Taking a look back at this week’s news and headlines from across the Apple world, including iPhone 17 launch dates,iPhone 17 Pro pricing, leaked MacBook Pro upgrades, improving the iPad Mini, Liquid Glass UI, remembering the Newton, and Castro’s iPad podcasting update.
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 pair of iPhone 16s are displayed inside of the Apple Carnegie Library store on May 30, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kevin Carter/Getty Images)
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iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro Launch Dates
Apple’s traditional schedule to launch the iPhone looks set to continue this year, with a date early in the second week the expected moment for Tim Cook to step out on stage and then ask for the tech team to run the pre-filmed video that will launch the new iPhone models. Curiously, there is some talk thsi schedule might step up a week. But would a clash with one of Europe’s largest consumer tech events be a wise choice?
“The large-scale consumer electronics show, IFA, is happening that week in Berlin. This is a big event, on the same scale as or bigger than the annual CES in Las Vegas. Apple will not want to shout above the noise of so much happening in the same week. Which leaves Sept. 9 in the frame again.”
(Forbes).
iPhone 17 Family Pricing
The Apple community is expecting pricing for the iPhone 17 family to climb compared to the iPhone 16, due to a mix of rising component costs and the impact of US tariffs. That may be partially mitigated by Apple starting the storage tiers at a higher level:
“…the iPhone 17 Pro might upgrade its base storage from 128GB to 256GB, although they said that they were uncertain of whether the storage bump would actually materialize. If it does happen, it could be a sensible way for Apple to justify the $50 price rise and make it feel a little more palatable.”
(TechRadar).
MacBook Pro’s Visible Grail Arriving Next Year?
Those waiting for the OLED upgrade to the MacBook Pro will have to wait another year. Reports from the supply chain have pegged Samsung as a sole supplier for the vibrant and low-power display. With Samsung’s investment on a Gen 8.6 production line, these are expected to arrive in the Pro, but not until late 2026:
“Gen 8.6 lines use larger glass substrates conducive with laptop and monitor panels, and combine oxide TFT technology for low power consumption and scalability, while reducing manufacturing costs. The investment means Samsung is expected to comfortably meet Apple’s demand next year for OLED MacBook panels.”
(MacRumors).
Improving The iPad Mini
More substantially, Apple’s update to iPadOS offers more accommodations and tools for the iPad Mini to become more competent as a lightweight alternative to a small laptop, especially around multi-tasking:
“This includes a Menu Bar with quick access to commands and shortcuts for each app, just like on the Mac–also available for all iPads, not just a select few. Users can also place folders from the Files app in the Dock and customize them with different colors and icons. Moreover, the iPad is getting the Preview app for the first time, with tools for editing and marking up PDFs. And how could I forget the brand new Liquid Glass interface?
(MacWorld).
The Glass You See Is The Glass You’ll Get
Apple may have moved back and forth on the look of the new Liquid Glass UI for the upcoming version of iOS. Still, the summer builds are now drawing closer to the September release, so the design elements are now, essentially, locked ln:
“Whatever critiques Liquid Glass may elicit, Apple clearly believes in its original vision and plans to ship it next month… Even though the current Liquid Glass design seems set to ship, iOS 26.1 or 26.2 will likely include further refinements, or perhaps new tools to modify the design to each user’s liking. But for now at least, we should all get used to the current state of Liquid Glass sticking around through the big public launch.
(9to5Mac).
Remembering The Newton
Apple’s foray into the personal digital assistant world of the mid-nineties could have changed the world. Perhaps it’s financial drag on Apple did? In any case, it remains a powerful story in Apple’s history. William Gallagher celebrates the Apple Newton project, with all of its ambitions and hubris on display:
“When Sculley launched the Newton on May 29, 1993, it didn’t work. Literally. The first prototype demonstrated on stage wouldn’t switch on. Fortunately the second did. Even so, Sculley should not have caved in to pressure to announce it yet.
“…Newton subsequently went through eight versions of the hardware, and many revisions of its software mostly distributed on 3.5-inch floppy disk before Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997 and killed the project.”
(Apple Insider).
And Finally…
The Castro podcasting app for Apple devices has been updated with a new device sync option to ensure a unified podcast listening queue and subscriptions. Not only that, but the iPad users now have their own dedicated client:
“We spent a lot of time optimising Explore and various grid surfaces to make use of the additional screen space. I knew supporting iPad was a big deal, but I was surprised at how much better the app felt on a larger screen once I started using it regularly. So I’m very excited to get this out to everyone, and we’ll continue to enhance the iPad app as we update older parts of the app.”
(Castro Blog).
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.