iPhone 18 Pro Launch Drives Mixed Market Response as Competitors Offer Steep Discounts

In the long arc of technological desire, even the most coveted objects eventually meet a more measured gaze. Apple's iPhone 18 Pro launched this week to shorter wait times than analysts anticipated, suggesting that the ritual urgency once surrounding new iPhone releases may be softening into something more deliberate. The market around it has grown complex — refurbished predecessors hold their value stubbornly, competitors sense an opening, and Apple itself is turning to celebrity influence to manufacture the excitement the product alone has not yet ignited. Whether this is a pause or a turnin