Updated on July 7 with more details on Apple Watch specifications and tenth anniversary marketing.
A look back at this week's Apple news and headlines, including the latest iPhone 16 specs, iPhone 16 Pro battery changes, RCS messaging tested, a cheaper Vision Pro, Apple Watch design leaks, A new Apple TV, and paying for Apple Intelligence. .
The Apple Loop is here to remind you of a few of the many discussions surrounding Apple over the past seven days. You can also read my weekly digest of Android news on Forbes here.
iPhone 16 will share power.
For Apple to introduce AI in the iPhone 16 family, each handset will need an AI-capable processor. This is accompanied by a new report this week that looks at two product names and highlights the use of the upcoming A18 chipset for the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro. This is a change in strategy. Apple has previously tried to push vanilla iPhones behind the Pro models to encourage sales of more expensive handsets.
“So, evidence pointing to the iPhone 17,1 alongside the iPhone 17,2 and similar chips suggests that each model in the new range this fall will have the same processor. Life is also likely to be beneficial here as the new chips can boost performance as well.”
(Forbes).
Apple CEO Tim Cook (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
iPhone 16 Pro Battery Change
New regulations around the world are focusing on better repairability and durability in consumer electronics, including smartphones. Apple has no choice but to follow this model, which essentially means removing old sticky batteries to allow easy battery replacement. Naturally, Apple has a gee-whiz high-tech process ready:
“As it stands, removing batteries from an iPhone requires some skill to pry off the adhesive strips that hold it to the chassis. It's not an easy task for a regular user, with no experience. But Apple wants to change that by using Bonding, a technology that “will discharge the battery after a small electrical shock… This new technology could hit at least one iPhone 16 model this year. is, and it will bring it to the entire iPhone 17 lineup in 2025.”
(Forbes).
RCS Messaging Beta
iOS 18's developer beta isn't yet available to the public, but one key feature is already drawing praise from those with access. After several stubborn years, Apple is adding the RCS messaging protocol to its Messages app. RCS allows more communication between clients, group chat support, and rich media:
“Users are reporting that the benefits of RCS—a more advanced system than SMS, which iPhones have previously rejected in favor of their iMessage setup—are now available to Beat users on iPhone. There are uses, as Apple released the second iOS 18 developer beta on Monday, June 24.
(Forbes).
Cheap vision headset plans
The Apple Vision Pro headset is an expensive entry into Apple's mixed reality ecosystem, and it's always been a given that a cheaper non-Pro headset would follow. Supply chain analysts have picked up on a possible low-resolution screen that could be the heart of a vanilla Vision headset:
“Apple's interest in the large, low-resolution OLEDoS panels used in the Vision Pro suggests they could be for a new, low-cost mixed reality headset. Apple has been working on such a device for more than a year. , and the latest hints suggest it could be designed to be tethered to an iPhone or Mac to eliminate the need for an expensive processor.
(MacRumors).
Apple Watch Design Leaked
The next Apple Watch is going to grow in size. Whether it's the regular Apple Watch 3, or the new Ultra version, a more expansive display is planned, which will influence the entire design:
“The next watch, whatever its name, will have a larger display than any previous watch, including the Apple Watch Ultra… Raw CAD renders show a watch with a two-inch display—both the Apple Watch Ultra and Apple Watch Ultra 2 today. has the largest display ever, measuring 1.93 inches.”
(Forbes).
Apple Watch 10th Anniversary Question
Updated Sunday July 7th.:
Writing for the Power On newsletter, Mark Gorman adds to the new display size as well as the details we know about upcoming Apple Watch updates:
“The device will also be slimmer, though the design itself is unlikely to look very different. Both versions of the Series 10 — codenamed N217 and N218 — will get larger screens. The change means Series 10 buyers can opt for a will be able to, which is just as large on the Apple Watch Ultra, Meanwhile, the design will not change significantly (but the current one is only for 2022).”
This makes for an interesting bit of marketing speculation. Apple announced its first smartwatch in 2014, marking its ten-year anniversary. The iPhone X celebrated ten years of the smartphone. Will Tim Cook and his team push for an anniversary special for the upcoming Apple Watch? Or will it wait until 2025 and the tenth year of retail sales and push the Apple Watch Ultra X?
(play).
A new Apple TV with AI
Two new tools have been picked up in the developer code. It looks like Apple is panning a new wave of devices for the home, and we could be getting ready to see a hybrid product that brings together two popular accessories:
“MacRumors has identified code “discovered on Apple's backend” that suggests Apple is working on a new home accessory to sit alongside the HomePod and Apple TV… this suggestion A new device will be so powerful that it needs an A18 chip, but could it be the rumored Apple TV hybrid?
(MacRumors via Forbes).
And finally…
As the world's manufacturers move to AI tools, the cost of running these services means that at some point, consumers will have to foot the bill. This includes Apple's push to bring AI to the iPhone and beyond. The new iPhones will be free when they launch, but don't be surprised if Apple introduces another subscription service:
Writing in his latest PowerOn newsletter, Gorman said Apple Intelligence will be free to launch, with Apple's long-term plan to launch with additional features such as “Apple Intelligence+” to access Customers pay a monthly fee for this. Grumman says AI features another services revenue stream to compensate for Apple's slow pace of hardware upgrades and hardware tweaks to help the company run its business. Allows less reliance on
(MacRumors).
Appleloop brings you seven days of highlights on Forbes every weekend here. 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 the Loop's sister column, Android Circuit, is also available on Forbes.