The global smartphone market is shifting from volume expansion to value-driven competition. Although rising costs have slowed shipment growth, optical specifications remain the main arena where flagship models differentiate themselves.
While thousands of tech executives gathered this week in the cavernous halls of Barcelona for the Mobile World Congress (MWC), showcasing motorized cameras and ultra-thin folding screens that few will ever buy, Apple executed a far more consequential maneuver from the quiet of its California headquarters.


