Looking back at another week of news and headlines from Cupertino, this week’s Apple Loop features leaked iPhone 15 specs, an expensive battery replacement, Apple cuts stock orders, supports wireless charging standards, Apple’s clunky Mixed Reality headset, App Store’s French fine, and Dark Sky finally goes dark.
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 rundown of Android news here on Forbes).
How the iPhone 15 will find its strength
One of the key decisions that will allow the iPhone 15 family to deliver better performance and longer battery life has become apparent thanks to TSMC’s discussion of the manufacturing of the 3nm chip and what it would mean for its key partners. Gordon Kelly of Forbes explains:
“Quotes from TSMC Chairman Mark Liu may have leaked important performance information about Apple’s next-generation A17 chipset, heading into the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max/Ultra. TSMC is Apple’s primary chip partner and Liu spoke on the company’s product timelines, confirming that mass production of 3-nanometer chips has begun at the Tainan campus in southern Taiwan.”
(Forbes).
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – JUNE 11: Apple CEO Tim Cook delivers the keynote address at Apple 2012 … [+]
Apple raises battery replacement costs
Apple will increase battery replacement costs on select iPhone models later this quarter. Of course, those with AppleCare+ have the option to replace their battery when the battery health gauge drops below eighty percent:
“Apple says starting March 1, 2023, the price of out-of-warranty battery replacements for all iPhone 13 and iPhone 12 series models, as well as older iPhone models, will increase by $20. Currently, Apple charges $69 for a battery replacement most iPhone models, according to an estimate calculator on the company’s website.”
(Apple via MacRumors).
Apple is cutting order due to multiple factors
Apple is reportedly slashing its order book with Chinese suppliers, mainly for the Apple Watch, MacBook and AirPods production lines. Supply chain details suggest that the impact of China’s severe CoVID lockdown restrictions has hampered production output and demand for these products is slowing in key markets.
“Sources in China say Apple has reduced its orders from suppliers for almost all of its products, and has seen news that AAPL shares have fallen. Apple shares were up after news that production at Foxconn’s large iPhone factory in Zhengzhou back at 90% capacity However, a new report on Apple’s order cancellations has caused the company to drop 3.55% on NASDAQ.’
(Apple insider).
New Qi standard adds Apple support
As part of the Qi2 standard launching later this year, the Wireless Power Consortium has confirmed it will be built on Apple’s MagSafe technology:
“Qi2 includes a Magnetic Power Profile, which means devices that use Qi2 in the future will use the same MagSafe magnetic technology available in MagSafe devices made for the iPhone 12 and later.”
(Mac Rumors).
The clumsy prediction of Apple’s Mixed Reality headset
Wayne Ma of The Information has reviewed several features and quirks of Apple’s unconfirmed but highly anticipated mixed reality headset. Expected to launch sometime in 2023, two big features feel distinctly un-Apple-ish… namely the $3000 price and an external battery pack.
“Apple…has talked about a price of about $3,000 or more, depending on configuration, according to four people with call expertise…As of last year, the headset used an external battery attached with a cable instead of of a battery integrated into the headband. The design choice has been controversial among Apple engineers, given the company’s preference for cable-free designs.”
(The information).
App Store fined by French government
Apple has been fined $8.5 million by French data protection agency CINL (National Commission on Informatics and Liberty). The fine is based on Apple’s use of customer data to personalize the in-store ad experience:
“Following a complaint about the processing of personalization of advertising broadcasts on the App Store, the CNIL carried out several checks in 2021 and 2022 to verify compliance with the applicable regulations.
“The CNIL services have discovered that under the old version 14.6 of the iPhone operating system, when a user went to the App Store, identifiers for various purposes, including customizing advertising ads displayed in the App Store, were automatically read by default on the terminal without asking permission.”
(CNIL via 9to5Mac).
And finally…
After being purchased by Apple in March 2020 and removed from the App Store in September 2022, the popular weather app Dark Sky has closed. Those with the app will not receive weather updates and are encouraged to move to Apple’s built-in Weather app. Reddit users shared their memories of the app and compared it to Apple’s forced replacement:
“Dark Sky preferred information to Apple’s fancy layout. Dark Sky looked dull, but presented much more information in a consistent and simpler user interface. Why the hourly forecast is formatted horizontally baffles me. All the nice stats just tell me what’s happening now and without a I can’t see what’s changing for the next 6-12 hours which would be much more helpful.”
(Reddit).
Apple Loop brings you seven days worth of highlights every weekend here on Forbes. Don’t forget to follow me so you don’t miss any news in the future. 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.