Apple Loop: iPhone 13 Upgrades Confirmed, iOS Privacy Switched On, New MacBook Pro Design

 

Apple Loop: iPhone 13 Upgrades Confirmed, iOS Privacy Switched On, New MacBook Pro Design

Apple Loop: iPhone 13 Upgrades Confirmed, iOS Privacy Switched On, New MacBook Pro Design

Taking a look back at another week of news and headlines from Cupertino, this week’s Apple Loop includes the latest iPhone 13 details, new privacy controls in iOS, future MacBook Pro features, upgrading the Apple TV, app issues in China, and Apple’s self-driving car ambitions.

Apple Loop is here to remind you of a few of the very many discussions that have happened around Apple over the last seven days (and you can read my weekly digest of Android news here on Forbes).

iPhone 13 Details Confirmed 

As 2020 draws to a close, the iPhone 12 is looking more like a stop-gap, launched in a difficult year for everyone. The features many expected in this year’s handset are now confirmed by multiple sources to be appearing in the iPhone 13. Forbes’ Gordon Kelly looks at two of the big changes; one to the screen and one to internet connectivity:

"LTPO is the key which unlocks 120Hz ProMotion displays on iPhones, because it can dynamically adjust refresh rates during low intensity tasks (viewing photos, reading email, etc) to save battery life at other times.

“...Apple will add WiFi 6E to the iPhone 13 range. While the name makes 6E sound like an incremental upgrade over WiFi 6, it will be “perhaps the most disruptive boon for Wi-Fi users in the last 20 years” according to Broadcom vice president executive Vijay Nagarajan."

Read more here at Forbes.

A customer tries out Apple Inc. iPhone 12 Pro Max at the Apple flagship store during a product ... [+] launch event in Sydney, Australia, on Friday, Nov. 13, 2020. Sales of the iPhone fell 21% on anticipation of the new models, which arrived later than usual this year. Cook said the response to the 5G iPhone lineup and other new devices has been "tremendously positive." Photographer: Brendon Thorne/Bloomberg

© 2020 Bloomberg Finance LP

iOS Privacy Controls Spotted By Beta Users

Apple’s move to offer more privacy controls to consumers was set to launch as part of iOS 14’s rollout in September. Delayed until early 2021, users in the beta program who have early access to the upcoming iOS release are reporting that the tracking system is starting to show up. Joe Rossignol reports:

"Ahead of time, the prompt for users to allow or deny tracking has started to show up in the first beta of iOS 14.4, seeded last week. A screenshot shared in the MacRumors forums shows the NBA app requesting to track a user's activity, with the customizable fine print indicating that the data will be used to provide users "a better and personalized ad experience.” iOS 14.4 should be publicly released in January or February, lining up with Apple's timeframe of "early next year" for this change"

More at MacRumors.

Touch Keyboards, Wireless Charging, And More MacBook Ideas

Following the M1 processor update, the first Macs essentially kept the same look. This was comforting to the user base, but left the MacBooks looking as tired as they were before (even if they were wired for more speed). Thanks to some recently published patents we can get an idea on some of Apple’s ideas for the next generation of laptops. The ideas match up with other moves by Apple in its hardware, as I reported earlier this week:

"The patent builds on techniques and methods previously published in September 2020. It’s clear that Apple’s R&D team are working towards a clear vision for the next generation hardware.

"Looking through the rest of Apple’s device portfolio and you can see the other side of the coin. The iPhone range has offered wireless charging capabilities for some time, but the iPhone 12 family upped the ante by adding in magnetic capture under the recycled ‘MagSafe’ branding. Conceivably this could allow for any MacBook to only offer MagSafe charging and limiting it to Apple and Apple approved accessories."

Read more here on Forbes.

Apple TV Needs An Upgrade

Is Apple TV stuck in the slow lane? What was once the cornerstone of the connected Apple home has been gathering metaphorical dust as it stands still against a sprinting competition. When your set-top box comes in at $180 and the competition is at $50, and there’s very little that is ‘exclusive’ about your box, then something needs to change. Mark Gurman argues that an updated is sorely needed in 2021:

"One differentiator for the Apple TV might have been exclusive access to content, but in recent years the industry has shifted to a model where everyone's content is available everywhere. Apple's TV+ programs also appear on Google, Amazon and Roku devices. And the company's services are also now available on the new Xbox, PlayStation 5 and TVs from Sony to Samsung. While that hasn't helped Apple's hardware sales, the move has broadened Apple's services income." 

More at Bloomberg.

The App Store And Chinese Licensing

Apple is removing a large number of apps from the Chinese App Store. The majority are apps which are premium games or offer in-app purchasing. Developers who have not confirmed a suitable licence to Apple risk their apps being pulled from the store.Tim Higgins reports:

"The Chinese government four years ago began requiring videogames to be licensed before being released, but developers were able to skirt the requirement in Apple’s app store. Apple hasn’t said why the loophole existed or why the company began closing it this year. Foreign software developers lament the change, citing difficulty securing approval in China for their games."

Read more at The Wall Street Journal.

And Finally...

Lots of talk about a self-driving car from Apple this week, with a date of 2024 and ‘breakthrough’ battery technology in the vehicle. The team at Reuters have more details:

"Apple has progressed enough that it now aims to build a vehicle for consumers, two people familiar with the effort said, asking not to be named because Apple’s plans are not public. Apple’s goal of building a personal vehicle for the mass market contrasts with rivals such as Alphabet Inc’s Waymo, which has built robo-taxis to carry passengers for a driverless ride-hailing service."

It’s a wonderful image and would certainly be a halo product for Apple. Practically though, Jon Gruber isn’t so sure:

"My favorite story about the Apple car project — from before the reset heralded by the return of Doug Field — is that they actually had a concept for an Apple-designed and branded car. And they added it all up and it turned out to be so embarrassingly expensive that they had to seriously hit the reset button. That’s the way it goes, no shame in that."

More at Daring Fireball.

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 coverage 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.

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