Apple Loop: iPhone 17 Upgrades, iPhone Fold Specs Leak, MacBook Pro Release Dates

Forbes

2 days ago

Taking a look back at this week's news and headlines from across the Apple world, including iPhone 17 design leaks, iPhone Fold specs, iOS 26 updates, iPad Pro's significant change, MacBook Pro release dates, MLS on Apple TV, and more…
Apple Loop is here to remind you of a few of the many discussions around Apple in the last seven days. You can also read my weekly digest of Android news here on Forbes.
A series of iPhone 16 on display inside the Apple Store in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (Photo by Annice ...)
iPhone 17 Family Colours Revealed
As the clock ticks down towards the September launch date for the iPhone 17 family, more details and specifications are becoming clear. While 'what color my new phone is' might not seem as important as 'which iPhone will use a Qualcomm modem and which will use the new Apple C1 mode', to the general public, the former is vital:
"Why are colors so important? Well, for a start they're a way to show everyone that you have the new model if you pick this year's hero color. And in a less shallow reason, it's a way to express yourself, especially if you're one of those brave (foolhardy) people who don't clad their expensive phone in a case."
(Forbes).
iPhone Fold's Specs Leak
While pre-orders and sales figures for Android are breaking records, Apple's foldable is still more than a year away. Thanks to its long lead time for development, the gross details are already clear, such as the choice of foldable display. Curiously, Apple is going off the shelf:
"Apple's first foldable iPhone will be equipped with a 7.8-inch inner display, and a 5.5-inch outer display, according to Taiwanese research firm TrendForce. Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo already mentioned those same display sizes for the foldable iPhone in March, meaning there are now multiple sources backing those sizes, so long as TrendForce is not simply copying what Kuo said."
(MacRumors).
iOS 26 Brings Back An AI Favourite
The latest public beta of iOS 26 shows the new Glass-like interface debuted by Apple at WWDC. However, it also brings back a feature that Apple had to drop due to its poor quality. Yes, the Apple Intelligence-powered news summaries are coming back:
"These summaries, powered by Apple Intelligence, were suddenly removed in January when some summaries were delivering unclear or misleading information: BBC News, for instance, complained when inaccurate summaries had been generated. They're still in beta, to be clear, but Apple has made improvements to the experience and to the quality. It seems likely that Apple will have worked with news organizations to do this.
(Forbes).
New iPad Pro's Major Change
The specs in the upcoming iPa Pro—likely to be the debut hardware for the Apple Silcion M5 chipset—includes a curious addition… a second forward-facing camera. Ad it's all to do with comfortably unlocking your tablet:
" iPad Pro is unique in Apple tablets in that it has Face ID as the way to unlock it — the others use Touch ID with a sensor in the power button. Trouble is, if you want to use the iPad Pro in portrait orientation, that landscape camera doesn't always work quite as well to unlock effectively. '...what's the solution? Pretty simple actually: Apple is apparently adding a second, portrait-side front-facing camera to the upcoming M5 iPad Pro, presumably so FaceTimers and selfie fans can use the device equally well in either orientation."
(Forbes).
MacBook Pro Release Dates
Also chasing the M5 chipset are the Mac laptops. The MacBook Pro will likely arrive first, but this isn't expected until early next year, according to the leaked roadmap for Apple's deskbound hardware:
'…the M5 MacBook Pro release is listed as late 2025 and covers three models (presumably the MacBook Pro, MacBook Pro Max, and MacBook Pro Max). That could easily fit a mid-to-late October date that many felt Apple was using as the annual anchor. It could also coincide with a later launch in mid- to late-November, which would potentially result in only a handful of laptops being sold in December, with the bulk of retail devices arriving in January 2026."
(Forbes).
UK Government Steps Back From Apple Demands
The UK government's naive attempts to force Apple to add a 'back door' and break its encryption of personal data could be coming to a close. While there is unlikely to be a big announcement, the signs are that the demand will be rescinded:
"...two senior British officials have told the Financial Times… the Home Office, which ordered the tech giant in January to grant access to its most secure cloud storage system, would probably have to retreat in the face of pressure from senior leaders in Washington, including Vice President JD Vance."
(FT, Syndicated Via Ars Technica).
And Finally
How popular are sports packages on Apple TV? Thanks to Major League Soccer in the US, we have one more data point:
"Apple TV's MLS Season Pass service is 'averaging 120,000 unique viewers' per match in 2025... the viewership was a 50 per cent increase on last year. However, it is not clear whether the figure is an average minute audience and, if it is, whether that's for each individual game or each match window on MLS Season Pass."
(SportsPro).
Apple Loop brings you seven days worth of highlights every weekend here on 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 Loop's sister column, Android Circuit, is also available on Forbes.