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

Updated August 25 with details of Apple's pre-launch staff meetings.

A look back at this week's news and headlines from Apple, including iPhone 16 launch date confusion, iPhone 16 Pro design leaks, iPhone 16 comparison, European iOS 18 changes, macOS's iPhone superpower, goodbye Apple ID, and the arrival of the Apple Podcasts app on Android.

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

Confusion about the iPhone release date

There has been a lot of discussion this week about the launch date of the iPhone 16 family. Unfortunately, the excitement had to be dampened as the information that this date was based on has proven to be incorrect. Here is David Phelan on the uproar:

“First, I'm sure it will be an in-person event and it will be held at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino. And it will start at 10 a.m. Pacific time. But I think everything else is not right… 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.”

(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 very good track record of covering Apple's upcoming hardware and software releases. This weekend's report confirms the long-suspected date for the official unveiling of the new iPhone 16 family. Gurman further chooses September 20 as the start of retail availability:

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

These dates follow a tried-and-tested pattern for iPhone launches, although there could be a reason why Apple might decide to deviate from September 10. As Forbes contributor David Phelan notes, the televised debate between the two US presidential candidates takes place that evening. Tim Cook and his team might be tempted to avoid one of September's biggest headline moments in order to grab their own headlines.

(Bloomberg via Forbes).

Update: Apple Store employees attend pre-launch briefings

Before every iPhone launch, retail employees are brought in for training on the new products. This year, there is a slight difference. Instead of the usual weekend dates, Apple will brief employees this Thursday and Friday. With Apple moving up the private schedule, could this indicate an earlier iPhone 16 retail launch? Bloomberg's Mark Gurman points to the new dates on X:

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

(Mark Gurman).

iPhone 16 Pro design leak

Leaving aside the “when” of the iPhone 16 Pro, the “what” comes into focus with the launch approaching in early September. The latest details concern the all-important color scheme in which Apple will sell its new flagship:

“The current colors of the Pro model are called Natural Titanium, Blue Titanium, White Titanium and Black Titanium. The most keen eyes will have noticed that Apple likes to flaunt the fact that the iPhone 15 Pro is made of titanium. The new range appears to be similar, with gray likely being a new version of Natural Titanium. And the gold? According to the leak, it will be called Desert Titanium.”

(Forbes).

What is the difference?

With the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max being the top-of-the-range, and the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus being the lower-end, you'd expect Apple to put as much distance between the specs of the two lineups as possible. But with generative AI being the big draw this year, they need to be closer together than ever before:

“Unlike previous years, when Apple worked hard to create a distinction between the standard iPhone and the professional iPhone Pro models, in 2024 there will be much more in common between the two handsets. Both will ship with the latest Apple Silicon A18 chipset and have more RAM. The increased power and workspace that comes with it is needed to run the generative AI software (also known as Apple Intelligence).”

(Forbes).

iOS 18 changes for European customers

The latest builds of iOS 18 show the additional steps Apple is taking in Europe to comply with new consumer protection regulations, including options for 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 that lists the defaults available to each user. In future software updates, users will get new defaults for dialing phone numbers, sending messages, translating text, navigating, managing passwords, keyboards, and call spam filters. For more information, see the European Union distributed apps update.”

(Apple developer).

MacOS is getting ready

While the focus is on iOS 18 and the first generative AI steps on iPhone, macOS Sequoia is also planned for mid-September. Just as iOS 18 will debut the AI ​​features by mid-October, the same will be true for macOS… but it will be needed 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 holding it back until October. Rolling out both updates at the same time ensures that cross-platform features like iPhone Mirroring are functional and work as intended. One important new feature, ‌iPhone‌ Mirroring, lets you control an ‌iPhone‌ running ‌iOS 18‌ from a Mac running ‌macOS Sequoia‌.”

(MacRumors).

The Apple ID brand disappears

As part of a branding campaign no doubt driven by data from Cupertino, Apple ID is set to be renamed Apple Account. Ryan Christoffel warns that during the rebranding, people need to be on guard against scammers capitalizing on 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 clearly define terminology. For example, phishing schemes could try to take advantage of user confusion during this change.”

(9to5Mac).

And finally …

Apple has opened up Apple Podcasts on its website as a player and you can log in to access your own library and the various top charts. This also has the fun side 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 local languages. It does not support transcripts, chapters, or downloads.”

(Podnews).

Apple Loop brings you the highlights every weekend for seven days here on Forbes. Don't forget 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.