We take a look back at this week’s Apple news and headlines, including the iPhone 17 Air leak, iPhone SE camera changes, iOS 18.2 and Apple Intelligence, Tim Cook interview, Apple’s 5G modem plans, the wait for the iPad Mini and Apple Vision Pro Year-End Award.

Apple Loop is here to remind you of some of the many discussions surrounding Apple over the last seven days. You can also read my weekly Android news roundup here on Forbes.

What the iPhone 17 Air will miss

In 2025 there should be two exciting iPhones that stand out from the three standard models. We expect the iPhone SE to launch in the mid-range market at the beginning of the year, but the September launch is likely to see a more fashionable launch. With the name presumably called iPhone Air, Apple will follow the trend towards super-thin phones. This means a significant reduction in hardware and Apple expects the camera to be the biggest loss as it switches to a single lens:

“That seems to be the ultimate selling point, a design element that stands out from all other features, not least because it presumably only has one camera, as opposed to the two lenses on the regular iPhone and three on the Pro models.”

(Forbes).

Camera changes on the iPhone SE

Improving the camera could be the theme for 2025, although Apple is taking the opposite approach in the case of the iPhone SE. While the single lens remains, the specs of this lens are becoming increasingly popular:

“The rear camera will see a significant increase compared to the iPhone SE 2022, with a move from 12 megapixels to 48 megapixels. Combined with Apple’s software advances in image processing, the lens’ capture of more light data should improve image quality and low-light performance. and digital zoom will also increase the pixel count from 7 megapixels to 12 megapixels.

(Forbes).

iOS 18.2 is more than Apple Intelligence

This week iOS 18.2 was released. This is a crucial release as it brings ChatGPT to the awkwardly backronymized Apple Intelligence. It’s not the only addition to iOS, although you wouldn’t be criticized if you missed out on the other features.

“Beyond Apple Intelligence and therefore available on all iOS 18-ready iPhones, there are features including improvements to Photos, Voice Memos that now let you add vocals over existing audio, natural language search in apps like Apple Music and Sudoku -Puzzle in Apple News for News+.” Subscribers.”

(Forbes).

Tim Cook talks about Apple Intelligence

Still, iOS 18.2 is a big moment for Apple Intelligence; This is the first time the service has been available outside the United States. One of those areas is the UK, and Tim Cook flew to the country to talk about the impact of iOS. Forbes employee was on site with an exclusive interview:

“More features will be added in the future and it will keep getting better. Artificial intelligence is a horizontal technology that will impact everything in your life over time. She will change everything because she will be the one.” Like having an assistant who prepares things that would have taken you longer to do, giving you the freedom to spend more time stimulating your curiosity or pursuing your passion .”

(Forbes).

Apple’s Magic Modem

Apple’s 2025 will also bring another seismic change, namely the first 5G modem developed by Apple. This should separate them from Qualcomm’s communications hardware and allow more precise control over their own hardware. The first consumers to furiously test the hardware will be those who buy the iPhone SE, but they won’t be the last:

“It’s worth noting that Apple is not committing to using the new technology in its core product lines, but is sticking with cheaper and more consumer-friendly hardware in the initial rollout phase. And as Gurman reports, after the iPhone and the iPad, Apple will turn to the Mac platform with its newfound love for its homegrown modems, and the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro should be first in line.

(Forbes).

Waiting for the iPad Mini

Apple’s refresh rate on the iPad Mini isn’t as high as its larger and more expensive tablets, and those looking for a new smaller tablet may have to wait some time. But for those who wait, there is good news:

“According to Omdia’s latest long-term forecast for OLED display adoption, the iPad mini will receive the technology in 2026 or 2027, followed by the 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Air in 2027-2028. These devices will apparently use single-stack 60Hz OLED panels.”

(MacRumors)

And finally…

Popular Science has released its annual “…of the Year” awards, and Apple will be pleased to see the Apple Vision Pro headset as “Innovation of the Year”:

“Although there have been AR headsets before, this one gets our award because it offers so much potential for augmented experiences specifically for headsets… we’re excited to see what Apple does next because a consumer-friendly price for an experience like this could be a real game -Be a changer.

(Popsci).

Apple Loop brings you seven days of highlights every weekend here on Forbes. Don’t forget to follow me so you don’t miss any future coverage. You can read last week’s Apple Loop here, or this week’s edition of Loop’s sister column, Android Circuit, is also available on Forbes.