Apple generates a lot of news, and it can be hard to keep up. If your mind was on other things this week, our Saturday-morning roundup of Apple-related headlines will bring you up to date.
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Apple’s amazing autumn
The season of mists and mellow fruitfulness will this year also feature a frankly excessive three Apple product events, according to a report published this week. And at least six new Apple products.
As in 2020 – a year we thought would go down as an anomaly, but may have set a pattern for some time to come – there will be one event apiece in September, October and November. But unlike in 2020, the new iPhone will appear in the first one, not the second.
That might not sound like a big deal, but you underestimate the hype of an iPhone launch at your peril. Ahead of and even during the September 2020 event, Macworld was deluged with eager readers desperate for news of the iPhone 12, despite our continuous protests that it had been delayed. If there’s an Apple event, millions of people will tune in to see if there’s a new iPhone; it’s free PR.
This year, it appears, will be different. The September extravaganza will see the launch of the iPhone 13, the Apple Watch Series 7 and the new AirPods – arguably the three biggest launches of the year. And you can’t help wondering if anyone will have any ducks left to give when the October and November events roll around.
Yet those will be important events too. The October event will present us with new iPads (a new mini and a new iPad targeted at students), and the November one will be all about the Mac – including a crucial and overdue Apple Silicon upgrade for the company’s flagship MacBook Pro laptop.
This is going to be an action-packed autumn. It’s almost enough to make you think Apple should release a couple of things in the summer just to clear some space.
News in brief
Following a troubled initial announcement (which included accusations of pushing government spyware), Apple is running a full media charm offensive to explain and defend its new child-safety features. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Craig Federighi argued this week that the photo-scanning element of the plan had been widely misunderstood and actually respects user privacy more than rival services.
Apple has been hit with a whopping $300m fine after losing a patent battle. The company responded by claiming the plaintiff “makes no products and its sole business is to sue companies using patents they accumulate”. But cheer up, Tim Apple, it could have been worse: this was actually a retrial, and the original figure was $506.2m.
In Different Think, our regular Tuesday column for controversial opinions, Simon Lohmann argues that nobody needs a foldable iPhone.
Video of the week
Here’s that WSJ interview with Craig Federighi, in which he argues the finer points of off- and on-device scanning.
Software, bugs & problems
An annoying bug has been preventing Mac owners from accessing their HP scanners. Apple has confirmed that the problem exists and has promised to resolve it in a future update, but without specifying when this is likely to happen.
iOS 15 will let you turn off Night Mode on compatible iPhones, it’s emerged. Night Mode is amazing but wildly transformative, and it’s about time it was made easier to turn it off permanently, whether you want a more subtly artistic low-light shot or just want an accurate record of what you could see on the night in question.
When it arrives we won’t instantly get access to all the new features coming in iOS 15. There are at least six features announced by Apple at WWDC that won’t be ready for prime time until after the new iOS launches. Here’s six iOS 15 features Apple promised, but won’t be available at launch.
NordVPN has been updated to add full support for M1-based Macs. Check our guide to which apps work with M1 Macs for a broader look at the software industry’s progress in this area.
The rumour mill
CAD renders of the Apple Watch Series 7 have leaked, giving an early glimpse of its updated design. As expected, the images show a larger screen, squared-off edges and repositioned speakers.
Image courtesy of 91mobiles.
Talking of new designs, look at this gorgeous thing! It’s not real, we must emphasise, but just imagine if it was. It’s a concept illustration of a device combining the attributes of the HomePod and the Apple TV.
Image courtesy of Handy-Abovergleich.ch and Eric Huismann.
The new MacBook Pro will represent a breakthrough for mini-LED technology, according to Ming-Chi Kuo. The respected analyst reckons its adoption in Apple’s top-of-the-range laptop will see yields improve and prices drop – something that didn’t happen when mini-LED was used in the more niche-targeted iPad Pro 12.9in.
Apple’s said to be considering titanium as a better option than aluminium for future iPad models. This comes via a DigiTimes report discussed here: Future iPad could be made from titanium. However it will be a while before the price is right for Apple to introduce the new material, so don’t expect it for the 9th-gen iPad (which could be launching soon).
