Apple Loop: iPhone Fold Launch Dates, The Apple Logo Mystery, Surprise iPhone 17 Upgrade

Forbes

3 days ago

The Apple logo is displayed on the exterior of an Apple Store on April 23, 2013 (Photo by Justin ...)
Taking a look back at this week's news and headlines from across the Apple world, including a surprise iPhone upgrade, iPhone Fold launch date, the mystery of the Apple logo, waiting for the MacBook Pro, sleeping in silence, and F1 The Movie saves cinema.
Apple Loop is here to remind you of a few of the many discussions around Apple in the last seven days. You can also read my weekly digest of Android news here on Forbes.
A Bigger iPhone
More information points to the vanilla iPhone 17 upgrading up to a 6.3 inch display. Following on from case leaks last week, this week saw the reputable Digital Chat Station share details on the potential for a larger screen. With the iPhone Plus range set to be replaced by the iPhone 17 Air, there is space in the portfoilio for a larger base modelÛ—especially when the iPhone 16e has the smaller screen:
'...the base iPhone 17 is rumored to get a larger display than the iPhone 16 base model. This potential upgrade has been in the rumor mill for months now, but now, yet another rumor out of China corroborates it, so it's getting more and more likely. "
(Phone Arena).
Where's The Apple Going?
There are also intruiging discussions around the location of the magnetic Mag-Safe charging ring and the location of the Apple Logo this week. Sources indicating that the logo is moving means that the stylised apple amy not sit in the centre of the charging ring. For a company known for chasing aesthetics, this is a courageous choice if true:
"What is clear is that if the logo moves down, the MagSafe circle will likely need to be replaced with an incomplete circle to offer any kind of visual harmony. Even so, I still believe the MagSafe coil could potentially also occupy a different position in the iPhone or at the very least, the visuals of this would have been front-and-center in Apple's engineers' minds from the beginning."
(Forbes).
The Foldable iPhone's Potential Launch Date
Apple is currently struggling to enter the Artificial Intelligence space, with the idea of 'don't do it first, do it right' proving to be a headache for the software engineers. The same may not be the case for the hardware team, as details on Apple's foldable iPhone point to a 2026 launch—definlty late but with Apple's hardware eye and hubris, an entry that will be called right by Tim Cook and his team:
"If everything stays on track, the device could complete prototype testing by the end of 2025 and proceed to the Engineering Verification Test (EVT) stage, setting the stage for a possible launch in the second half of 2026,' the report went on. That means that only two years after the iPhone 16 Pro, we could see a folding iPhone."
(Digitimes via Forbes).
Wait For The M5 MacBook Pro
Apple is expected to launch the M5 Apple Silicon chipset later this year, and with it a handful of new products, including a new iteration of the MacBook Pro. The biggest reason to hold off until the end of the year for this macOS laptop will be the inclusion of said M5 chipset:
"While the M5 chipset is expected to be a relatively steady upgrade of the macOS-focused Apple Silicon, that performance upgrade will be keenly felt as Apple establishes its deskbound operating system in a world focused on artificial intelligence. Apple's approach to offer as much local processing of personal data as possible requires as much power as possible inside the Mac."
(Forbes).
Night, Night, It's Time To Pause
A new audio option has been found in the code for iOS 26. The option to pause media when falling asleep will be a boon to those who settle in at night with an audio or podcast until they fall asleep:
"The option to pause audio when asleep will save your spot in an audiobook or a podcast, but it should also preserve battery life by preventing your earbuds from staying on all night. Pausing audio should be on by default when you install ‌iOS 26‌, but it can be enabled by connecting your headphones to your iPhone and then tapping on them in the Settings app. Apple has not explained how the Beats or AirPods detect that you've fallen asleep."
(MacRumors).
And Finally...
Apple's latest foray into the major motion picture system with F1 The Movie is looking to have paid off. With a $140+ million opening weekend, the Brad Pitt vehicle of vehicles may push Apple and other streamers to more cinematic releases:
"Whatever the motivations behind this movie, though, the immediate financial success of F1: The Movie will hopefully be taken as a positive so that the streaming giants are more likely to bring their original movies to the big screen first — where they belong."
(Forbes).
Apple Loop brings you seven days worth of highlights every weekend here on Forbes. Don't forget to follow me so you don't miss any coverage in the future. 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.