by A look back at another week of news and headlines from Cupertino: this week’s Apple Loop features new iPhone 15 Pro design leaks, disappointing iPhone specs, Apple’s new iPhone 14 upgrade, the big MacBook Air update, the choice of the iMac chips, Apple Watch processor leaks, and Apple Music Classic is finally arriving.
Apple Loop is here to remind you of some of the very large amount of discussion that has taken place around Apple over the past seven days (and you can read my weekly roundup of Android news here on Forbes).
New design choices for the iPhone 15 Pro
Apple’s next iPhone 15 comes closer to that goal with a unified volume button and a change in the physical mute option, although it’s not completely buttonless. That’s according to recent leaks, which show that he and Tim Cook are still on the hunt for a “sealed unit” with no external ports or options:
“One of the biggest changes coming to the iPhone 15 phones could be the setup of the physical buttons – and new leaks suggest that Apple will move to a unified volume button and a new breed of mute button on the Pro models at least…. We had heard numerous reports that certain iPhone 15 models would be doing away with physical buttons in favor of solid-state buttons that use haptic feedback to register a pressure rather than an actual mechanism.”
(TechRadar).
Apple iPhone 14 in yellow.
iPhone 15 screen disappointment
In the meantime, the smaller, entry-level iPhone 15 will lack some key features found in the iPhone 15 Pro models, presumably to create some distance between the two models and allow sales teams to sell the larger phones :
“According to an industry source cited by news aggregator account ‘yeux1122’ on the Korean Naver blog, just like last year, only the Pro models of the iPhone 15 series will come with the LPTO panels required for ProMotion, indicating that the feature will remain exclusive to Apple’s high-end models.”
(MacRumors).
Apple’s updated iPhone 14 option
Apple’s iPhone mid-cycle refresh kicked off this week to expand customization options for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus models. The internal specs – including ceramic cover, dual cameras, emergency SOS, and crash detection – are still there… but Apple has pulled out all the stops as far as the visual inserts go:
“It’s yellow.”
(Go to Tech).
Bigger screen and bigger chip
There is a lot of discussion about M2 and M3 in the MacBook world. The much-anticipated 15-inch version of the MacBook Air – which, in fairness, is yet to be confirmed – was supposed to have a similar spec to the existing M2-equipped MacBook Airs… was the operative word:
“In the past, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that Apple could release the 15-inch MacBook Air with the M2 and M2 Pro chips “early April.” However, our sources say the 15-inch model will get the same entry-level M3 chip as the new 13-inch MacBook Air. The chip will have an 8-core CPU, just like M1 and M2.”
(9to5Mac).
The iMac skips a chipset
Meanwhile, details about Apple’s update for the iMac are booming. While the macOS desktop launched with an M1 chipset, it didn’t include an M2 version. With Apple expected to announce the M3 at WWDC 2023 in May, the next iMac – due at the end of the year – will skip the even-numbered Apple Silicon option and go straight to the M3:
“This would skip the M2 chipset entirely… a 20 percent increase in performance from the M1 is nothing to scoff at, but buying an M2 iMac after the M3 was announced feels unlikely. It’s also worth noting that Apple’s order book for the M2 may have been disrupted by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, and Apple Silicon supplies may have been prioritized over macOS laptops.”
(Forbes).
The small but important Watch Update Leaks
How much change will we see in the next Apple Watch? The latest leaks surrounding the wearable, due out in September, appear to be processor-based rather than major advancements. How important is that?
“…First of all, processors from Apple tend to be more and more energy efficient, so a new chip, which will likely be called the S9, could increase battery life or, which I think is more likely, add features while increasing battery life. While no new sensor is mentioned, Apple has a track record of getting more out of existing hardware. So sleep tracking capabilities have improved over time, thanks to improved processors, for example.”
(Forbes).
And finally…
We finally have a date for the Apple Music Classical streaming service. After buying Primephonic in 2021, their classic streaming should appear as an Apple product. Here’s what we finally see on March 28:
“Apple Music Classical makes it quick and easy to find any recording in the world’s largest classical music catalog with a fully streamlined search, and lets listeners enjoy the highest audio quality available and many classic favorites in a whole new way with immersive surround sound.” experience,” Apple wrote in a press release.
(The edge).
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 future coverage. 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.
