Looking back at another week of Cupertino news and headlines, this week’s Apple Loop includes iPhone 14 price impact, iPhone 14 Pro supply issues, latest MacBook Air issues , Mac Pro ignoring M1, Apple updates everyone’s software, progress keyboard class action suit and a USB-C mode for your AirPods.
Apple Loop is here to remind you of some of the many discussions that have taken place around Apple over the past seven days (and you can read my weekly roundup of Android news here at Forbes).
Get ready for an expensive iPhone 14
The Apple faithful were already bracing for a price hike on the iPhone 14 family, and this week saw more details about the economy’s impact on iPhone production:
“We think there will be a $100 price increase for the iPhone 14,” Ives explained. “Prices have been rising throughout the supply chain and Cupertino needs to pass those costs on to the consumer in this release.”
(The Sun via Forbes)
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 24: LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 24: Apple launches the iPhone 13 at the… [+] UK at its Regent Street store on September 24, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Ming Yeung/Getty Images)
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The iPhone 14 is facing supply issues
One of the other issues raised by the strained supply chain is the availability of the iPhone 14. Expected stock has been up and down for some time now, with more analysts now discounting availability at launch. If you’re in the market for a new iOS smartphone, you’ll need to be quick!
“At the time, Kuo added that ‘Apple does not usually change new iPhone shipment forecasts significantly (double-digit increase/decrease) before launching new models and confirming actual market demand/feedback.'” Now, Kuo follows the same line saying that there is a supply problem, but that it will have “a limited impact on the upcoming mass production of the iPhone 14 because other suppliers can fill the supply gap”.
(9to5Mac).
Performance issues with MacBook Air
You may recall that the MacBook Pro with M2 engine has experienced throttling and overheating issues when asked to work on intensive tasks compared to the MacBook Pro M1. With the MacBook Air also with the M2, would it also be hampered with the same problem?
“Unfortunately, the MacBook Air M2 suffers from the same problem, perhaps unsurprisingly given that it runs on the same M2 chipset. What’s surprising is that Apple has put itself in a position where the new machine, a machine that can to be consumer-focused, but it’s advertised as having the power to do what you need: it has less potential for hard work than its predecessor.”
(Forbes).
An extreme choice for the Mac Pro
At the other end of the spectrum, the Mac Pro remains the only Mac system that hasn’t yet switched from Intel to ARM-based Apple Silicon. With the M2 chips on the way, will Apple skip an M1 Mac Pro and jump straight to the M2? Mark Gurman reports that it’s not just M2, but M2 Extreme:
“According to Gurman, users will be able to configure the new Mac Pro with M2 Ultra and M2 Extreme chip options. The M1 Ultra is currently Apple’s most powerful custom silicon chip available, with a 20-core CPU and up to a 64-core GPU, along with a 32-core Neural Engine Sitting above the Ultra in the chip line-up, the M2 Extreme would supposedly surpass those specs to become Apple’s top-tier silicon chip for maximum performance.”
(Ignite via MacRumors).
Software updates for everyone
Apple has released updates to the entire range of its current hardware, namely macOS Monterey 12.5, iOS 15.6, tvOS 15.6, HomePod 15.6, and WatchOS 8.7. There are no major additions, with a number of software updates and security fixes, with the iPad fixes appearing to be the most important:
iOS 15.6 includes improvements, bug fixes and security updates; The TV app adds the option to restart a live sports game that’s already in progress and pause, rewind or fast-forward; Fixes an issue where Settings may continue to show that device storage is full even though it is available; Fixes an issue that can cause braille devices to become slow or unresponsive when navigating text in mail; Fixes an issue in Safari where a tab may return to a previous page.
(Apple Support).
Keyboard clearance
The long-running issues surrounding Apple’s Butterfly keyboard, its defects, and Apple’s approach to repairs have resulted in a number of lawsuits. Reuters reports that it is about to close.”
“Apple Inc ( AAPL.O ) agreed to pay $50 million to settle a class-action lawsuit by customers who claimed it knew and concealed that the “butterfly” keyboards on its MacBook laptops were prone to failure. The proposed d The preliminary settlement was filed late Monday in federal court in San Jose, California, and requires a judge’s approval.
“Apple denied wrongdoing by accepting a settlement. It did not immediately respond [to Reuters] to requests for comments.”
(Reuters).
And finally…
Want to charge your AirPods via direct USB-C, without any weird Lightning connector switchers? Apple model Ken Pillonel is here once again to help. After their physical fit to the iPhone, they have all the guides you need to convert your own AirPods… though I suspect Apple will void your warranty if you try:
“While Pillonel notes that you can replace the AirPods’ battery from here, he takes things a step further by ripping off the proprietary Lightning connector for USB-C. After days of research, Pillonel manages to create a custom PCB that fits inside the AirPods Case The end result is a pair of AirPods that you can charge with any old USB-C cable lying around the house… Just like their iPhone USB project -C open source, Pillonel has also made the schematics for the AirPods case. and the USB-C PCB available for download from GitHub.”
(The edge).
Apple Loop brings you seven days of highlights every weekend here at 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 the Loop’s sister column, Android Circuit, is also available on Forbes.