Looking back on another week of Cupertino’s news and headlines, this week’s Apple Loop includes the latest leaked design of the iPhone 12, the launch date of Apple’s new iPhone 12, Epic Games’ battle with the App Store, and losing the MacBook Air, latest iMac reviews, iPad Air specs lea, and a year of the Apple Card.
Apple Loop is here to remind you of some of the many discussions that have taken place over the last seven days around Apple (and you can read my weekly digest of Android news here on Forbes).
Streaming rehearsal for iPhone 12
Although it has not yet been officially made, the launch event for Apple’s iPhone 12 family is expected to take place in early September. Traditionally a Tuesday event, there is now a suggestion that Thursday, September 10th is an option. But why? Preparations for streaming the event were on youTube spotted by the geekerati. Michael Potuck reports:
“The date mentioned for the video that goes live is September 10 (first image in tweet below shows that date in European format). While it is possible, the slip-up could have been revealed when Apple unveiled its iPhone 12 events will have, September 10 was also last year’s event of iPhone 11. Maybe the date for the current YouTube test remained the same as last year? ”
More by 9to5Mac.
The latest iPhone 12 images
Case manufacturers have always been a good source of ‘definitive design images’ of handsets ahead of a launch event, and the iPhone 12 designs are no exception. This week saw a rush of cases for sale (which is how confident the manufacturers are), which in turn reflect the iPhone 12 look, if not the actual specs. Forbes’ Gordon Kelly:
“They are derived from smartphone case maker Skech, who need to add to their credibility because makers get early access to new iPhone chassis designs and dimensions so they can start working on their accessories. That said, makers do not receive information about the exact layout of the camera module as the notch, because these details are not crucial for their products. This means that the dummy units use the designs of last year there as placeholders. “
Read more here on Forbes.
Apple’s iPhone 12 is the smallest premium smartphone in the world
The Epic Apple Legal Battle continues
The ongoing battle over the App Store between Apple and Epic Games continued this week, with Apple announcing to Epic Games that it would delete its Developer account and access the App Store not only for Fortnite, but the entire portfolio of Epic. This includes the Unreal 3D Engine used by countless developers. Jacob Kastrenakes for The Verge:
Apple will end Epic’s inclusion in the Apple Developer Program, a membership required to distribute apps on iOS devices or use Apple’s developer tools, if the company does not cure ‘your infringements’ within two weeks. agreement, according to a letter from Apple that was shared by Epic. Epic also cannot notarize Mac apps, a process that can make installing Epic’s software more difficult or completely blocking it. Apple requires that all apps be notarized before they can be executed on newer versions of macOS, even if they are distributed outside the App Store. “
Ben Thompson takes an in-depth look at the case of “Apple, Epic, and the App Store”, from the basics, through the software stack, to the issues of the App Store:
“… the question of what is anti-competitive and what just changes good business as a business scale. A small business can generally be as anti-competitive as it wants to be, while a much larger company is much more limited in how anti-competitive it is. -competitive it can act (as a quick page, for the first part of this essay I paint in broad strokes to questions about specific legality) .The specific case of Apple and the iPhone takes an extra angle: would the importance of the market in question also make a difference? ”
Much more at Stratechery.
What should Apple call the new MacBook?
With the move to ARM-based Macs, will Apple seek to keep the current Air and Pro names, or take a different angle to differentiate the new products? While it seems like the Pro name remains, the Air name could be on the way out, as I noted earlier this week:
“Apple has been here before, with a new concept to launch with both the ‘Air’ and ‘Pro’ designations in use. Launched in March 2015, the 12-inch MacBook targeted the premium space between the Air and thePro. It was kept small and light, it had a fanless design, and it was shoved like a highly portable laptop for everyday work.Sound familiar?
“The MacBook Air is too old and has lost its totemic luster. The aura of the MacBook Pro is not a comfortable fit with what is currently expected of Apple. How about ‘MacBook’?”
More here on Forbes.
Steady As She Goes 27-inch iMac reviewed
Apple’s latest iMac, launched earlier this month, is now among the reviewers. Many brands on the improved FaceTime camera and the anti-glare coating, but the value is to be found in a constant increase in specs, not with any gee-whiz technology. Samuel Axon reviews the all-in-one macOS machine, starting with the positioning:
“With a demonstrable leap forward for the Mac, this new release is just an incremental step for the iMac. It has the usual updates: faster processors, better RAM and storage options, and better graphics processing. It also has a new webcam and better microphones.
“But it’s not a radical change in general. After all, the new iMac represents a subtle refinement of one of the best (though priciest) computers in the world. It’s the calm for an upcoming storm.”
More on Ars Technica, and I have summarized all the iMac reviews here.
Normal service for a new iPad Air
The last few years have seen the iPad in the spotlight with a
“Apple will launch the iPad Air 4 in March 2021 with an A14 processor, according to Chinese site MyDrivers.”
“… previous rumors confirm that Apple will bring the iPad Air 4 much closer to the current iPad Pro in terms of design and features. The iPad Air 4 will presumably have a smart connector on the back around the new Magic Keyboard It is also apparently set to switch from the Lightning Connector to USB-C, and has four stereo speakers. “
More by MacRumors.
And finally…
William Gallagher reports:
“In every sense, one Apple card is a typical Apple product. It was rumored for years, it was launched to fanfare and criticism, and even Steve Jobs was first thought of. The difference is that, apart from the titanium card, not hardware, and apart from its app, it is also not really software.
“If we all look back to see exactly when Apple really turned from being a hardware company to a service provider, we’ll be sure it was 2019. It may even be March 25, 2019, when Apple released its regular launch of new MacBooks, iPads or educational products. ”
The condensed history is with Apple Insider.
Apple Loop brings you seven days of highlights every weekend here at Forbes. Do not forget to follow me so that you do not miss coverage in the future. Last week’s Apple Loop can be read here, as this week’s edition of Loop’s sister column, Android Circuit, is also available on Forbes.
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