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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Steve Jobs (1955-2011)
It’s a measure of his influence – his ability to put a dent in the universe, as it were – that ten years after his death Steve Jobs continues to inspire fascination and love.
Apple, of course, would not exist without him, and I wouldn’t be writing this column each week. But the tech industry in general would be very different without Jobs’ inspired ideas, his creativity, his marketing stardust, his fusing of technology with the arts. And of course his totally unreasonable behaviour: the famous “reality distortion field” that bullied the world into being the way he wanted.
The tenth anniversary of Jobs’ death falling this week, we posted a number of stories in celebration of his life.
Peter Müller analyses the successes and failures of Apple without Jobs and looks for surviving evidence of the founder’s DNA of risk and innovation.
A decade later, says Jason Snell, Jobs is still paving Apple’s path to success.
“Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking that you have something to lose.” Lucy Hattersley explains Everything you need to know about Steve Jobs in an in-depth profile.
Roman Loyola reminisces about Jobs’ 5 most memorable Apple products. And chucks in one one more thing at the end, because it would be disrespectful not to.
Test your knowledge in our quiz about The Life and Times of Steve Jobs.
And in Different Think, our weekly column for counterintuitive opinions, David Price offers a word of acclaim for Tim Cook, whose contributions to Apple have been just as valuable as those of his illustrious predecessor.
Video of the week
But that’s quite enough of our words; why don’t we hear from the man himself? Many of Jobs’ greatest insights and most memorable moments were featured in a short video posted this week on Apple’s site. Take a look.
News in brief
Apple started taking pre-orders for the Apple Watch Series 7 yesterday. Need help deciding whether or not to buy one? There are pros and cons. We’ve got five reasons to buy the Apple Watch 7 and five reasons not to buy the Apple Watch 7 for you to check out before buying.
Last weekend Microsoft announced the launch of Office 2021 for Mac. The much-anticipated standalone (ie non-subscription) version of the software hit the streets on 5 October: you can read our advice on which version is best for you in our Office for Mac buying guide.
Coinciding with the anniversary of Steve Jobs’ death, Michael Dell of Dell (promoting his new book) shared a story about how Jobs nearly licensed Mac OS to Dell.
Apple has taken a stand on the environment, notes the Macalope. Shame it’s the wrong one.
Do we use technology too much? In an interview this week Tim Cook warned against “endless, mindless scrolling”. That’s our plans for Saturday night ruined, so thanks a lot Tim.
The iPhone 13 is even faster than Apple claimed. Its A15 Bionic chip offers 62% faster performance than its rival the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888, according to the latest tests.
Apple has agreed to pay out $95m to settle a class-action lawsuit, after AppleCare+ customers complained they were being given refurbished devices rather than new ones as replacements. US readers may be able to get a share of the money; visit replacementdevicelawsuit.com to find out. The rest of us will miss out.
Talking of legal troubles, we heard this week that the EU’s antitrust regulators intend to charge Apple with anticompetitive behaviour, arguing that the iPhone’s NFC chip should be opened up to alternative payment systems such as Google Pay and Samsung Pay.
Apple has an iPad problem, says Dan Moren, and it starts with the iPad Air.
Love iPhones, but hate big things? Waving his extremely tiny hands and glancing longingly at the iPhone SE, 12 mini and 13 mini, Martyn Casserly is here with detailed advice to help you choose the best small iPhone.
Software, bugs & problems
Apple continues its work on iOS 15.1, which will soon bring new features and fixes to iPhones. The latest beta update indicates that the company has started work on a fix for an issue with the Macro mode on the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max. Read about what’s coming in iOS 15.1.
An unpromising start to this week for Apple’s online infrastructure: we reported on a Find My outage the previous weekend which coincided with serious Apple Card problems, including payment errors and concerns about fraud detection. Apple fixed both quite promptly, but it’s an embarrassing misstep.
Did you know that there’s a quicker way to juice up your iPhone? We offer advice here: What is the fastest way to charge an iPhone?
A software update appears to have brought the AirPods into the Find My network. Previously you could only track them through that app if they were within Bluetooth range; now (we think) you’ll be able to get assistance from strangers’ devices.
Review roundup
We’re continuing to work our way through Apple’s autumn releases, with in-depth reviews of both iPads and all four iPhones. Here’s where we’re at so far:
- iPhone 13 mini review
- iPhone 13 review
- iPhone 13 Pro review
- iPhone 13 Pro Max review
- iPad mini (2021) review
- iPad 10.2in (2021) review
The one that continues to elude us is the Apple Watch Series 7. But with that device finally on sale, we hope to get our hands on samples soon, and to post our thoughts soon after that.
The rumour mill
New MacBook Pros are coming this month, according to well-informed Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman.
In what would be a stunning move just 12 months after unveiling its first ever one-terabyte iPhone, Apple is expected to launch a 2TB version of the iPhone 14 in 2022. We’re not completely convinced just yet, since the source has a thin track record, but it’s a startling claim.
And while we’re on the iPhone 14 beat, we know that many of you are looking forward to finally seeing the end of the notch next year – but there’s bad news on that score. A leaker this week claimed the iPhone 14 will actually have both a notch and pinhole camera on the front, which really does add insult to injury.
Apple deals of the week
If you’re based in the UK or Europe, you have only a couple more days to get free AirPods from Apple as part of its latest Higher Education deal. This year’s Back to School sale ends on Monday 11 October. Find out everything you need to know here: Get free AirPods in Apple’s Back to School Sale 2021.
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, enjoy your weekend, 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.