Apple is launching the iPhone 15 during the worst time for smartphones in years

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Apple (AAPL) debuted its iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro lines on Tuesday, bringing along new cameras, high-powered performance, and, most noteworthy of all, USB-C charging ports. But the company’s latest and greatest are landing during one of the most difficult times for the smartphone industry in years. Through the first nine months of the year, Apple’s iPhone sales fell to $156.8 billion from $162.9 billion in the same time period last year. Apple CFO Luca Maestri acknowledged the slowdown during the company’s Q3 earnings call, saying the market has been in decline for the last few quarters in the...