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Why can’t there be any groundbreaking hardware features?
Here’s 10 I came up with in 30s:

- hologram calls and 3D screens
- foldable displays
- spatial audio calls
- Touch ID behind the glass
- 30x optical camera zoom
- built in projector
- batteries that last 10 days
- wireless charging from a distance
- health sensors
- satellite calls
maybe you should enlist the engineer on "The Orville" who was able to modify the iPhone battery charge to last 10 years 🤣
 
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I'm not saying you are wrong. Quite the opposite, but old MBP design, iPhone 4 design and MagSafe comeback is a good thing. Having back HDMI on MBP is good as well. Switching back to the old (actually working) keyboard is great as well. I mean, feels like Apple is getting back on the right track again. Jony Ive is away and it shows (positively).

I totally agree with Apple being slow follower and not an innovative force.
Well, Apple also took a lot of flack for removing ADB ports, the floppy drive, DVD drive, FireWire, etc. but they moved technology forward with many of its users kicking and screaming. If I wanted safe, boring and backwards-compatible, I’d just get a Windows laptop. They have tons more ports including USB-A which I still use for old thumb drives.

I prefer Apple to push the envelope, and I don’t know how anyone can say Apple is better off w/o Jony Ive. He not only helped save Apple, but designed the last really innovative laptop, the 12” MB, with its terraced batteries, all day battery life, fanless design, force touch trackpad, a new display to make it super thin, USB-C…. And yes, the dreaded butterfly keyboard.

So he got one thing wrong, but we can all thank Jony for creating a laptop that was way ahead of its time, and laying the foundation for the best features we enjoy in MacBooks today.
 
I will definitely buy new AirPods and iPhone 15 Pro Max in 2023 if they’re both released with USB-C. I really want one standard. But I don’t like Apple being forced into this, as I think it stifles competition. I hope the industry as a whole, and the EU can come up with a method to ensure we don’t lose technological advancement in the process of standardization. That would be disastrous.

I think Apple saw this coming with its MagSafe for iPhone. Unfortunately for me, and the world, it wastes electricity. In my eyes that’s if it’s for convenience of driving hands-free. But it’s not okay or maybe not even good for the phone to charge it at home while generating more heat, losing electricity while potentially shortening the lifespan of the iPhone. Not to sound too sinister, but why else would Apple introduce MagSafe to the iPhone…
 
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Everything old is new again... bringing back a 20 year old MBP design, MagSafe, iPod commercials for AirPods, iPhone 4 in a bigger form factor, etc.

Apple has taken on Tim’s slow, methodical, risk-averse personality and it shows. It takes years for people’s perception of things to change, and I think people are finally starting realize that Apple is no longer the innovative force they were under Jobs, but rather, what’s known in the industry as a slow follower.
Honestly, in my opinion the iPhone 4 design is the greatest phone design ever created (allowing for the available technology at the time). But you’re right, Apple hasn’t done much radically new in a while. The M1-series chips being the lone exception, of course. And even those, while very fast and very efficient, don’t really do anything new. I wouldn’t be surprised if when the EU announced the USB-C requirement, Apple had to frantically scrap plans for their all-new Lighting Pro Max Connecter, which probably looked like this:
B35C8F5B-49C6-4AFB-BD10-09AF237810DB.jpeg
 
Well that's not a USB-C issue in general, but rather poor connector quality in the 2017 MacBook specifically. I've got few newer MacBook Pros and Android phone which I connect daily and none of them have loose connector.
Similar reports about other versions of the Macbook if you feel like searching around. Laptops aren't nearly as abused as iPhones. Not even close. And how often do iPhone lightning ports break? Practically never, they just get filthy and need to be cleaned.

Here's a quote:

"Lightning cables handle tip breakage better than their USB-C counterparts.

The male connector needs to be removed from the iPhone's port, and after that it's good to go. When a USB-C tip breaks there is a 57 percent chance its inner connectors will be damaged before the outside metal tip. It can't connect to a port in that instance."

From here: https://appleinsider.com/articles/22/06/13/lightning-versus-usb-c-pros-and-cons-for-the-iphone/amp/
 


This week brought some shocking news for iOS 16 beta testers, with Apple bringing back the iPhone battery percentage to the status bar after a number of years.

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Other news and rumors this week included word that Apple has started recording portions of its media event planned for next month to introduce the iPhone 14 and Apple Watch Series 8, claims about iPhone 14 Pro pricing and Apple's plans for switching AirPods over to USB-C charging, and more, so read on for all the details on these stories and more!

iOS 16 Beta 5 Adds Battery Percentage to iPhone Status Bar

Five years after Apple introduced the iPhone X with a notch, and relegated the battery percentage indicator to Control Center, Apple has finally added the battery percentage back to the iPhone's status bar in the fifth developer beta of iOS 16 released earlier this week.

iOS-16-battery-percentage.jpg

The new battery icon is available on most iPhone models with a notch. The battery percentage appears within the battery icon to save space, but not everyone is a fan of this design.

