Welcome to our weekly Apple Breakfast column, which incorporates all of the Apple information you missed final week in a helpful bite-sized roundup. We name it Apple Breakfast as a result of we expect it goes nice with a Monday morning cup of espresso or tea, however it’s cool if you wish to give it a learn throughout lunch or dinner hours too.
Large information
It’s been a rollercoaster journey for the iPhone SE for the reason that glory days of the second-gen mannequin from 2020, with moderately extra downs than ups. However now, primarily based on a sequence of unexpectedly promising leaks, it seems to be like we is perhaps headed for an uphill phase.
Earlier this month a Weibo account dropped some alluring particulars in regards to the iPhone SE 4 that made it sound just like the greatest $499 smartphone ever. Boasting a 6.1-inch OLED display, Face ID, and an A16 processor, the brand new telephone would symbolize an enormous improve over the 2022 mannequin, and that’s earlier than you even get to the 48MP rear-facing digicam, LPDDR5 RAM, and chunky battery.
All this, the leaker claimed, will are available at $499, a $70 enhance on the earlier SE however far decrease than we’d count on for a handset with this type of spec. The iPhone 13, for instance, has the identical 6.1-inch display, an older A15 chip, and a digicam which may have two lenses however is proscribed to only 12MP… and at present prices $599. Following the frustration of the third-gen SE in 2022, this has the whiff of a comeback.
However wait! There’s extra. This week one other leak emerged referring to the next-gen SE, and this time it targeted closely on the system’s bodily dimensions, which can apparently be a bit of greater than these of the iPhone 15. The report corroborates the Face ID and single-camera components of the earlier leak, and strongly means that the 6.1-inch display half is true, too.
There are a couple of conclusions to be drawn from the a number of rumors which were cropping up currently in regards to the SE 4. One is that the road isn’t useless: there’s curiosity, and there’s hypothesis, and no one desires the SE journey to be over. One other is that the times of the small telephone seem like gone for good; and I do know some readers gained’t be glad about that. The SE has traditionally had a distinct segment as each the smallest and the most affordable telephone Apple makes, and that’s in all probability about to vary. However the optimistic is that, by embracing a narrower remit as merely the most affordable telephone on its roster, the corporate could free itself as much as ship one thing altogether extra compelling.
Readers with irritatingly good recollections could recall this very column opining that the iPhone SE line can’t be saved, and I stand by most of that argument. However one ingredient seems to have modified for the higher, and that’s Apple’s understanding of what made the second SE so good, and what made the third SE so dangerous. If the leaks are correct–and that’s on no account a given–then they counsel that Apple goes to return to the unique concept of up-to-date innards in an older design at a lower cost, a compromise that many shoppers will discover interesting.
By enhancing the battery and the digicam, it’s addressing two of essentially the most notable weaknesses in earlier SE fashions. And by bumping up from the antiquated design with a house button to one thing comparatively extra trendy, it’s making an effort to search out the candy spot between too previous and too new which was so compelling in 2020. Add a $499 price ticket—simply $70 greater than the present outdated SE—and also you’ve obtained the very best finances telephone within the enterprise.
The very best Android finances telephones on this vary are in all probability the Google Pixel 7a and OnePlus 12R, and this rumored iPhone SE will give them each a run for his or her cash, with a greater digicam, much better biometric safety, and what must be glorious battery life.
I nonetheless preserve that the candy spot isn’t as candy because it was again then, and should by no means be once more, for the straightforward motive that the change from house button to full display was a one-off shift that left a major rump of customers briefly all in favour of conserving an older design. In that sense the true glory days of the SE in all probability are gone for good. However within the absence of a real blockbuster, the indicators counsel that Apple could provide you with the subsequent smartest thing, which is solely an excellent finances smartphone.
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Podcast of the week
Apple has filed a civil lawsuit towards Apple, and it’s a giant one. On this episode of the Macworld Podcast, we speak in regards to the case–what it’s about, why was it filed, what this implies to Apple, what it means for customers, and extra.
You’ll be able to catch each episode of the Macworld Podcast on Spotify, Soundcloud, the Podcasts app, or our personal web site.
Critiques nook
The rumor mill
The subsequent main step for Apple chips may occur subsequent yr. And the AI-packed M4 chip is coming earlier than we thought.
New iPads will ‘in all probability’ arrive week of Could 6, says trusted analyst.
iPadOS 17.5 beta confirms the new iPad Professional’s greatest improve.
iPhone SE leak paints a portrait of the greatest $499 smartphone ever.
The subsequent Apple Watch may have a new low-power show.
Apple Pencil 3 with a new squeeze gesture could possibly be coming quickly.
Apple’s work on a folding iPad has hit a probably deadly roadblock.
In the event you actually suppose Apple is making a robotic, I’ve an iCar to promote you.
Report: Apple TV with a built-in digicam ‘mentioned’ at Apple.
2024 iPhone colours: What’s coming, what’s going, and what’s the new new pattern?
Software program updates, bugs, and issues
Apple warns customers in 92 nations of spy ware assault.
‘Ghost Contact’ bug impacts extra Apple Watches than beforehand thought.
And with that, we’re achieved for this week’s Apple Breakfast. In the event you’d prefer to get common roundups, join our newsletters. It’s also possible to comply with us on Fb, Threads, or Twitter for dialogue of breaking Apple information tales. See you subsequent Monday, and keep Appley.
