Taking a look back at this week’s news and headlines from across the Apple world, including iPhone 17 Pro release dates, new iPhone 17 design cues, iOS update warning, the low-end MacBook, Apple’s Cards anniversary shake-up, F1 movie finds more success, and a naive UK request denied.
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.
Hanging Up The iPhone 17 Pro
Following the controversy around last year’s FineWoven case for the iPhone, Apple is expected to bring a new product to market. The TechWoven case will change the materials for a more robust choice, and also add a new feature that is both low-tech and incredibly useful:
“The cases also have MagSafe compatibility, it’s claimed, which is not a surprise, but the second claim is something unprecedented: lanyard holes. Other manufacturers have made it possible to attach lanyards, but not Apple. The box, which also mentions that the case has built-in Camera Control, is “compatible with Crossbody Strap.”
(Forbes).
The iPhone Launch, Pre-Order, and Release Dates
But when will we see this new design? Apple has traditionally decided on an early September launch date, but there is some wiggle room. David Phelan takes a look at what happens once the launch date is public, and when you can expect the various landmarks to show up:
“Working backwards… I’d guess that Apple will announce its event via invitations on Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025,” Keach believes. I agree. I’ll go further and suggest you look out for an announcement of the keynote date at around 8 a.m Pacific, 11 a.m. Eastern, 4 p.m U.K. on that day
“As soon as that announcement is made, everything else falls into place. To add more flesh to the bones of the schedule, it means, if it is Sept. 9, that pre-orders will open on Friday, Sept. 12. Usually, this will take place at 5 a.m. Pacific, 8 a.m. Eastern, 1 p.m. U.K.”
(Forbes).
“Update Now” Warning For New iOS Patch
Before the step up at the end of September to iOS 26 (as Apple syncs up the release date to the yearly calendar), there’s a final push on iOS 18. v18.6.2 has arrived, just one week after 18.6.1 and appears to be a security patch for the iPhone and a vulnerability in the ImageIO framework:
“While the last iPhone update, just six days before this one, had a specific Apple Watch-related feature in mind (to restore the blood oxygen monitoring feature to watches that had seen it vanish or never appear in the first place, this update is about a security update. It’s worth noting that the previous update had zero security aspects.”
(Forbes).
The MacBook Goes Low
For as long as I can remember, Apple’s entry-level MacBook has been $999. Sure, there are some tweaks, such as the educational discount or Walmart’s curious offer of brand new MacBook Air M1 models from 2020 on sale in-store at a lower price, but Tim Cook’s Apple has refused to push anything below a thousand dollars. Yet the rumors around a $699 MacBook due in 2026 are building. And it’s all down to the iPhone’s chipset:
“Tim Cook and his team will launch this MacBook with the A18 Pro chipset… As the iPad market shows, the A17 Pro is more than capable of lighter computing, and certainly the email answering, web browsing and office working that is comfortable on a laptop or Chromebook will be just as comfortable running on an Axx MacBook rather than an Mxx model.
(Forbes).
Changing The Card
This week is the sixth anniversary of the Apple Card’s general availability in the US. The credit card tied to your Apple ID offered several offers and deals to users, not least the lack of fees and the daily cashback option. Changes are coming, though, and the biggest will be a new financial partner:
“Specifically, The Wall Street Journal last month reported that Chase Bank parent company JPMorgan was in “advanced talks” with Apple about replacing Goldman Sachs as the Apple Card’s financial partner. Goldman Sachs is in the process of winding down its consumer lending business, which has lost billions of dollars in recent years, and Apple is reportedly willing to let them out of their contract that is supposed to run until 2030.”
(MacRumors).
Another Green Flag Lap
Apple’s investment in F1: The Movie is proving to be a bountiful choice. The fictional season of Formula 1, heavily featuring Brad Pitt, is on course to break $600 million in ticket sales before the end of the week. With the theatrical run slowing down, it’s time for Apple TV to offer up the majestic motorsport moments for purchase or rental:
“F1: The Movie launched in theaters on June 27, and it had a highly successful box office run. The film earned more than $500 million globally, making it Apple’s highest-grossing theatrical release to date. Apple did a second theatrical run in August… It is not yet clear when F1: The Movie will be available for Apple TV + subscribers.”
(MacRumors).
And Finally…
A naive request from the British Government to force a backdoor into Apple’s encryption services that only the Government could break has been quietly pulled back.
“Over the past few months, I’ve been working closely with our partners in the UK, alongside @POTUS and @VP, to ensure Americans’ private data remains private and our Constitutional rights and civil liberties are protected. As a result, the UK has agreed to drop its mandate for Apple to provide a “back door” that would have enabled access to the protected encrypted data of American citizens and encroached on our civil liberty.”
(Tulsi Gabbard via 9to5Mac).
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.
