Updated on June 8 with details about Siri’s improved AI capabilities.
We take a look at this week’s news and headlines from Apple, including the latest iPhone 16 Pro leaks, iPad Pro privacy hardware, Apple’s AI rollout delay, hardware shortages at WWDC, Apple’s hidden hardware, Android defeats Apple’s security promise, and… I’m a Mac man,” he returns.
Apple Loop is here to remind you of some of the many discussions that have taken place around Apple in the past seven days. You can also read my weekly recap of Android news here on Forbes.
Customers look at an Apple iPad Pro M4 (Photo: Michael Nagel/Bloomberg)
The hidden feature in iPad Pro
There’s a new feature in iPad Pro designed specifically for user privacy. Apple devices, like many devices in the industry, indicate whether the microphone or camera is active. With little fanfare, Apple has set this feature to be supported by hardware rather than software, as Guilherme Rambo explains:
“Fun fact about the M4 iPad Pro: It’s the first device to support and use Apple’s new Secure Indicator Light (SIL) mechanism. When using the microphone or camera, the corresponding indicator dot is effectively displayed in the hardware (using the screen), greatly reducing the possibility of… Any malware or user space application can access those sensors without the user’s knowledge.
(Mastodonvia Forbes).
iPhone 16 Pro screen size leaks
Apple is set to increase the size of the iPhone 16 Pro’s tactile display. The latest leaks about the design of the upcoming iOS smartphone show that the bezels around the display are set to shrink. It’s something Apple has been hoping to achieve for some time:
“[Border Reduction Structure technology] It was last rumored because Apple was said to have found this technology to be problematic in terms of revenue. This is because… BRS affects construction: “Wires and circuits near the edge of the board must be bent downwards to achieve this. This reportedly caused some manufacturing challenges during the production ramp.
(Forbes).
Apple’s limited AI rollout
Google and its Android partners’ push into AI has prompted Apple to make AI’s role in iOS more visible than its current uses in Siri, writing, and image processing. These changes will be previewed at WWDC next week, but the high demands placed on iPhone specifications mean that not all phones will reap the benefits. While iOS 18 is expected to run on devices dating back to the iPhone XR, you’ll likely need an iPhone 15 Pro at worst to run the AI:
“While it’s not entirely clear what hardware factor is the primary requirement for Apple’s on-device AI technology, it’s worth noting that the standard (unsupported) iPhone 15 models have 6GB of RAM, while the Pro models have Supported on 8GB of RAM Likewise, all iPads and Macs from Apple Silicon come with at least 8GB, so even when scaled down for tight use cases, LLM requires a lot of working memory due to the sheer number of parameters involved, so it may be a problem. This is where Apple faces the limitations of its own devices.”
(MacRumors).
There are no new devices at WWDC
This may have happened in previous years, but Apple is not expected to launch any new devices at WWDC next week. While some product lines need a mid-cycle refresh (most notably the lack of M4-powered Macs), Tim Cook and his team will likely focus on the future of AI rather than the future of retail shelves:
“There are no devices scheduled to be announced at WWDC, unless Apple unexpectedly previews a new device that will launch later (to be clear: I don’t expect that),” Gorman said in his Power On newsletter today. Gorman now says a new Apple TV model is “not imminent,” despite previous reports that Apple is aiming to launch a new Apple TV in the first half of 2024. The current Apple TV was introduced in October 2022.
Improved artificial intelligence for Siri
Updated June 8: One focus of AI will be Apple’s legacy digital assistant Siri. Apple Insider Marko Zivkovic explains that Siri functionality across iOS will have AI support. The basic suggestion is that Siri will handle more natural language requests rather than formal and strictly defined commands:
“Instead of containing only direct commands like ‘Show me pictures of my cat,’ the company’s test prompts indicate that the user wants to blog, or is feeling lazy/nostalgic in some cases. By doing so, Apple wants to familiarize the AI with natural language and speech patterns.” and the sentence structures and types of instructions Siri is likely to receive from end users — some of whom may not be familiar with the new technology.
Hidden devices in your new iPad and Mac
Apple has included support for IEEE 802.15.4 uplink functionality, which are essentially the radio channels used by the royalty-free Matter standard for smart home communications. Apple hasn’t mentioned support, but the hardware is there, ready to go when the time (and presumably the software) is right:
“Although the company does not include Thread in the specifications for any of these products, the FCC reports that many of Apple’s latest devices have had Thread radios tested for compliance. In general, do not test a radio that is not present “
(the edge).
iPhone loses to Android in security promise
Unlike Android manufacturers, which state in advance how many years of software updates and security patches a new phone will receive, Apple has been more cautious with its support window. Following the introduction of the Telecommunications Products and Infrastructure Security Act in the UK, manufacturers of internet-connected devices must submit compliance statements, which include software support windows:
“Because iPhones are products capable of connecting to the Internet, Apple is required to comply with the UK’s PSTI regulation. The company recently published its compliance statement for the iPhone 15 Pro Max, revealing that the “specified support period” is “at least five years.” From the date of delivery. “Date of first presentation.” The “first supply date” is listed as September 22, 2023, which is the date the iPhone 15 series goes on sale.
(Robot body).
And finally…
Qualcomm has tapped Apple’s “I’m Mac” representative from the classic US campaign to promote its new Snapdragon
During today’s Qualcomm Computex 2024 keynote, Long appeared in a short 30-second skit in which he was bombarded with macOS notifications and grumbling screens causing him to start looking for a Snapdragon-powered PC instead… “Things are changing,” Long joked to Camera, After searching for Windows PC on Arm after pop-up notifications in macOS, pop-ups include warnings about app compatibility, low disk space, battery, and more.
(the edge).
Apple Loop brings you highlights over seven days every weekend here on Forbes. Don’t forget to follow me so you don’t miss any future coverage. 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.