Apple deals of the week
I’ve embedded a list of the best current Apple deals below, but other than that, we’re done for this week. See you next Saturday, and stay Appley!
Top 10 Apple Deals
Apple 11in iPad Pro (2021, M1, 2TB) – Wi-Fi + Cellular
We’re not sure if Amazon will bring back the £639 discount we saw in October on this iPad Pro M1 variant, but almost £600 off is still an excellent deal. See our review of the 11in iPad Pro with M1.
Adobe Creative Cloud – All Apps (1 Year)
Adobe’s slashed 20% off its Creative Cloud subscription prices. The offer ends 14 April.
Apple AirPods 3
The AirPods 3 offer better battery performance, an updated design, and support for Spatial Audio and Adaptive EQ. Save £30 from Amazon.
Smarty 12GB data SIM-Only
Grab three months of 12GB data for just £4 per month. If you’re after more data, you can see all its plans here. You can cancel anytime.
Apple iPad mini (2021, 6th gen, 64GB, Cellular)
This is the best deal we’ve seen on the iPad mini you can get the 64GB Cellular (RRP £619) for just £464 – which is less than the RRP for the Wi-Fi model!
Apple MacBook Air, M1, 8-core CPU, 7-core GPU, 256GB (2020)
Apple Watch Series 6 (40mm)
Bag the last gen Watch 6 for under £300 at Amazon’s Spring Sale!
Apple Watch Series 6 (44mm, Cellular)
Amazon’s just slashed £160 off the Watch Series 6 with Cellular connectivity as a part of its Spring Sale.
Apple 10.2in iPad (2021, 256GB, Wi-Fi)
Save $50 on the latest regular iPad. It’s a great affordable slate that’s perfect for web browsing or video calls.
Logitech Combo Touch Keyboard for iPad Pro 11
Save an excellent £74 on this Logitech keyboard for the iPad Pro 11 – this is currently the best discount we can see. The Combo Touch works with the 1st, 2nd and 3rd gen models.
Apple AirTags
Grab this set of Apple AirTags for just under £80 – that’s a saving of roughly £9 per AirTag, which costs £29 separately.
Apple Watch Series 7 (GPS, 41 mm)
The Apple Watch Series 7 has a solid $120 discount in Amazon’s Prime Day sale, making it one of the best prices around.
Beats Solo 3 Headphones
Get £80 off the Beats Solo3 Wireless on-ear headphones (which we gave four stars in our review). They’re available in a range of colours.
Apple AirPods Pro with MagSafe charging case
Amazon’s excellent £64 saving on the AirPods Pro from March is no longer available. Multiple sites are selling for £189 (a £50 saving), including AO and Laptops Direct – but we’d go with John Lewis on account of its two-year guarantee.
Apple Watch SE 2021 (44mm, GPS)
Get a great saving on last year’s Apple Watch SE from Amazon.
Logitech Crayon
Want a more affordable alternative to the Apple Pencil? Check out the Logitech Crayon, which works with all iPads from 2018 and later.
Apple iPhone 12 mini (256GB)
The 256GB iPhone 12 mini has over £100 off from Amazon.
Apple iPad mini (2021, 6th gen)
A handy saving on Apple’s new iPad mini model for 2021, but note that this price applies to the Starlight colour finish only. eBuyer is matching the deal on certain colours.
Apple iPad Air (2022, 256GB, Wi-Fi + Cellular)
KRCS has knocked money off the 2022 iPad Air. You will find savings across the whole range.
Apple MacBook Air, M1, 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 512GB (2020)
An excellent deal, this. Save money on the MacBook Air with 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU from Very. The discount applies to the silver version only.
This deal is only slightly better than Currys who has the silver model for £1,099.97. John Lewis had the same deal, but it is currently out of stock there.
Author: David Price, Editor
David has loved the iPhone since covering the original 2007 launch; later his obsession expanded to include iPad and Apple Watch. He offers advice to owners (and prospective owners) of these devices.