Taking a look back at another week of news and headlines from Cupertino, this week’s Apple Loop includes leaked details on the iPhone 16 Pro action button, disappointing iPhone 16 specs, Apple’s smartphone success, the Apple Watch patent saga continues, App Store commission confusion, and the missing Apple Vision Pro apps.
Apple Loop is here to remind you of a few of the very many discussions that have happened around Apple over the last seven days (and you can read my weekly digest of Android news here on Forbes).
iPhone 16 Pro Action Button Decision Leaks
Four designs of the next iPhone 16 Pro from a library of leaks suggested various implementations of the Action Button in the new handsets. It now looks like Apple has settled on the final form factor of the 16 Pro, and it’s going to remain a physical button for another year:
“This will have two separate volume buttons, as now, and while the previous version included an Action Button that was capacitive-touch, like the most recent Touch ID buttons on the iPhone SE, for instance, it looks like Apple has gone for a button which largely resembles the current one found on the iPhone 15 Pro. All of which suggests that the prospect of a capacitive Action Button has been put on hold for this year at least.”
(Forbes).
iPhone 16 Pro Modem Specs
Apple has spent the last few years ensuring the difference in specifications between the vanilla and Pro iPhone models can justify the price difference. That looks set to continue next year, with Qualcomm’s new 5G modem only making an appearance on the Pro model:
“In a research note today with investment firm Haitong International Securities, [Jeff] Pu reiterated his belief that the iPhone 16 Pro models will be equipped with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X75 modem. However, he expects the standard iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus to retain the Snapdragon X70 modem found in all iPhone 15 models. This modem differentiation between the standard and Pro models would be a change in strategy for Apple.”
(MacRumors).
iPhone’s 2023 Success
In the week that Samsung launched arguably the biggest competitor to the iPhone, Apple will be quietly pleased to see that the iPhones have overhauled the Galaxy handsets in the number of phones shipped during 2023. That puts Apple on top.
“The American phone giant accounted for more than a fifth of phones shipped last year, according to data from the International Data Corporation (IDC). Samsung took 19.4% of the market share with Chinese phonemakers Xiaomi, OPPO and Transsion following behind. Smartphone sales have been faltering as many people upgraded in the pandemic.”
(BBC News).
iOS 17.3 Launch Date Is Close
We’re still waiting for iOS 17.3 to drop, and, with it, several new features, including a number, that help secure your device. But a recent press release on some new Apple Watch bands may have given the game away:
“Towards the end of the release, buried in the pricing and availability notes which said the sport band will be available from January 23, Apple said, “The new Unity Bloom iPhone and iPad wallpaper for the Lock Screen will be also be available next week, and requires iPhone Xs or later running iOS 17.3…”
(Forbes).
US Apple Watch Models Will Lose Medical Capabilities
The saga around blood oxygen monitoring in the Apple Watch, and if it breaks the patents held by Masimo continues this week, with Apple preparing its US models to be stripped over the feature while the case works its way through the courts:
“The legal fight could take a year to resolve, and analysts had expected Apple would strike the feature, which is marketed for fitness uses, rather than pull devices from sale in one of its biggest markets. The company said Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 models without the feature would go on sale on its website and stores starting at 6 a.m. Pacific Time in Thursday 18 January”
(Reuters).
Sometimes You Should Leave Money On The Table
The recent ruling over the App Store payment model means US developers can choose to use third-party payment providers… but Apple will charge a 27 per cent commission for using the App Store and the associated services. It’s a decision that looks arrogant, as Daring Fireball’s Jon Gruber explains:
“Apple should have been looking for ways to lessen regulatory and legislative pressure over the past few years, and in today’s climate that’s more true than ever. But instead, their stance has seemingly been “Bring it on.” Confrontational, not conciliatory, conceding not an inch. Rather than take a sure win with most of what they could want, Apple is seemingly hell-bent on trying to keep everything.”
(Daring Fireball).
And Finally…
The Apple Vision Pro launch is nearly here, hand-picked reviewers have early access to the hardware, and the large software library Apple wants at launch is being populated by many developers. But not all of them… some key apps are missing, such as a dedicated Netflix app for the headset Apple doesn’t want you to call an AR or VR Headset:
“Netflix Inc. isn’t planning to launch an app for Apple Inc.’s upcoming Vision Pro headset, marking a high-profile snub of the new technology by the world’s biggest video subscription service.Rather than designing a Vision Pro app — or even just supporting its existing iPad app on the platform — Netflix is essentially taking a pass. The company, which competes with Apple in streaming, said in a statement that users interested in watching its content on the device can do so from the web.”
(Bloomberg).
Apple Loop brings you seven days worth of highlights every weekend here on Forbes. Don’t forget to follow me so you don’t miss any coverage in the future. Last week’s Apple Loop can be read here, or this week’s edition of Loop’s sister column, Android Circuit, is also available on Forbes.
