Taking a look back at this week’s news and headlines from Apple, including leaked iPhone 17 Pro specs, a new name for iPhone, secrets of the new iPad, iPhone 16e questions, MacBook Air reviews, iOS UI update plans, and the damaging nature of Apple Intelligence.
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 17’s Big Name Change
Apple has alread shaken up its portfolio by killing the iPhone SE brand, instead rolling it into the main product line with the more expensive iPhone 16e. Is there a bigger change in the air when the iPhone 17 launches? With discussions of iPhones that are thinner, larger and more powerful, Ryan Christoffel suggests a clean sweep of brand names:
“iPhone 17 would be the standard entry model. It would have the latest features at the lowest price. iPhone 17 Air would sacrifice extra cameras, power, and battery life for a slimmer, ultra-thin design. iPhone 17 Pro would boast the more powerful A19 Pro chip, three rear cameras, and other Pro features.
“And finally, the iPhone 17 Ultra would offer by far the best battery life in the lineup, and the best display thanks to a smaller Dynamic Island. It would be a hefty model for users who just want “the most possible iPhone.”
(9to5Mac).
A Good Liquid To Have In Your iPhone
Multiple sources have highlighted a new thermal solution for the next generation of iPhones. Tim Cook and his team look set to introduce liquid cooling later this year. This helps wick away more heat from a vapor chamber that sits across components that run hot. Its clear the change is coming, but which iPhone will receive it?
“Given three sources, and inclusion of the feature in some premium Android phones, the reports do seem likely. As to which models will get a vapor chamber, it would seem more logical to start with the more powerful models, so my money would be on either both Pro models or the Pro Max only.”
(9to5Mac).
High Points Of The New iPads
Forbes’ contributor David Phelan takes a closer look at the new iPad Air and iPad to pick out some key changes and decisions. One that some customers may note is the slight increase in display size. But wait, is that a larger screen or different math?
“If you check the details on the Apple website, you’ll see that the iPad is listed as having an 11-inch display (the same as the smaller iPad Air). The iPad it’s replacing only had a 10.9-inch screen. So, it’s a design change, right? No, Apple has rounded the size up to 11-inch. I don’t think it’s being sneaky, it’s a way to simplify the range. Every iPad now comes in an 11-inch size apart from the iPad mini.”
(Forbes).
iPhone 16e Pricing Question
The Apple community was expecting a new iPhone SE. Instead, the iPhone 16e arrived and took the SE—Apple’s only mid-range iPhone—out of the portfolio. Will we see a cheaper iPhone in the near future? Perhaps the answer lies in Apple’s plans for the iPhone 16 family come September:
“I don’t believe there will be an iPhone 17e as it has never updated its most affordable iPhones on an annual cadence. More likely, I’d say, is that in September the iPhone 16e, iPhone 16 and perhaps iPhone 16 Plus will remain in the range going forward, likely at lower prices.”
(Forbes).
The MacBook Average
The new MacBook Air has a bit more memory, a bit more resolution on the webcam, and a bit lower price to ensure Apple continues to have a $999 entry-level MacBook. That might be enough to keep sales steady in 2025, but there is a danger that Apple continues to “stay average” and rely on long-held beliefs in the power of the brand:
“Solid and competent hardware that stays relevant will generate sales for a long time, but at what cost? Apple’s ability to be “not first but best” has been holed below the waterline with the rise of generative AI and the failure to capitalise on it with the awkwardly backronymed Apple Intelligence. Its hardware designs take no risks and leave the radical designs to the competition. And the hardware that is being offered to consumers is effectively not the current generation.”
(Forbes).
A New Coat Of Paint For Everyone
If the hardware is not going through radical change, will a new user interface bring in more sales? reports that Apple is ready for a wholesale refresh of the look and feel of its various operating systems:
“The revamp — due later this year — will fundamentally change the look of the operating systems and make Apple’s various software platforms more consistent, according to people familiar with the effort. That includes updating the style of icons, menus, apps, windows and system buttons… The design is loosely based on the Vision Pro’s software, they said.”
(Bloomberg).
And Finally…
Apple’s announcement that it is delaying the roll-out of personalized AI through Siri highlights Apple’s failure to match the competition using AI. Noted Apple commentator John Gruber believes it’s a sign of a deeper malaise at the company:
“But it turns out they announced something Apple couldn’t do. And now they look so out of their depth, so in over their heads, that not only are they years behind the state-of-the-art in AI, but they don’t even know what they can ship or when. Their headline features from nine months ago not only haven’t shipped but still haven’t even been demonstrated, which I, for one, now presume means they can’t be demonstrated because they don’t work.”
(Daring Fireball).
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.
