Updated February 17 with new display details for Apple's upcoming iPad Pro; The article was originally published on February 15
We take a look at this week's Apple news and headlines, including new iPhone 16 camera leaks, new App Store rules, MacBook Air speed, Apple Silicon plans revealed, new iPad Pro specs, Apple Watch experiences, and Apple's browser. power.
Apple Loop is here to remind you of some of the many discussions that have taken place around Apple in the past seven days. You can also read my weekly recap of Android news here on Forbes.
New iPhone 16 camera details leaked
The latest CAD drawings of the upcoming iPhone 16 reveal a new arrangement of the two camera lenses. The diagonal layout has disappeared, and the vertical arrangement has come. winner? Tim Cook's plans for mixed reality headsets:
“One major beneficiary of this arrangement is Apple's mixed reality headset. The Apple Vision Pro can play stereoscopic videos — Apple has described its version of this as spatial video. The vertical arrangement of the iPhone 16's camera, when held in the traditional landscape mode, will work for recording video.” Place the lenses side by side, like digital eyes.
(Forbes).
App stores can be just one developer
One of the biggest changes to the iPhone since Apple decided to allow third-party apps to run on a purchased smartphone is the ability for developers to run their own App Store. While this feature is for Europe only, the dam has been opened, and remains open. Since Apple stated that app stores outside of its jurisdiction must sell from multiple developers, it quickly changed its own rules to allow single developer app stores:
“In response to the EU Digital Markets Act, Apple's rule change modernizes how app marketplaces work on iPhone. These changes are intended for EU residents now, but governments around the world will be looking closely to see if they should adopt similar legislation.” “Today's change means that markets can choose to offer apps from only one developer.”
(Forbes).
Another faster modification for your MacBook Air
Apple's latest MacBook Air has had a speed boost in terms of processing, but it also has a speed boost in accessing its SSD storage. Switching from a single 256GB SSD to two 128GB SSDs opened up access speed.
“Not much has changed between the M2 MacBook Air and the M3 MacBook Air. However, the change in SSD storage shouldn't be overlooked. Testing has shown that the M3 MacBook Air features SSD write speeds that are approximately 33% faster and read speeds that are approximately 82% faster. These match Speeds match, and sometimes exceed, those of the M1 MacBook Air.
(iFixit via 9to5Mac).
Not the M4 from Star Trek
Staying with the MacBook, the timeline for the next generation of Apple Silicon was discussed. The M4 will continue its annual release cycle, which means we have a good idea when the next laptops, desktops, and workstations will arrive.
“[Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman] She touched on a few other topics, including that Apple has apparently “just begun official development” of a new MacBook Pro with the M4 chip. He did not provide any additional details about the chip, which Apple has not yet announced. [a traditional interval means] The M4 chip will be released in the first half of 2025. However, it is also possible that it will be released in late 2024 if the time interval shrinks to one year.
(MacRumors).
The new iPad is coming
With an update to the iPad lineup scheduled before the end of the month, what can we expect to see? New bright and vibrant displays possible across the Pro range!
“One of the most anticipated elements of the upcoming iPad Pro is that the miniLED-backlit LCD display is expected to be replaced with an OLED display. Not only is this exciting, but it means that both the 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro will have the same screen technology for the first time.” years ago. For now, only the larger 12.9-inch screen has the impressive miniLED lights. The 11-inch model only has a regular LCD screen.”
(Forbes).
Samsung wins big with iPad Pro
Updated February 17: Ahead of this week's expected launch, more details have been revealed about the big winner in new display technology for the iPad Pro, and once again, Samsung will benefit from Apple's use of the new technology. Samsung Display will provide components for each new iPad Pro model, an unusual choice as Apple tends to work with different suppliers for each component:
“Samsung's LSI will be the sole supplier of Display Driver IC (DDI) for the upcoming 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models. The publication claims that Apple will use Samsung's DDI even for models that will be equipped with OLED display panels from LG Display. “
New Apple Watch gestures are planned
With a focus on the Apple Vision Pro, Apple is experimenting with new gestures for navigating the Apple Watch UI. A recently published patent talks about gestures made away from the wearable's screen.
“One of the most interesting new gestures described in the patent starts with the palm flat and the fingers extended, then moving the fingers from side to side horizontally. If you play blackjack, you will be familiar with this motion, because it is the same motion as telling the dealer you want to stand.” …This “side-to-side” motion can be used to reply to a text message or answer a call and can be combined with other gestures. The clenched fist is essential for many new users Interface [UI] “elements.”
And finally…
The team behind the privacy-focused Brave web browser has seen a spike in downloads on the iPhone, and it's thanks to Apple offering users the option of a web browser instead of using Safari by default. It's no surprise that Brave is now on the list, and can see the impact of:
“Daily installs ranged between 7,500 to 10,000 during most of the period. However, on March 6, after the iOS update was released, there was a sharp increase in installs, rising to just over 11,000…” monopoly defenders argue That monopolies simply offer better products. But as you can see, when consumers get a clear choice of iOS browsers, they choose alternatives to Safari,” their Twitter thread said.
(bravevia Sleeping computer).
Apple Loop brings you highlights over seven days every weekend here on Forbes. Don't forget to follow me so you don't miss any future coverage. 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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