Taking a look back at this week’s Apple news and headlines, including iPhone 17 design leaks, iPhone 16 Pro camera issues, Apple’s Black Friday deals, new MacBook Pro display, iOS update warning, add-ons of Apple News ads and BlueSky winning the app store.
The Apple Loop is here to remind you of some of the many conversations surrounding Apple over the past seven days. You can also read our weekly roundup of Android news here at Forbes.
Customers shop at Apple’s largest flagship store in Asia in Shanghai, China, on September 22, … [+]
iPhone 17 Dynamic Design
Introduced by iPhone 14, Apple’s “dynamic island” surrounds the front-facing camera and sensors with a black area of pixels and offers information and widgets in the space, expanding as needed while doing its best to hide the perforated spaces. With smaller sensors coming in the iPhone 17 design, the basic dynamic island can be reduced:
In terms of design, Pu says once again that all iPhone 17 models will feature an aluminum design that is more complex than the iPhone 16 models. The iPhone 17 Pro Max will introduce a “very limited Dynamic Island,” while the other models will retain the current design.
“The smaller Dynamic Island on the iPhone 17 Pro Max is made possible by ‘metalens’ technology for the proximity sensor. This ‘metalens’ change has the potential to significantly reduce the size of the Face ID sensor.”
(9 to 5 Mac).
When cameras need more work
Is the iPhone family losing out to Android in the camera space? That’s Roger Fingas’ take as he looks at the iPhone 16 Pro compared to its Android-powered competition. The need for better zoom and more pixels (as opposed to better interpolation software) stands out, as do Apple’s default styles applied to image processing:
“I feel like Apple doesn’t know how to preserve colors and shadows without losing detail, and the camera technology is hampered by a well-known management concern: profit margins. Apple executives are notorious for preserving margins, so and some elements of the iPhone remain unchanged for Apple did not change the lens elements in the iPhone 16 series to fix flares in night photos and videos, even though this problem appeared with the iPhone 13. 2021.”
Apple Black Friday deals confirmed
As expected, Apple’s Black Friday deal offered no discounts, instead following tradition and bundling gift cards with any purchase made between Black Friday (November 29) and Cyber Monday (December 2). It’s worth noting that the deals aren’t available with the latest iPhones, iPads or Macs, but are offered on older models in the portfolio:
“If you buy an iPhone 15, iPhone 14, or iPhone SE, you’ll find that the gift card comes with the purchase. Apple says you can buy a gift card up to $75 with an iPhone. The up to indicates that the lower models with price will receive a lower value card, but that has not been revealed yet, apparently it will be announced before the event starts.
(Forbes).
A new MacBook display is coming soon
While the new M4-powered MacBook Pro models are garnering critical acclaim (and more than a few Black Friday deals from third-party retailers), Apple is already preparing suppliers for the next big innovation. The arrival (finally) of OLED displays in the MacBook range:
According to previous reports, TrendForce said that Apple plans to start using OLED displays for MacBooks between 2026 and 2027. LG and Samsung will likely be Apple’s two main suppliers of OLED displays for the MacBook Pro.
“Compared to current MacBook Pro models with mini-LED displays, the benefits of OLED technology include increased brightness, a higher contrast ratio with deeper blacks, improved energy efficiency for longer battery life, and more. Moving to OLED displays will could also contribute to future MacBook Pro models have a slimmer design.”
(MacRumors).
Update your Apple hardware now Warning
Both Apple and the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency have advised iPhone owners to update to iOS 18.1.1 as soon as possible. An update for older phones that cannot run iOS 18 is also available, soiOS 17.7.2 will cover the same issues:
“Tracked as CVE-2024-44308, the first issue fixed in iOS 18.1.1 is a flaw in the JavaScriptCore framework that could lead to code execution if the user interacts with maliciously crafted web content.” Apple is aware of a report that This issue may have been actively exploited on Intel-based Mac systems,” the iPhone maker said on its support page.
“The second issue fixed in iOS 18.1.1, tracked as CVE-2024-44309, is a flaw in WebKit, the engine that powers Apple’s Safari browser. If exploited, a user could become a victim of a cross-site scripting attack, which sees an attacker inject malicious code into a trusted website or application.”
(Apple via Forbes).
Keep the front page for ads
Axios reports that Apple News now carries ads sold by Apple. Previously, commercials were exclusively managed by a third-party service. Starting next year, some regions will now be controlled by Cupertino, which will of course take 30% of its rake on the revenue it generates, with the rest going to the publisher:
“Starting next year, Apple will sell premium sponsorships of editorially curated content for related events, such as the Met Gala, the US Open and more. In addition to premium sponsorships, the Apple News team also promotes banner placements and video ads in 17 different formats, including carousel ads featuring different products.”
(Worthy).
And finally…
The exit from X (new Twitter) and the subsequent rise of Bluesky has led it to the top spot in the App Store as consumers look to bring the Bluesky experience to their mobile:
“In the US App Store, Bluesky became the No. 1 app on Nov. 13 and hasn’t lost its spot since, according to app information provider Appfigures. That puts it ahead of Threads (No. 4) and X (No. .41) The App Store charts reward a combination of the number of installs and the rate of those installs, along with other metrics, so this hit is also about its growth rate. Bluesky. not just the sheer number of app downloads.”
(Techcrunch).
The Apple Loop brings you seven days worth 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.
