Taking a look back at another week of news and headlines from Cupertino, this week’s Apple Loop includes the latest iPhone 14 Pro details, disappointing Mac news, new iPad manufacturing, questions over MacBook Air release, WWDC’s iOS updates, hiding a camera in Apple Watch, and switching from the iPad Pro to the MacBook Pro.
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).
Two iPhone Models Will Drive Apple’s Next Release
How many iPhone models will Apple be releasing this year? The obvious answer is four, but with the latest leaks and details, it feels like a better answer would be two pairs… the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max, plus the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max:
“[This] fits into Apple's wider strategy of increased differentiation between the standard iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models. While the iPhone 14 phones will look identical to the iPhone 13, feature the same notch, the same generation of chipset and the same rear cameras, the iPhone 14 Pro will have a new design, next-gen chipsets and massively upgraded cameras."
(Forbes).
Slowing down The Next-Gen Mac Chipsets
Ahead of a potential reveal of the next generation of Apple Silicon at WWDC later this month, details on the presumptively-named M2 chipset suggest that it may not be as impressive in the performance department as many would expect. TSMC is not going to have the cutting edge technology ready until next year:
"Apple’s upcoming update to its silicon lineup - namely the A16 for the new iPhone range and the presumptively-named M2 chipset which many expect to debut in the next MacBook Air - may not meet the high expectations many have set. Chip supplier TSMC has new production facilities coming online that offer its N3 N4P fabrication process and will not be ready for mass production until 2023."
(Forbes).
iPad Supply Chain Diversifies
In response to supply chain issues around Shanghai, Apple is moving some of its iPad production away from China to Vietnam as well as asking supply chain partners to work on building up stock inventory to weather any future issues:
"The iPad will become the second major line of Apple products made in the Southeast Asian country, following the AirPods earbud series. The move highlights not only Apple's continuous efforts to diversify its supply chain but also the growing importance of Vietnam to the company. Apple shipped 58 million iPads last year, with the vast majority of the device's suppliers concentrated in China. "
(Nikkei Asia).
To Air Or Not To Air
With WWDC starting up next week, not only are developers looking forward to details on the newer version of all of Apple’s OS platforms (and looking for release dates on the developer beta versions), the question of when Apple is going to announce the next MacBook Air continues to dominate the consumer channels:
"Apart from all the operating systems being previewed, Apple could also launch the 2022 MacBook Air during WWDC 2022. According to the latest edition of the Power On newsletter, Gurman says “if there’s any hardware at WWDC, it will likely be on the Mac side. The company has been aiming to launch the next MacBook Air with M2 chips at the conference.” If that’s the case, expect a redesigned MacBook Air with the next-generation M chips"
(Mark Gurman via 9to5 Mac).
The New iPhone Way Of Doing Things
The major changes are, of course, going to in the operating systems and Apple’s annual update to each platform. More importantly than the individual changes is the overall direction Apple will be taking to bring the platforms closer together and to keep people tightly tied to Apple’s cloud-based services. Jessica Bursztynsky takes a look at what iOS updates we can expect:
"The changes to the iPhone include updates to notifications, messages and the Health app, according to Bloomberg. Apple introduced new notification changes last year, too, including the option to bundle them together into a summary at a certain time of the day, and a new Focus mode that limits the notifications you see during specific times."
(CNBC).
The Camera In The Watch
A fun detail from Apple’s latest round of patents this week, with another twist on how to place a camera onto your wrist via an Apple Watch. This time, rather than shooting through the face of the watch, the idea is to use a camera in the digital crown, as the patent explains:
""A lens can be integrated within the aperture and/or behind the aperture of the dial to focus an image of a scene," it continues. "An image sensor disposed behind the aperture can further be configured to detect movement of a marking on the dial to allow the image sensor to function both as a camera for capturing pictures of a scene, and as a sensor that detects rotation of the dial for sensing rotational inputs.”"
(Apple Insider).
And Finally...
With Apple doing its best to blur the lines between the iPad and the MacBook (at least for consumers), Federico Viticci’s move from using the iPad Pro as their daily driver up to one of the M1 Max powered MacBook Pro laptops. With a lack of “Pro” apps on the iPad Pro, is this change necessary? Enjoyable? Recommended? Settle in with a pre-WWDC coffee to find out.
"For the past six months, I’ve been using my MacBook Pro instead of the iPad Pro to get my work done on a daily basis. I’ve kept using the iPad Pro to test my shortcuts, read articles, and write in places where I didn’t have enough room for a MacBook, but, by and large, I’ve lived the macOS lifestyle for half a year by now… here’s my story on how this experiment went."
(MacStories).
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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Apple Loop: Stunning iPhone 14 Pro Details, Apple Watch’s Hidden Camera More MacBook Air Questions - Forbes
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