The Apple Loop is here to remind you of some of the many conversations surrounding Apple over the past seven days (and you can read our weekly roundup of Android news here at Forbes). iPhone 14 launch details confirmed With a hint of the ’90s tag line (“Far Out”), Apple has confirmed a launch event for September 7th. This will be for the new iPhone 14 family and a range of peripherals, likely including the next Apple Watch. Curiously, the launch and possibly retail release is a week earlier than previous years would suggest: “The exciting ‘Far Out’ label could tease a few other improvements. Maybe updates to the telephoto camera on its iPhones? Or rumored satellite connectivity of some sort? And a short video tweeted by Apple’s vice president of marketing Greg Joswiak leans in the star pattern, which could indicate the addition of an astrophotography element.’ (The lip). OMOTESANDO, TOKYO, JAPAN – 2021/09/27: An iPhone 13 Pro Max smartphone is displayed inside a … [+] Apple Store in Omotesando, Tokyo. (Photo by Stanislav Kogiku/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images Which iPhone will be the most popular? We may have the release dates, but the jury is still out on the mix of the iPhone 14 family. Where will Apple place more stock and what are market expectations? The monitor market offers a solid look at the production mix. Surprisingly, the biggest and most expensive iPhone – the 14 Pro Mx – is supported as the most popular handset. “iPhone 14 Pro Max has the highest share of panel production and shipments with a share of 29% and 28% respectively. 14 Max has the smallest share at 21% of production and 19% of shipments. It is expected to make up a lot of ground in September” . (Ross Young via Forbes). Apple is building a diverse portfolio of iPhones Apple continues to diversify its manufacturing options and is again leaning away from China. While this will be the largest share for some time, the expansion of its Vietnamese factories last week also included those in India: “The company is working with suppliers to boost production in India and reduce the backlog in production of the new iPhone from the typical six to nine months for previous versions, according to people familiar with the matter. Apple, which from has long made most of its iPhones in China, is looking for alternatives as Xi Jinping’s government clashes with the US government and imposes nationwide lockdowns that have disrupted economic activity.” (Bloomberg). Apple launches Mac self-repair program Apple’s self-repair program for Macs has launched, with the M1 MacBook Air and M1 MacBook Pro the first models to offer genuine Apple parts to consumers. What many would hope is that a simple process has turned into a bit of a marathon. As the iFixit team notes, what seems like an obvious fix—disabling the laptop’s battery—following Apple’s instructions requires a 162-page guide and replacing the entire top case and all the components that make it a part “…It’s so big because the manual says that to replace the battery, you have to replace the entire top case. At the time of this writing, Apple won’t sell you a replacement MacBook Pro battery. They sell you a ” Top case with battery and keyboard.” And so their guide asks you to literally remove every item from the top case. The laptop is built into the top case, so to get to it, you have to disassemble the whole thing.” (Apple via iFixit) Apple Maps ready to display ads Apple is preparing to add ads to its own mapping system that comes pre-installed on its mobile devices. Expected to debut next year, it’s part of Apple’s effort to grow the company’s display ad business by 150 percent from $4 billion to $10 billion a year: “Ads in the Apple Maps app won’t be the traditional banner ads you see on websites, but rather paid search results. For example, a fast-food chain could pay Apple to appear near the top of results when a user searches for “burgers” or “frates.” Many similar apps already offer search ads, including Google Maps, Waze, and Yelp.” (Bloomberg via MacRumors). And finally… Apple has expanded its service program to repair iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro speakers that are not working due to a known defect in the receiver module. Originally set at two years, it was extended for another twelve months: “When the service program first began, Apple said the program covered affected iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro devices for 2 years after the unit was first sold at retail. In a quiet update to the support document today, Apple extended the in three years after the unit was first sold at retail. This gives iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro users an additional year of coverage for this issue.” (Apple via 9to5 Mac). 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.
