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Taking a look back at this week’s news and headlines from Apple, including WWDC dates, iPhone 17 Pro design leaks, Apple’s foldable iPhone, MacBook Air special offer, AirPods Pro Max upgrades, solving Apple Arcade’s visibility problem, and massive clean energy investment. 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.
Apple CEO Tim Cook delivers remarks at the start of the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) ...
More on June 10, 2024 (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Apple has announced the dates for this year’s Worldwide Developer Conference. The annual get-together, split between physical and online events, will occur the week of June 9, 2025. Tim Cook and his team will have lots to show off and demonstrate, but no doubt the key attraction will be how he positions the weak and late generative AI offering that is Apple Intelligence: "Available for free to all developers, WWDC25 will spotlight the latest advancements in Apple software.
As part of Apple’s ongoing commitment to supporting developers, the conference will provide them with unique access to Apple experts, as well as insight into new tools, frameworks, and features." ( Apple Newsroom ). Following a leak of the CAD files, Maijin Bu has a closer look at the designs of the iPhone 17 family through the use of 3D printing.
The different depths are clearly on show, with very little to tell the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max apart: The USB-C ports at the base of each phone can be seen on all the models. Apple has been considering going “portless” for some time, and the fashionably thin iPhone 17 Air would have offered the perfect justification to launch such a phone. Alas, Apple’s opportunity to innovate here has been passed over.
( Maijin Bu ). Another iPhone is in the wings, although it’s unlikely to arrive in September. This is the foldable iPhone, and some more details on the manufacturing of the all-important hinge have been revealed this week.
It is now expected to use metallic glass, which you'll see branded as “liquid glass”: "Unlike traditional metals that have a regular, repeating crystalline atomic structure, metallic glass features a disordered arrangement of atoms that is more resistant to bending, deformation, and denting. Achieved through rapid cooling techniques, its unique structure is 2.5x harder than titanium alloy.
It also features a smooth, glossy finish that makes it aesthetically similar to stainless steel." ( MacRumors ). The launch of the M4 MacBook Air saw Apple clear out the portfolio of all other models.
As a result, the totemic $999 price point is held by one of the M4 laptops. Curiously, this isn't the cheapest new MacBook Air out there..
. Apple has continued its deal with Walmart to offer 2020’s M1 MacBook Air: "With the recent M4 MacBook Air launch, Walmart’s offer has been updated. While the specs remain low—this is still the 8/256 option on the M1 MacBook Air—the sticker price has dropped to $649.
The lowest-priced MacBook Air Apple currently offers is through its refurbished store. That’s an M3 MacBook Air with 16 GB of memory and 256 GB of storage for $759." ( Forbes ).
Apple has pre-announced an update to the AirPods Max, which should offer advantages for those looking to use the wireless headphones in production. Reducing latency and switching to lossless audio will smooth out the experience..
. although it does prove that sometimes you can’t beat a cable: "Lossless audio and ultra-low latency audio enable music creators to fully utilise AirPods Max throughout their entire professional workflow on Logic Pro and other music creation apps. Using the USB-C cable, AirPods Max will become the only headphones that enable musicians to both create and mix in Personalised Spatial Audio with head tracking.
1 By delivering lossless, high-resolution digital audio with low latency, artists can seamlessly record and mix with AirPods Max without compromising fidelity." ( Apple Pressroom ). What should Apple do with Apple Arcade? While Apple TV+ gets all the plaudits—even with its significant paper loss—the all-you-can-eat gaming service remains tucked away in the portfolio, gathering little attention from gamers, developers and apparently Apple management.
Chris Brandrick has a proposal: "Discoverability is the key barrier for me. I'd suggest ripping Arcade out of the App Store and giving it its own dedicated app — if TV can have its own why not Arcade? You could roll the Game Center stuff in too and have a one-stop destination for pushing great new releases in front of a ton of eyeballs. Apple's own Game Pass.
" ( Overkill ). As part of its drive to go carbon neutral across its entire business, Apple has announced a near $100 million investment in Chinese clean energy, especially to provide this through its supply chain: "The investment will go towards the second phase of the China Clean Energy Fund, which aims to add approximately 550,000 megawatt-hours of wind and solar capacity to China's grid each year, according to Apple. The first phase added more than a gigawatt of new wind and solar projects across the country, the company said.
" ( Apple China via 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 ..
