2 weeks Ago
Taking a look back at this week’s news and headlines from Apple, including the iPhone 17 Pro, anniversary iPhone, latest iPhone victory, Apple Intelligence training data, Apple Vision Air, Mac Mini support removed, and Beats’ new cable. 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 .
People browse for iPhone 16 in the Huangpu district in Shanghai (Photo by HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via ...
More Getty Images) With twenty years of the iPhone on the horizon (Jan 2027), the next wave of design changes are likely to be those that will signify the “rebirth” of the venerable smartphone platform. Once more, the dream of an iPhone as a single block of glass with no buttons of visible sensors comes into focus. This week, it’ the potential of under-display elements making themselves known: ".
..the Pro models are expected to gain a smaller Dynamic Island in 2026 or 2027, as Apple moves more of its front-facing components beneath the display.
While it's not yet clear whether the selfie camera or the TrueDepth system behind Face ID will make the move first, display analyst Ross Young has said under-screen Face ID is currently slated to arrive in 2026. That would mean under-display Face ID could debut as early as next year, in the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max." ( Bloomberg via MacRumors ).
Before that phone, Apple needs to get through the launch of the iPhone 17 family later this year. New renders based on the current leaks show the new approach to both the camera island (which will strentch over the phone) as well as he cosmetic approach to the reworked design: " What’s different in this image compared to previous renders is that it shows the panel in the same color as the rest of the back of the phone — something that a recent report specified in an interesting update . True, the render is in a dark gray finish, so we don’t get to see the colors shining through, but the effect of the uniform color is markedly different from some earlier renders and leaks.
" ( Forbes ). Thanks to the launch of he iPhone 16e, Apple has pushed more handsets to market in the first quarter of 2025 than it has for many years. Thanks to Samsung’s retail performance slipping back, Tim Cook and his team have a new first for the iPhone: "For the first time ever in a year’s Q1, Apple achieved the biggest market share of any smartphone company.
The iPhone garnered 19% of global smartphone sales overall—powered in part by iPhone 16e’s successful launch...
Apple’s achievement is in large part due to Samsung’s poor year-over-year performance. While the iPhone grew 4% for the quarter, Samsung—the typical Q1 leader—saw a 5% sales dip. ( Counterpoint via 9to5Mac ).
Apple has laid out a new method of creating and checking training data for generative AI tools, without disrupting user privacy. Put simply, Apple is creating its own training data, and then testing how accurate it is against user data while keeping the user data on a local device. It’s one way to try and get around the clashing issues of user privacy Apple is famed for, and the large data sets needed to train generative models: "The technology works like this: It takes the synthetic data that Apple has created and compares it to a recent sample of user emails within the iPhone, iPad and Mac email app.
By using actual emails to check the fake inputs, Apple can then determine which items within its synthetic dataset are most in line with real-world messages." ( Bloomberg ). The almost quixotic mission to bring Apple’s augmented reality platform to the masses started with the Apple Vision Pro, arguably an expensive developer's kit available to the public.
The presumptively named Apple Vision Air may be the first headset to appeal to the general consumer. What can they expect? "[Kosutami] explained that the "Vision Air" will feature a thinner design and switch the battery enclosure and several of its internal structures to titanium to reduce the device's overall weight. Most of the exterior of the device will continue to be aluminum, except with a "Midnight" bluish-black finish.
Today's Vision Pro is only available in silver. ( MacRumors ). Apple’s long support window is now closing on its Intel-powered Mac hardware.
It won’t happen all in one fell swoop, but the latest hardware to move into the lower tier categories are the last Intel Mac Mini models: "For the first 5 years from a product’s last distribution, Apple does promise to make service and parts available. But now that these devices are considered vintage, you may or may not be able to get support. After the 7 year “obsolete” threshold kicks in, Apple will officially no longer offer service or parts.
Currently out of Intel Mac minis, the 2018 and 2014 models are vintage, while all older models are obsolete." ( 9to5Mac ). Apple has launched some new cables.
It’s through the “Beats” brand, with four colors matching the Beats product line. Although the specifications are good for Beats products, they fall short in other areas where Apple hardware hopes for faster and more powerful connections: "The new Beats cables are made with a woven design for increased durability and to prevent tangles, with the USB-C to USB-C cables supporting charging at up to 60 watts while the USB-A to USB-C cables support charging at up to 15 watts. Data speeds on both are limited to USB 2.
0 rates. The USB-C to Lightning cables support fast charging on select iPhone and iPad models, though Beats did not specify an exact wattage limit." ( MacRumors ).
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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