Taking a look back at this week’s news and headlines from Apple, including the latest leaked iPhone 16 Pro specs, iOS 18’s AI potential, iPad Pro review, iPadOS problems, iOS 17.5 update, and more retro emulators for iPhone.
Apple Loop is here to remind you of a few of the many discussions around Apple in the last seven days. You can also read my weekly digest of Android news here on Forbes.
iPhone 16 Pro Specs Leak
Thanks to the various moulds and dummy units, we know what the outside of the iPhone 16 Pro looks like. Now we’re getting more details on the inside, and the future of the iPhone is looking bright, as the nits brightness of the display panel is finally on the rise:
“The iPhone’s typical brightness level has been 1,000 nits for almost three years now: the 1,000 nits level was introduced in 2021. Which means that if this report is correct, the everyday brightness of the iPhone 16 Pro is set to be noticeably higher than at present. These brightness levels are important, especially for users who tend to look at their phones outdoors.”
(Forbes)
iOS 18’s AI Potential
Also hiding inside the chassis is the software, and given that this is 2024, that means generative AI. Apple will be revealing its AI play at WWDC, but pay attention to the small print. It may be OpenAI or Google that is contributing the lion’s share of the work to Apple’s system:
“I expect that Tim Cook and his team will lean into the idea of local processing of data on an iPhone instead of sending your data into the cloud. Every smartphone manufacturer has put this promise out there since the aforementioned Pixel 8 launch—but the allure of Apple will see this message resonate louder than the same message from the likes of Samsung.”
(Forbes).
iPad Pro M4 Review
Last week saw the launch of Apple’s new iPad models, and the first reviews are coming in. Forbes’ David Phelan has spent time with the latest iPad Pro to find out just how useful the power of a Mac-class Appel Silicon chipset is:
“The new model is 1.5 times as fast as the M2, Apple says… Powerful though it is, in some ways it feels it’s held back by the software. Although iPadOS had changed massively, with the introduction of Stage Manager to make using multiple apps slicker, nothing compares to macOS in this regard. The new Magic Keyboard is light and comfortable, making text input a dream. But it still doesn’t compete with a Mac laptop”
(Forbes).
5 Apple M4 Benchmarks
“Apple’s M4 processors have become convincing leaders in the Geekbench single-core leaderboard… This is significant as single-core benchmark scores of this magnitude put clear blue water between the M4 and Intel’s flagship Core i9-14900KS. A little Geekbench database checking shows that, in single-threaded tests, Apple’s M4 outpaces Intel’s power-hungry desktop champ by about sixteen percent”
(Tom’s Hardware).
Is The Problem iPadOS?
The iPad hardware may be able to deliver, but what about its software? For all the potential iPadOS keeps failing to deliver. Federrico Viticci explains:
“There is no better definition of uneven development than the iPad’s history with multitasking interfaces. As my annual reviews can confirm, Apple has shown a tendency to release a new iPad multitasking UI every 2-3 years, never refine it, and discard it to make room for another iteration that starts the cycle anew.”
(MacStories).
iOS 17.5 Update
The latest update to iOS brings with it a worrying issue, photos that users have deleted are returning to their timeline. Where are these years-old photos coming from, and why are they still available?
“We’re not talking about images deleted in the last 30 days, which are automatically saved for that time in the Recently Deleted folder. That’s one thing, but according to the reports, these are from years ago. This raises a lot of questions, because it’s hard to work out how these images still exist. There’s a problem with data retention and another with privacy.
(Forbes).
And Finally…
Following Apple’s decision to ease its restrictive App Store policies regarding emulation software, two of the bbiggests names are now available to downoad. PPSSPP is a standalone Sony Playstation Portable emulator, but the real win for the retro scene is Retroarch, which opens up countless systems to the consuers.
PPSSPP in App Store, Retroarch in App Store.
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.