Check out our list of everything new in iOS 16 beta 5 for other new features and changes in the beta. Apple also released new betas for iPadOS 16, macOS Ventura, watchOS 9, and tvOS 16.

Apple Reportedly Preparing Pre-Recorded iPhone 14 and Apple Watch Series 8 Event

It appears that Apple's annual iPhone event won't be a fully in-person event again this year, as Bloomberg's Mark Gurman this week claimed that Apple has started to produce a pre-recorded video for the event. It's possible that Apple will still invite media to the event for in-person hands-on demos with new products.

cook_sept_2020_event.jpg

Unsurprisingly, Apple will likely unveil its iPhone 14 and Apple Watch Series 8 product lineups at the September event, and at least five other products are expected to be announced this year.

iPhone 14 Pro Models Rumored to Be More Expensive

Apple plans to increase the prices of iPhone 14 Pro models compared to iPhone 13 Pro models, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

iPhone-14-Pro-Lineup-Feature-Purple.jpg

While higher prices would be disappointing for customers, research firm TrendForce predicted that iPhone 14 Pro models could start with 256GB of storage, compared to 128GB for iPhone 13 Pro models. Pricing for iPhone 13 Pro models currently starts at $999 in the United States.

Two New Connectors Rumored for Next-Generation iPad Pro

The next-generation iPad Pro will feature the same design as the current model, but with two new four-pin connectors on the top and bottom, according to a report from Japanese website Mac Otakara.

iPad-Pro-Big-Ol-Logo-Orange.jpg

Apple is expected to release new 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models with M2 chips and support for MagSafe wireless charging later this year — possibly alongside the delayed release of iPadOS 16 in October.

USB-C AirPods Expected to Launch in 2023

Apple plans to switch to USB-C charging cases for all AirPods models in 2023, but the second-generation AirPods Pro launching later this year may still have a Lightning charging case, according to a recent tweet from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

airpods-usb-c-ken-pillonel.jpg

Kuo also expects the iPhone 15 to switch to USB-C in 2023, along with several accessories, such as the MagSafe Battery Pack and the Magic Mouse.

'It's Time for Apple to Fix Texting' Says New Android Website

Google's Android team has launched a new "Get the Message" website that again calls on Apple to adopt Rich Communication Services (RCS) alongside iMessage in the Messages app on iPhone.

android-apple-fix-rcs.jpg

Google has been pushing Apple to switch from SMS to RCS for months now, with no response from Apple. RCS would allow for read receipts, audio messages, and more for conversations between iPhones and Android smartphones.

MacRumors Newsletter

Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.

So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!

Article Link: Top Stories: New Battery Percentage Icon in iOS 16, USB-C AirPods Rumor, and More
I enjoy glancing at my SE home screen battery percentage without having to flex my thumb any...
 
Why can’t there be any groundbreaking hardware features?
Here’s 10 I came up with in 30s:

- hologram calls and 3D screens
- foldable displays
- spatial audio calls
- Touch ID behind the glass
- 30x optical camera zoom
- built in projector
- batteries that last 10 days
- wireless charging from a distance
- health sensors
- satellite calls
Here are my DON'T NEEDS that I will not pay for
- hologram calls and 3D screens - Nope, don't need this.
- foldable displays - Nope, don't need this.
- spatial audio calls - Nope, don't need this.
- Touch ID behind the glass Maybe
- 30x optical camera zoom - Nope, don't need this; I use a real camera
- built in projector - Nope, don't need this.
- batteries that last 10 days Useful, but expensive
- wireless charging from a distance - Nope, don't need this.
- health sensors Good idea, it's coming
- satellite calls Buy a real satellite phone
 
Honestly, in my opinion the iPhone 4 design is the greatest phone design ever created (allowing for the available technology at the time). But you’re right, Apple hasn’t done much radically new in a while. The M1-series chips being the lone exception, of course. And even those, while very fast and very efficient, don’t really do anything new. I wouldn’t be surprised if when the EU announced the USB-C requirement, Apple had to frantically scrap plans for their all-new Lighting Pro Max Connecter, which probably looked like this:
View attachment 2042708
Even the M1 was Steve’s idea when he bought PA Semi. It just took time to make it powerful enough and have the software in place to replace Intel. In fact, the M1 is based on the last gen A series SoC with some tweaks of course.
 
Why can’t there be any groundbreaking hardware features?
Here’s 10 I came up with in 30s:

- hologram calls and 3D screens
- foldable displays
- spatial audio calls
- Touch ID behind the glass
- 30x optical camera zoom
- built in projector
- batteries that last 10 days
- wireless charging from a distance
- health sensors
- satellite calls
Maybe wait 20 years and pay $5K+ for the pro model :)
 
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