Taking a look back at another week of news and headlines from Cupertino, this week’s Apple Loop includes a powerful iPhone camera choice, the iPhone Pro’s massive upgrade, the M3 Max leaks, an AirPods 3, iPhone launch date details, and a new band for the Apple Watch.
Apple Loop is here to remind you of a few of the very many discussions that have happened around Apple over the last seven days (and you can read my weekly digest of Android news here on Forbes).
iPhone 16 Pro Prepares For The Dark
Thanks to Sony’s new sensor technology, Apple’s iPhone 16 may significantly increase its low-light performance. While the Sony sensors will no doubt feature in Android handsets, Apple will be leaning into its own software to hopefully make a difference when the handsets launch:
“[Ming-Chi Kuo’s] report gives no clue on which Sony stacked sensor tech will be used in the iPhone 16 Pro cameras, but we can make an educated guess. Sony’s latest stacked sensor tech separates out the photo diodes and pixel transistors, which are normally combined into a single layer. This allows the photo diodes themselves – the bit which actually captures the light – to be significantly larger for the same overall pixel size.
(9to5Mac).
Supersize Your iPhone
Photographers and filmmakers looking for a lot of on-board storage will be looking out for the top tier iPhone 15 Pro models at September’s launch. 2 TB of storage looks possible:
“According to …the Korean Naver blog, a supplier source has confirmed that the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will be available with double the maximum storage capacity as the iPhone 14 Pro models. In the latter scenario, Apple would be able to maintain four available storage tiers – 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB. Such storage bumps could also dovetail with rumors that Apple is set to increase the price of iPhone 15 Pro models this year.”
(MacRumors).
…And The Action Button Leaks
Replacing the mute switch on the next iPhone model with a user-definable action button has been a bit of an off-and-on rumor for some time. It now looks like the action button will feature, and we have the leaked third-party cases to thank:
“As for the leaked cases, the post claims to show three iPhone 15 Pro Apple MagSafe case clones in dark green, black, and dark blue. Instead of featuring a cutout above the volume buttons, these cases include smaller button that you would expect to see if the mute switch was replaced as believed. The source of the photos is also credible when it comes to Apple accessory leaks.
(9to5Mac).
Apple Silicon M3 Max Being Tested
Apple has started internal testing the next professional versions of the MacBook Pro. Third-party developer logs have spotted the next generation M3 Max Apple Silicon chipset, and it looks like a beast far in excess of what consumers will need:
“The central processing unit includes 12 high-performance cores, which handle demanding tasks like video editing, and four efficiency cores for less-intensive applications, such as browsing the web. Compared with the top-of-the-line version of the current M2 line for laptops, the new chip has four more high-performance CPU cores and at least two additional graphics cores. The MacBook Pro in testing also includes 48 gigabytes of memory.”
(Bloomberg).
An AirPods 3 Bargain
A welcome addition to Apple’s Refurbished store are the AirPods 3. While they are returns, Apple’s testing allows the company to offer them with the same guarantee and warranty options as first-sale items.
“The refurbished AirPods 3 include a MagSafe Charging Case and are priced at $149, a $30 discount off of the regular $179 price. Apple also has an out of stock listing for $209 refurbished AirPods Pro 2, suggesting those may also be available at a discount in the near future.”
(MacRumors).
A Regular As Clockwork Launch
Apple’s September event is usually relatively predictable; just missing the Berlin IFA event by scheduling for the following Tuesday. That points to September 12th, and it’s a date many industry watchers feel is locked in.
“The next Apple special event is expected to take place in September, and it now looks like the exact date has been set. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has just tweeted that he thinks the unveil date will be Tuesday, September 12.”
(Forbes).
And Finally…
A new watch band could be coming when the Apple Watch is updated. Following on from an existing design, could we see a magnetic buckle which is a touch more affordable than the current leather-based offering?
“The new band design could work similar to the Modern Buckle strap that debuted alongside the original Apple Watch. Apple’s Modern Buckle is a leather strap with stainless steel lugs and a chunky magnetic stainless steel clasp.”
(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.
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