Product launches show cost-conscious consumers remain a focus for the iPhone maker

Apple announced its first foldable phone on Wedneaday.

Apple shares were set to rise on Thursday after the tech giant launched several new products, including the iPhone 18 Pro and the foldable iPhone Duo, with analysts noting efforts by the company to keep luring cost-wary consumers.

A team of Goldman Sachs' analysts led by Michael Ng said the new iPhones, updated Apple Watches and AirPods 5, which were unveiled on Wednesday, proved "largely as expected and should drive continued strength in device demand." But Apple's (AAPL) decision to launch a higher-end iPhone 18 model in the fall and save new lower-cost phones for the spring will help it keep a lid on rising costs, Ng and the team said in a note.

Also touching on that theme, Jefferies analysts led by Edison Lee suggested that Apple appears to be focused more on the amount of devices it can sell rather than their margins - a measure of how much revenue the company retains after incurring the costs of making its products. He noted that the $100 price hikes on newer and earlier-generation phones came in below the $150 to $200 increases on iPad and MacBooks instituted this summer.

Apple is walking a "tightrope on products to preserve volumes and margins," according to JPMorgan analysts led by Samik Chatterjee. They flagged that consumers will get flexibility through a new leading program as well as various trade-in offers. The analysts believe that combination of "favorable" pricing moves and AI features will drive "robust" iPhone revenue growth.

-Barbara Kollmeyer