Looking back at another week of news and headlines from Cupertino, this week’s Apple Loop includes iPhone 14 price shock, iPhone 14 Pro supply issues, latest MacBook Air issues, Mac Pro ignores M1, Apple updates software on all, keyboard progression group action suit and USB-C mode for your AirPods.
The Apple Loop is here to remind you of some of the many discussions that have happened around Apple over the past seven days (and you can read my weekly roundup of Android news here on 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 we saw more details about the impact of the economy on iPhone production:
“We believe a $100 price increase is coming for the iPhone 14,” Ives explained. “Prices are increasing throughout the supply chain, and Cupertino needs to pass those costs on to the consumer with this release.”
(The Sun via Forbes)
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 24: LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 24: Apple launches iPhone 13 at … [+] UK at its Regent Street store on September 24, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Ming Yeung/Getty Images)
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iPhone 14 is facing supply issues
One of the other issues raised by the strained supply chain is the availability of the iPhone 14. Estimated stocks have been moving up and down for some time, with more analysts now putting it down to reduced availability at launch. If you’re in the market for a new iOS smartphone, you’ll need to hurry!
“At the time, Kuo added that ‘Apple typically doesn’t significantly change its supply estimates for new iPhones (double digit increase/decrease) before launching new models and confirming actual market demand/feedback.'” Kuo is now following the same line, saying says there is a supply issue, but it will have “limited impact on the upcoming mass production of the iPhone 14 as other suppliers can fill the supply gap.”
(9to5Mac).
MacBook Air performance issues
You may recall that the M2 powered MacBook Pro experienced throttling and overheating issues when asked to work on intensive tasks compared to the M1 MacBook Pro. Since the MacBook Air also runs the M2, will it be hampered by the same issue?
“Unfortunately, the M2 MacBook Air suffers from the same problem – perhaps not surprising given that it runs the same M2 chipset. What’s surprising is that Apple has put itself in a position where the new machine—a machine that may be user-focused but advertised as having the power to do what you need it to do—has less potential to hard work from his predecessor.”
(Forbes).
Extreme option for Mac Pro
At the other end of the portfolio, the Mac Pro remains the only Mac system that hasn’t yet switched from Intel to ARM-based Apple Silicon. With the release of the M2 chips, will Apple skip the M1 Mac Pro and go straight to the M2? Mark Gurman reports that it’s not just the M2, but the M2 Extreme:
According to Gurman, users will reportedly 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, featuring a 20-core CPU and up to a 64-core GPU, along with a 32-core Neural Engine. Standing above the Ultra in the chip lineup, the M2 Extreme is likely to exceed these specifications to become Apple’s highest-end silicon chip for maximum performance.”
(Feed via MacRumors).
Software updates for all
Apple has released updates for the full range of its current hardware, specifically 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 issues being addressed, with the iPad fixes looking the most important:
iOS 15.6 includes improvements, bug fixes, and security updates; The TV app adds an option to restart a live sports game already in progress and pause, rewind or fast forward; Fixes an issue where settings may continue to show that device memory is full even if it is available; Fixes an issue that could cause braille devices to lag or stop responding when navigating text in Mail; Fixes an issue in Safari where a tab could snap back to a previous page.
(Apple Support).
Keyboard convention
Long-standing problems with Apple’s Butterfly keyboard, its flaws, and the approach Apple took to repair it have led to a number of lawsuits. Reuters reports that one is nearing its end”
“Apple Inc ( AAPL.O ) agreed to pay $50 million to settle a class-action lawsuit by customers who claimed they knew and concealed that the “butterfly” keyboards on its MacBook laptops were prone to failure. The proposed preliminary settlement was filed late Monday in federal court in San Jose, California, and requires a judge’s approval.
“Apple has denied wrongdoing by agreeing to settle. She didn’t answer right away [to Reuters] to requests for comment.”
(Reuters).
And finally…
Would you like to charge your AirPods via USB-C directly, without any weird lightning connector changers? Apple model Ken Pilonel is here again to help. After his physical iPhone tweak, they have all the guides you need to convert your own AirPods… though I suspect Apple will consider your warranty void if you try this:
While Pilonel notes that you can replace the AirPods battery from here, he takes things a step further by ditching the proprietary Lightning connector for USB-C. After days of research, Pilonel was able to create a custom printed circuit board 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 your house… Just like his open source USB-C iPhone project, Pillonel has also made the schematics for both AirPods and USB cases -C PCB available for download from GitHub.”
(On the edge).
The Apple Loop brings you seven days of highlights every weekend here at Forbes. Be sure to follow me so you don’t miss any coverage in the future. Last week’s Apple Loop can be read here, and this week’s edition of the Loop’s sister column, Android Circuit, is also available on Forbes.
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