Apple Loop: New iPhone 12 Leaks, iPad Pro’s Massive Upgrade, Goodbye MacBook Air - Forbes

Taking a look back at another week of news and headlines from Cupertino, this week’s Apple Loop includes new iPhone 12 features, the return of the old iPhone design, saying goodbye to the MacBook Air, a new display for the iPad Pro, updated technology for the AirPods, changing defaults on the HomePod, and new privacy lights for iOS 14.

Apple Loop is here to remind you of a few of the very many discussions that have happened around Apple over the last seven days (and you can read my weekly digest of Android news here on Forbes).

One of the design points of the iPhone 12 family that has been heavily discussed is the return to the straight-edged and more box-like structure first seen in the iPhone 4.

That design language, started in 2010, was retired with the iPhone 6?

After time with the models, [YouTuber] iupdate notes that the model he was least interested in, the 5.4-inch iPhone 12, ended up being his favorite because it was so compact and usable one-handed (note: it’s even smaller than the new iPhone SE)J

"Using incredibly powerful chips that require less cooling, it now makes a lot less sense for Apple to sell two distinct 13-inch notebooks.

Instead, what we’ve heard, and which, again, makes a huge amount of sense, is that Apple, going forward, will offer only a single line of notebooks, which will simply be called “The New MacBook”, or just “MacBook”.

At the same time, Apple is also reportedly expected to begin sourcing suppliers for mini LED technology for the 16-inch MacBook Pro and a new 14-inch MacBook Pro.

Apple looks set to bring the AirPods Pro ‘system in package’ design to the entry level AirPods later this year.

"The Cupertino tech giant will introduce the chip packaging technology in its entry-level AirPods product for the first time in 2021, Kuo said in a research note Monday.

The new Apple AirPods are shown during an event to announce new Apple products on Wednesday, Sept.

Not everyone has access, this looks like a small-scale test, but it’s a feature long asked for by many Apple users, not just of the HomePod. Juli Clover reports:

"At the current time, third-party music services like Spotify can only be streamed on the HomePod using AirPlay and an iPhone, iPad, or Mac

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

I am known for my strong views on mobile technology, online media, and the effect this has on the public conscious and existing businesses

I am known for my strong views on mobile technology, online media, and the effect this has on the public conscious and existing businesses