iPhone 16 Pro design leaks, goodbye Apple ID, iPhone 16 launch date confusion

Updated August 25 with details about Apple’s pre-launch employee briefings.

A look back at this week’s Apple news and headlines, including iPhone 16 launch date confusion, iPhone 16 Pro design leaks, an iPhone 16 comparison, the European changes in iOS 18, macOS’ iPhone superpower, goodbye Apple ID, and the Apple Podcasts app is now available on Android.

Apple Loop is here to remind you of some of the many discussions surrounding Apple over the past seven days. You can also read my weekly Android news roundup here on Forbes.

Confusion over iPhone release date

This week there was a lot of talk about a launch date for the iPhone 16 family. Unfortunately, the excitement had to be tempered, as the information on which this was based turned out to be incorrect. Here’s David Phelan on the fuss:

“First of all, I know for sure that it will be a physical event and that it will be held at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino. And it will start at 10 a.m. Pacific Time. But I don’t believe anything else is true… I think the release date is set for Friday, September 20th, but the keynote date could be a day earlier or a few days later than the widely predicted September 10th. We’ll know soon enough.”

(Forbes).

Apple sticks to expected iPhone schedule

Citing sources familiar with the matter, Mark Gurman’s Power On Newsletter reports that Apple will unveil its new hardware at an event on Tuesday, September 10. Gurman has a strong track record of covering Apple’s upcoming hardware and software releases. This weekend’s report confirms the long-awaited date for the official unveiling of the new iPhone 16 family. Gurman then goes on to pick September 20 as the start date for in-store sales:

“While the timing has not yet been announced, the company is preparing for that date, which falls on a Tuesday, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans are private. The unveiling will be followed by the phones going on sale on Sept. 20, in line with Apple’s usual approach in recent years.”

These dates follow a set pattern for iPhone launches, though there may be one reason Apple is deciding to move away from the September 10 date. As Forbes contributor David Phelan points out, the televised debate between the two US presidential candidates is taking place that evening. Tim Cook and his team may be tempted to avoid one of September’s biggest news moments in favor of creating their own headlines.

(Bloomberg via Forbes).

Update: Apple Store staff attend pre-launch briefings

Before every iPhone launch, retail employees are called in for training on the new products. This year, there’s a slight difference. Instead of the usual weekend appointments, Apple will brief employees this Thursday and Friday. With Apple shifting the in-person schedule, could this point to an earlier retail launch for the iPhone 16? Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman notes the new dates at X:

Apple has scheduled an unusual and mandatory meeting for employees at all Apple retail stores for the evening of September 12 or the morning of September 13. This would be ahead of the iPhone 16 launch a week later, but pre-launch meetings are typically held on Sundays, not weekdays.

(Mark Gurman).

iPhone 16 Pro design leak

Leaving aside the when of the iPhone 16 Pro, things are coming into sharper focus as the early September launch date approaches. The latest details revolve around the all-important color scheme that Apple will sell its new flagship in:

“The current Pro model colors are called Natural Titanium, Blue Titanium, White Titanium, and Black Titanium. The most astute observers will have noticed that Apple likes to promote the fact that the iPhone 15 Pro has titanium in its construction. The new range looks similar, with gray a likely new iteration of Natural Titanium. And the gold? According to the leak, it’s going to be called Desert Titanium.”

(Forbes).

What is the difference?

With the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max at the top-end and the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus at the bottom, you’d expect Apple to put as much spec distance between the two tiers as possible. But with generative AI being a big draw this year, they’re going to have to be closer than ever:

“Unlike previous years, when Apple worked hard to create a difference between the vanilla iPhone and the pro-level iPhone Pro models, 2024 will see much more similarity between the two phones. Both come with the latest Apple Silicon A18 chipset and more RAM. The increased power and workspace these provide are needed to run the company’s generative AI software (called Apple Intelligence).”

(Forbes).

iOS 18 changes for European customers

The latest builds of iOS 18 reveal additional steps Apple is taking in Europe to comply with new consumer protection regulations, including options around default search engines, web browsers and more:

“For users in the EU, iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 will also include a new Default Apps section in Settings, which lists the default settings available to each user. In future software updates, users will get new default settings for calling phone numbers, sending messages, translating text, navigation, managing passwords, keyboards, and call spam filtering. See Update on apps distributed in the European Union for more information.”

(Apple developer).

MacOS is getting ready

While the focus is on iOS 18 and the first steps of generative AI on iPhone, macOS Sequoia is also scheduled for release in mid-September. Much like iOS 18 won’t debut its AI features until mid-October, macOS won’t either… but it needs to be in September to provide the necessary synergy with iOS:

“This year, Apple plans to release ‌macOS Sequoia‌ around the same time as iOS 18, rather than delaying it until October. By introducing both updates at the same time, we ensure that cross-platform features are functional and work as intended, such as iPhone Mirroring. A major new feature, ‌iPhone‌ Mirroring, makes it possible to control an ‌iPhone‌ running ‌iOS 18‌ with a Mac running ‌macOS Sequoia‌.”

(MacRumors).

Apple ID brand disappears

In a branding exercise that will no doubt be driven by some data deep in the heart of Cupertino, Apple ID is set to be renamed Apple Account. Ryan Christoffel warns that while the change is underway, people should be on the lookout for scams that abuse the process:

“Apple IDs are such an important part of accessing various highly sensitive and secure data related to your digital life, that’s why it’s important to be clear about the terminology. Phishing schemes, for example, try to take advantage of user confusion during this change.”

(9to5Mac).

And finally…

Apple has opened Apple Podcasts on its website to act as a player, and you can log in to access your own library and the various Top Charts. This also has the nice knock-on effect of allowing Apple Podcasts to run on Android as a web app:

“The site is “accessible to anyone with a web browser on any device,” and Apple says it is available on all major browsers, including Safari, Chrome, Edge, and Firefox. It is supported in more than 170 countries and regions in their local languages. It does not support transcripts, chapters, or downloads.”

(Pod news).

Apple Loop brings you seven days of highlights every weekend right here on Forbes. Be sure to follow me so you don’t miss any future coverage. You can read last week’s Apple Loop here , or this week’s edition of Loop’s sister column, Android Circuit, is also available on Forbes.