Looking back at another week of Cupertino news and headlines, this week’s Apple Loop features an iPhone 15 Ultra shock, the iPhone 14 Pro will miss Christmas, a curious iPad response, an iMac Pro surprise, the US chips of Apple, three new gestures and Apple’s generous App Store update.
Apple Loop is here to remind you of some of the many discussions around Apple over the past seven days (and you can read my weekly roundup of Android news here on Forbes).
iPhone 15 Price Shock
If you’re looking forward to the new iPhone 15 Ultra, you’ll need to start saving more than you would normally need. The latest details about the device show a significant price increase due to rising production costs, inflation and economic conditions:
LeaksApplePro states that “we don’t know the situation for the other devices in the lineup.” That said, with a starting price of $1299, with the iPhone 15 Ultra potentially rising to $1799 for the 1TB model, this is likely to have a knock-on effect on the rest of the range, as Apple doesn’t like having a gap between products in the same lineup.”
(Forbes).
TOPSHOT – The new iPhone 14 and 14 Plus is shown at a new product launch event at Apple … [+]
iPhone 14 Pro delay could ruin Christmas
Before that gets started, there’s the small matter of current iPhone models. The baseline iPhone 14 Pro set the standard for iOS smartphones, but if you’re looking for one as a Christmas present, you’re out of luck. There will not be enough supply to fulfill new orders before the 25th:
“A month later and closer to the holidays, the supply of the iPhone 14 Pro does not appear to have fully recovered. Waiting times for both models of the high-end 2022 iPhone series were set at about six weeks a month ago and are now set at about three weeks. While the situation appears to be improving somewhat, the three-week wait puts the iPhone 14 Pro out of reach for customers wanting it for the holiday season.”
(MacRumors).
Important iPad question answered
A teardown by iFixit’s ever-reliable team has answered one of the curious questions about Apple’s latest iPad: why it was limited to the first-generation Apple Pencil and not the updated version. Why have built-in obsolescence? Aside from questions about creating differentiation in the product range, is the answer all about the front-facing camera?
“But there’s one element that was disappointing with the announcement: stylus compatibility is limited to the first-generation Apple Pencil, not the superior second-generation version… The teardown shows that in the iPad, the camera elements sit right where the small wireless charging coil that charges the second-generation Apple Pencil on the other iPad models would normally sit.”
A surprising appearance of the iMac Pro
Apple’s delay with the Mac Pro has upset many – especially those who expect Tim Cook and his team to complete the move to Apple Silicon by the end of 2022 – but there will be some more desktop Pro next year. There are reports that the professionally-focused Mac Pro will be joined by a high-end consumer iMac Pro:
“Apple plans to release an iMac Pro in 2023. It looks like it will have a display very similar to the 27-inch LED mini display with ProMotion technology that will be introduced alongside the new Mac Pro , but of lower quality.”
(HowToILosve).
Apple will use American TSMC chips
It’s worth quietly looking at the impact of TSMC’s launch of chip manufacturing in the US. This kind of resource, outside of China, may become more important, both in supply chain logistics, but also in view of geopolitical concerns. Apple’s bulk order of Apple Silicon is undoubtedly one of the orders that make this a viable business venture.
“The chip factories will be owned and operated by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, the largest foundry company with more than half of the global market share. TSMC manufactures the most advanced processors, including the chips in the latest iPhones, iPads and Macs. The factories will be able to produce the 4-nanometer and 3-nanometer chips used for high-end processors such as Apple’s A-series and M-series and Nvidia’s graphics processors.”
(CNBC).
Three new security moves
Apple has confirmed three updated security processes for all of its cloud-based services. The biggest impact will probably be the end-to-end encryption of iCloud storage:
“Starting next year, the iPhone maker will enable you to protect your Apple ID and iCloud account using security keys. This means that in addition to a password, a physical key can also be used as an extra layer of protection for your account. The iPhone update is easy to use Apple told 9to5Mac that once you’ve authenticated once, you don’t have to do it again when setting up a new iPhone, as long as you use the device-to-device setup process.
(Apple Press and Forbes).
And finally…
Apple doesn’t allow developers to choose a price for their app, but the App Store team has increased the price menu for developers to choose from. 700 price points have been added:
“Apple today announced the most comprehensive pricing capability upgrade since the launch of the App Store, providing developers with an additional 700 price points and new pricing tools that make it easier to set prices by App Store country or region, manage exchange rate changes , and more.”
(Apple Press).
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 news in the future. You can read last week’s Apple Loop hereor this week’s edition of Loop’s sister column, Android Circuit, is also available on Forbes.
