Taking a look back at this week’s news and headlines from across the Apple world, including the latest iPhone special offer, a long-awaited iPhone camera update, the M5 MacBook Pro and iPad Pro, another AI departure from Cupertino, Formula 1 comes to Apple TV and Star Trek’s M5 warning.
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.
Apple’s Latest iPhone Special Offer
While many will be looking at the new iPhone 17 family for the next smartphone, Apple’s latest move presents an intriguing special offer. Following the inclusion of the iPhone 15 Pro in the Apple refurb store this May, Apple has slashed the prices of the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max. Notably, these models are the first that support Apple Intelligence, although the older A17 Pro chipset will not support the full suite of apps.
David Phelan looks at what Apple’s refurbished program means; “It’s worth noting that Apple’s refurbished condition is meticulous: you get the same warranty as with a brand-new iPhone, all manuals and accessories, a new battery and outer shell and “a new white box,” as Apple describes it. In other words, Apple’s refurbished phones are excellent quality and strong value.”
A Long-Awaited Upgrade To The iPhone Pro Camera
Apple is hard at work on the iPhone 18 design, with the rear camera’s main lens set for a significant upgrade. Reports from ETNews indicate that Apple is adopting a variable aperture lens for the iPhone — a technology already employed by various Android manufacturers to support the larger sensors found in their flagship smartphones.
Variable apertures allow more control over the amount of light that enters the camera, exposure levels, and depth of field. This would represent the first significant shift in the main-lens aperture since the iPhone 14 Pro.
Here Comes The Five
This week, Apple announced the long-awaited Apple Silicon M5 chipset, as well as its launch hardware. Mac fans will welcome the M5 MacBook Pro, while noting that this is the consumer-focused MacBook Pro and is expected to be succeeded by the M5 Pro and M5 Max equipped MacBooks during 2025. Meanwhile, the iPad Pro includes the Apple-designed C1X modem. This was introduced with the iPhone Air and offers faster connectivity with less power.
Forbes contributor David Phelan looks at the benefits of the new MacBook Pro and iPad Pro hardware, including the benefits of the M5 chipset:
“The M5 chip also includes a 10-core GPU with Neural Accelerators and a faster 16-core Neural Engine which is designed to enhance AI tasks, whether that’s generative imagery or token generation for LLMs. Again, the translation is that AI tasks are promised to fly with the new processor.”
Apple AI Team Faces Another High-Profile Departure
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman is reporting that Ke Yang, Apple’s recent hire to lead an AI-powered expansion of Siri, has left the company after a few short months to work for Meta.
Gurman writes: “Yang recently became a direct report to John Giannandrea, Apple’s senior vice president of AI and machine learning. He had led the search-focused elements of the AKI group before taking over the entire division — a move that followed the departure of its previous head, Robby Walker. Representatives for Apple and Meta didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.”
Go, Go, Go!
As expected, Apple has inked a deal to bring Formula 1 to Apple TV. Those looking for the motorsport action on their devices will find coverage commencing in 2026 alongside the start of the new season. This follows Apple’s investment in F1: The Movie and its $629 million gross at the box office.
US F1 fans are not exactly enamoured with the deal. Those currently using the sports’ F1TV streaming service will be blocked from accessing the service in the US once Apple’s coverage commences for the 2026 season.
Selling A Dollar In A Way That Only Apple Can
While it’s not quite a license for Apple to print money, the latest commemorative $1 coin issued by the US Treasury to celebrate American innovation features Steve Jobs in his classic turtleneck and jeans in front of a hill that will no doubt lend its name to a macOS variant in the future. The $1 coin will cost $13.25 when released in 2026… a markup that Jobbs would likely have appreciated.
And Finally…
Star Trek fans have eagerly awaited the launch of the Apple Silicon M5 chipset since the reveal of the M1 in late 2020. Why? Because one of the significant episodes of Star Trek was built around the dangers of the M5 computer.
The story is a tale of trust in artificial intelligence, the hubris of AI developers, the real-world impact on employment, and the deaths caused by the lack of safeguards and understanding. Steve Shives has a timely review of the episode that definitely does not offer any warnings to a future that wants to move to an AI-first approach.
Watch on YouTube.
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.
