Appleviews – 28th July 2023
iPhone 15 Action Button
Apple iPhone 15 rumours are coming thick and fast as we approach iPhone season.
One of the stories that has constantly been discussed is whether an Action Button will make its way to the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Well, this week that story seems to have gathered some pace.
According to references found in the iOS 17 beta 4, it appears that Apple will be ditching the mute key for a multi-purpose capacitive Action Button. You will get to choose what actions you want to assign to the key from one of these choices – Accessibility, Shortcuts, Silent Mode, Camera, Flashlight, Focus Modes, Magnifier, Translate and Voice Memos.
iPhone 15 camera news
It seems there is also some good news for this year’s non-pro iPhones as well.
According to Ming-Chi Kuo, the 15 & 15 Plus are likely to have a massive improvement to their current 12-megapixel camera being replaced by a 48-megapixel stacked-CMOS sensor from Sony. The new camera should mean that the lens captures more light at a higher resolution.
A lens of this quality would normally only have been found on the Pro lineup so this is a big step forwards for Apple. There will still be no telephoto lens on the 15 & 15 Plus, so the added resolution should help enormously with the digital zoom capabilities.
Sony has more than doubled their production of the sensor for Apple which has made this upgrade possible.
Apple Vision Pro boutiques
When Apple Vision Pro launches early next year, customers will be treated to a boutique-like experience in their retail stores, similar to when Apple Watch was launched.
The $3500 headset will be exclusively available by appointment only at Apple stores and preparations are already being made to store layouts ahead of its launch. These areas will have space for customers to sit down with their Apple specialists to make certain they are fully familiarised with the headset.
The initial purchase will be made online where you’ll be asked to supply your eye prescription so that your headset can have the correct lens inserts when you eventually go in-store to collect the AR/VR headset.
The physical in-store appointment is crucial to the Vision Pro experience as correct face fitting and headband balance are central to the way the headset will sit & perform.
Apple Vision Pro will be available at all 270 U.S. stores but it’s not clear if all those stores will have them available at launch. Due to supply issues, Apple may decide instead to focus on flagship stores such as New York & L.A.
There will be an option to purely buy online and if you decide to go that route Apple is working on an app for iPhone that will scan your face & head. You’d also be able to upload your prescription via the app too. The online option may be available before they are in the bricks & mortar stores.
There is also a massive training program underway as Apple have to make sure their staff are fully trained on all aspects of the device. Apple has also scaled back their production forecast with them now expecting to manufacture no more than 400,000 units in 2024.
Earnings call
This coming Thursday, 3rd August will see Apple report on their latest earning results with CEO Tim Cook and CFO Luca Maestri as normal discussing the results with financial analysts later on that day.
New products released during this quarter include the 15-inch MacBook Air, M2 Max & M2 Ultra Mac Studio and the new Mac Pro.
Wall Street is forecasting a minor downturn in fortunes year-on-year with revenue down from $83 billion last year to $81.6 billion this year. After the last earnings call Maestri said;
“We expect our June quarter year-over-year revenue performance to be similar to the March quarter, assuming that the macroeconomic outlook does not worsen from what we are projecting today for the current quarter.”
Apple is currently trading at $194 up 55% from the start of the year.
AirPods Pro news
With the release of iOS 17 comes several improvements to the noise cancelling on Apple’s ear pods.
The idea behind all the updates is to make AirPods Pro more adaptive to your surroundings and adjust the level of cancellation or transparency modes to best suit your situation.
Adaptive Audio sits somewhere between Transparency & ANC and will react instantly by muting loud intrusive noises. Conversation Awareness is meant to work by detecting a voice in front of you and will automatically reduce the volume so that you can hold a conversation without you having to manually adjust it. Finally, Personalised Volume will use AI to understand your environmental conditions and listening preferences over time to automatically and fine-tune your audio experience.
Thankfully Automatic Switching is meant to have had a makeover making it smoother, more seamless and more reliable.
Epic battles
Epic this week appealed an earlier decision from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that gave Apple a further 90 days to pursue an appeal at the Supreme Court.
This is the latest saga in a story that stretches back to 2020 which challenges Apple’s App Store practices. In April the 9th Circuit upheld a decision that would see Apple being forced to provide links and buttons that direct consumers to payment options outside the App Store which would then avoid the associated ‘Apple Taxes’.
Epic believe that this 90-day grace period is way too lenient.
Inside out
If you’ve ever wondered what your iPhone 14 looks like inside help is here.
CaseTify has launched a new range of cases aptly named Inside Out that will allow you to see the inner workings of your phone.
They look stunning – you can check them out here.
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