlement

Fox and News Corp shares dropped on Tuesday after Rupert Murdoch’s heirs agreed to a $3.3 billion settlement to resolve a long-running succession drama.

Under the deal, Prudence, Elisabeth, and James Murdoch will each receive about $1.1 billion, paid for in part by Fox selling 16.9 million Class B voting shares and News Corp selling 14.2 million shares. The stock sales will raise roughly $1.37 billion on behalf of the three heirs.

The new trust for Lachlan Murdoch will now control about 36.2% of Fox’s Class B shares and roughly 33.1% of News Corp’s stock, granting him uncontested voting authority over both companies for the next 25 years. Originally, the Murdoch trust was designed to hand over voting control of Fox and News Corp to Prudence, Elisabeth, Lachlan, and James after his death.

Investors are weighing the trade-off. Clear leadership under Lachlan may resolve conflict internally, but the share dilution, executed at a roughly 4.5% discount, means long-term investors now hold slightly less clout than before.

Both companies’ stocks were trading close to all-time highs prior to the announcement.

385 ✈️ 434

Max Knoblauch

13h

Boeing on Tuesday announced that it delivered 57 commercial jets in August, its best total for the month in seven years. That brings its year-to-date delivery total to 385 planes, eclipsing its full-year 2024 figure by about 11%.

The August figure marked Boeing’s second-highest delivery total of 2025 and represented a 43% jump from the same month last year. Through August, Boeing has boosted its deliveries by 50% from last year.

The plane maker is still trailing its European rival Airbus, which delivered 61 planes in August and 434 year to date.

Nia Warfield

9/8/25

Tariffs finally crept into retail's latest earnings results. Who were the winners and losers?

The long-awaited levies took a toll on nearly every retailer, but execution separated who could steer through the costs.