Taking a look back at another week of news and headlines from Cupertino, this week’s Apple Loop includes leaked iPhone 15 specs, an expensive battery replacement, Apple cuts stock orders, wireless charging standards support, Apple’s awkward Mixed Reality headset, App Store’s French fine, and Dark Sky finally goes dark.
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).
How The iPhone 15 Will Find Its Power
One of the key decisions that will allow the iPhone 15 family to deliver more performance and better battery life has become clear, thanks to TSMC’s discussion of its 3nm chip fabrication and what it would mean to its key partners. Forbes’ Gordon Kelly explains:
“Quotes from TSMC Chairman Mark Liu may have just leaked key performance information about Apple’s next-generation A17 chipset, heading to the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max/Ultra. TSMC is Apple’s primary chip partner, and Liu spoke about the company’s product timelines, confirming that mass production of 3-nanometer chips has begun at its Tainan campus in southern Taiwan.”
(Forbes).
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – JUNE 11: Apple CEO Tim Cook delivers the keynote address at the Apple 2012 … [+]
Apple Raises Battery Replacement Cost
Apple will be increasing the cost of replacing your batter on a number of iPhone models later this quarter. Naturally, those with AppleCare+ have the option to replace their battery when the battery health meter drops below eighty percent:
“Apple says starting March 1, 2023, the price of out-of-warranty battery replacements for all models of the iPhone 13 and iPhone 12 series, as well as older iPhone models, will increase by $20. Currently, Apple charges $69 for a battery replacement on most iPhone models, according to an estimation calculator on the company’s website.”
Apple Cuts Order In Face Of Multiple Factors
Apple’s reportedly cutting its order book to Chinese suppliers, primarily for the Apple Watch, MacBook and AirPods production lines. Details from the supply chain suggest that the impact of China’s severe CoVID lockdown restrictions has hampered manufacturing output and that 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 the news has seen AAPL shares drop. Apple shares had risen on the news that production in Foxconn’s major iPhone plant in Zhengzhou is back to 90% capacity. However, a new report about Apple cutting orders has seen the company fall 3.55% on NASDAQ.”
New Qi Standard Adds Apple Support
As part of the Qi2 standard that will be launched later this year, the Wireless Power Consortium has confirmed that it will be built on Apple’s MagSafe technology:
“Qi2 incorporates a Magnetic Power Profile, which means that devices that adopt Qi2 in the future will use the same MagSafe magnetic technology that is available in MagSafe devices created for the iPhone 12 and later.”
(MacRumors).
Apple’s Mixed Reality Headset’s Clunky Prediction
The Information’s Wayne Ma has discussed several features and quirks on Apple’s unconfirmed but highly anticipated mixed reality headset. Expected to launch at some point during 2023, two big features feel distinctly un-Apple like… namely the $3000 price point and an external battery pack.
“Apple… has discussed pricing it around $3,000 or more depending on its configuration, according to four people with knowledge of the conversations… As of last year, the headset used an external battery pack tethered by cable as opposed to a battery integrated into the headband. The design choice has been controversial among Apple’s engineers given the company’s preference for cable-free designs.”
App Store Fined By French Government
Apple has been fined $8.5 million French data protection agency CINL (National Commission on Informatics and Liberty). The fine is based on Apple’s use of customer’s data to personalise the ad experience in the store:
“Following a complaint about the processing of personalization of advertising ads broadcast 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 found that under the old version 14.6 of the iPhone operating system, when a user went to the App Store, identifiers for several purposes, including purposes of customizing advertising ads displayed on the App Store, were by default automatically read on the terminal without collecting consent.”
(CNIL via 9to5Mac).
And Finally…
Following its purchase by Apple in March 2020 and its removal from the App Store in September 2022, the popular weather app Dark Sky has been shut down. Those with the app will not receive any weather updates and are encouraged to move to Apple’s built-in Weather app. Reddit users have been sharing their memories of the app n comparing it to Apple’s forced replacement:
“Dark sky favoured information over apple’s pretty layout. Dark sky looked dull but presented far more information in a consistent and easier UI. Why hourly forecast is laid out horizontally baffles me. All the pretty looking metrics just tell me what’s happening now and without a forecast over time I can’t see what’s changing over the next 6-12 hours which would be far more useful.”
(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 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.
