Rumors from Apple's next big iPhone event, which might include an iPhone 11 Pro, new Apple Watch ceramic and titanium models, an update to the cheaper iPhone XR, and more.
Following an in-depth report from the Wall Street Journal in September, this update from Bloomberg may further explain why Apple recently extended its deal for Qualcomm modems.
It says Apple already delayed a plan to have the chips ready next year, and now they might not launch in new iPhones until the end of 2025 or in 2026. Issues mentioned include rewriting software it acquired from Intel (one person quoted anonymously said, “Why we thought we could take a failed project from Intel and somehow succeed is a mystery,” and avoiding infringing on Qualcomm’s patents.
I’m a touch miffed that the new iMacs still use Lightning accessories — that’ll change, but when? Next year, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in today’s subscriber edition of Power On.
I suppose if Apple is waiting until the 11th hour to comply with the EU’s common charger rule, desktop input devices are the right ones to do it with. Still, it sure felt like last week would’ve been the right time for it.
An evening event from Apple is an unusual setup, but we’ll be right back here at 8PM ET to find out what the “Scary Fast” event has in store. Until then, The Vergecast crew runs down some of what we’re expecting to see tonight.
The Bloomberg Power On newsletter sees Mark Gurman as sure as he’s been about Apple’s “Scary Fast” event tomorrow. Here’s a summary of the chips expected in the new iMacs and high-end 14- and- 16-inch MacBook Pro models:
• Base M3 chip: 8-core CPU / 10-core GPU, likely with “improved memory configurations.”
• M3 Pro chip: Gurman mentions a 12-core CPU / 18-core GPU configuration, but with a likely upgrade to a 14-core CPU / 20-core GPU.
• M3 Max: 16-core CPU / 40-core GPU, and he mentions a 32-core GPU option. (The M2 Max is currently available in 30-core / 38-core GPU configs.)
What to expect from Apple’s ‘Scary Fast’ Mac event
Apple is playing Halloween tricks with this surprise event that will likely include new MacBooks and an iMac — here’s what to expect.
After previously saying not to expect the second-gen AirTag until at least the end of 2024, now supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has updated this prediction. His post today states “the mass production schedule for AirTag 2 has been postponed to 2025.”
Whispers have percolated for a while saying there’s a bigger iMac coming. But whatever happened to that rumored mini-LED display?
Well, Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo revived that particular rumor today with a post predicting a 2025 iMac with mini-LED. Otherwise, he says the next 24-inch iMac refresh is due next year. What, no October iMac?
It’s annoying when you have to update your new smartphone right after you buy it, right?
Mark Gurman wrote in his Power On newsletter for Bloomberg today that Apple Stores will start getting a “proprietary pad-like device” this year that, when employees put a box of unopened iPhones on it, will prompt the phones to turn on, update themselves, then turn off.
Neat!
Apple acknowledged over the weekend that the iPhone 15 Pro can run a little hot, but said it’s an iOS 17 software issue and it would be fixed soon.
Today, MacRumors reported that Apple is testing iOS 17.0.3 internally; perhaps, as the outlet speculates, that’s the software update that ends our hot iPhone 15 summer. Perhaps.
In a new report, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says Apple will ship 400,000 to 600,000 of its mixed-reality headsets in 2024, an estimate that’s lower than the expected 1 million shipments.
That prediction tracks with a July report from The Financial Times, which similarly states that Apple is preparing to make less than 400,000 Vision Pro headsets next year.
How to watch Apple’s iPhone 15 event (and what to expect from the new phones)
The launch of the iPhone 15 is right around the corner — here’s what you should know.
Mark Gurman said on The MacRumors Show podcast yesterday that he “thinks we might” get a new base model iPad in October, noting it tends to come annually, announced via video instead of an event (like the M2 Pro computers early this year).
He says a new iPad Air will come “soonish,” so that doesn’t sound likely for October. But hey, at least we might get those M3 iMacs.
This post on X (formerly Twitter) could show the colors for the standard iPhone 15 — at least, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo lists similar colors in a blog post on Medium.
Kuo also corroborates the oft-rumored titanium frame for the 15 Pro phones, which may have contributed to production issues. He also mentions a possible iPhone 15 Pro gray color, which has been rumored recently.
As spotted by 9to5Mac, the iOS 17 beta 7 has a new haptic feedback pattern that makes the “phone vibrate more prominently” to signal when silent mode is on or off.
That would make sense if Apple ends up replacing the mute switch with a solid-state action button, as the vibration could help users determine which mode it's in.
Apple says it’s been working on AI research for years, and recent job listings show its current focus, reports the Financial Times.
Over the last few months company has posted dozens of AI jobs in the US, France, and China, looking to fill roles that could help build generative AI tools that use local processing on mobile devices, like this one:
We are seeking a candidate with a proven track record in applied ML research. Responsibilities in the role will include training large scale language and multimodal models on distributed backends, deployment of compact neural architectures such as transformers efficiently on device, and learning policies that can be personalized to the user in a privacy preserving manner.
ESPN reports Apple is a “likely leader” to snag broadcasting rights starting next year, but it’s not that simple.
With USC and UCLA headed to the Big Ten next year and Colorado going back to the Big 12, the conference is in a fight to hold onto its remaining schools. 247Sports reports conference commish George Kliavkoff showed three deals to school leaders and presented Apple’s as the strongest, but they may be skeptical of signing a streaming deal that relies heavily on subscription incentives.
The upcoming iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are expected to come with an action button — similar to the one on the Apple Watch Ultra — that replaces the device’s ring/silent switch. But now, we have a better idea of what it might be able to do.
As spotted by MacRumors, code in the iOS 17 beta 4 suggests you can program nine different functions into the action button, potentially allowing you to quickly access the Camera app, turn on the flashlight, launch the Translate app, and more.
