Apple Inc. added 5G connectivity to its iPad Air and low-cost iPhone SE, enhancing its appeal in the Asian markets, and introduced a faster chip for a new desktop, a high point in Apple’s move to power its devices with microprocessors designed in house.

The new Studio desktop starts at $3,999 with the new M1 Ultra chip. The iPad Air also got Apple’s M1 chip that was developed for laptops, Reuters reported after Apple unveiled new products Tuesday.

“Apple Silicon strategy is the key highlight,” said analyst Neil Shah of Counterpoint Research, “Apple is scaling the portfolio of its in-house semiconductor capabilities to power a broader set of richer devices from affordable iPhone SE to the most powerful product Mac Studio.”

Apple’s Mac Pro still runs on Intel Corp microprocessors.

Apple slightly hiked the price on the iPhone SE to $429 from $399 for the previous model. The new phone starts shipping March 18.

The iPhone SE comes with an A15 Bionic chip, which Apple says is the fastest among competition, a 4.7-inch retina display and a home button with touch ID.

The low-cost 5G model should enhance the iPhone maker’s appeal in Asia where it is in a stiff battle with multiple rivals from Samsung to Vivo, analysts believe.

After focusing on high-end phones during the pandemic-induced supply chain crisis, Apple this week unveiled 5G connectivity to its iPhone SE – for $429 – which is likely to attract more lower-end buyers in emerging markets.

“The new 3rd gen iPhone SE could be effective in gaining incremental share among price sensitive consumers, especially in Asia,” Cowen and Company brokerage said, citing China and India in particular.

(In India, iPhone SE is priced at Rs. 43,900 for the base variant with 64GB storage, while the 128GB and 256GB models are pegged at Rs. 48,900 and Rs. 58,900, respectively)

Counterpoint Research said the earlier 4G iPhone SE accounted for 12 percent of total iPhone sales from its launch in Q2 2020 until the end of 2021, with Japan the biggest market after the United States.

The world’s most valuable company with a market capitalization around $2.6 trillion, Apple achieved its highest ever market share in China at the end of last year, surpassing Huawei to become the best seller, according to a previous Counterpoint data.