Apple reshapes user experience
On March 11, according to Bloomberg, Gurman predicted that Apple will roll out this system innovation in 2025. It will adjust the styles of icons, menus, apps, windows, and system buttons, which will fundamentally change the appearance of the operating system and enhance the consistency across Apple's various software platforms. The blog post introduced that this innovation will be launched along with iOS 19, iPadOS 19, and macOS 16. It will be the biggest upgrade to the Mac system since Big Sur in 2020 and the biggest update to the iPhone since iOS 7 in 2013.
The new interface design draws inspiration from the software style of Vision Pro to some extent, aiming to simplify user operations and navigation methods, unify the interfaces of different operating systems (such as macOS, iOS, and visionOS), and reduce the discontinuity when users switch between different devices. This upgrade has become a key project for Apple's software engineering organization and design team. The software design is overseen by Alan Dye, a long-serving senior Apple executive who was involved in the design of the Apple Watch operating system and iOS 7.
In the fourth quarter of 2024, due to intensified competition from domestic brands such as Huawei, Apple's smartphone shipments in the Chinese mainland market plummeted by 25% year-on-year. However, in the global market, data from Canalys and Omdia shows that the iPhone 11, iPhone 12, and iPhone 13 were the smartphone models with the highest global shipments, with a total shipment volume of 373 million units. In the fourth quarter of 2024, the global smartphone market grew by 3% to reach 330 million units. The market has achieved positive growth for five consecutive quarters. Among them, Apple showed strong performance during the traditional new device launch season, taking the top spot with a 23% market share.
Apple's financial report shows that in the first quarter of fiscal year 2025 (ending December 28, 2024), its revenue was USD 124.3 billion (CNY 900.75 billion), a year-on-year increase of 4%. Its net profit climbed to USD 36.3 billion, a year-on-year increase of 4%.