Update: Sunday, September 1st with launch dates for MacBook M4 and unveiling of Mac Mini.

A look back at this week’s Apple news and headlines, including iPhone launch details, final iPhone 16 Pro design leaks, iPad Mini preparations, four new M4 MacBooks, Snapchat for iPad, and the unexpected return of Ted Lassoo.

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

Apple confirms details of iPhone launch

Apple has confirmed its next event. Glowtime will take place on Monday, September 9, and since Apple loves a regular release schedule for its smartphones, it will be the official unveiling of the iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max. Of course, the image and animation of the invitation have sparked a serious round of Kremlinology to decide what the big news will be. It’s probably AI:

“The colors in this year’s animation will likely relate at least in part to what the iPhone 16 series will look like. Blue, yellow, white, pink and black are all seen and this is consistent with what some reports have said about what the iPhones will look like. If more details emerge, we will report on them.”

(Forbes).

Latest design leaks for the iPhone 16 Pro

With the launch of the iPhone 16 Pro, many will be pleased with the improved specs of the camera. While the introduction of the 5x telephoto zoom lens in the smaller iPhone 16 Pro is welcome (last year it was exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro Max), there is a bigger change that will affect your photos. Apple is putting a larger sensor in one of its most important cameras:

“…the 5x zoom equivalent of the telephoto lens will be available on both Pro sizes (currently it’s exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro Max due to space constraints, I’m told). The main camera remains the same as on the current Pro models and has a resolution of 48 megapixels.

The most striking news is the introduction of a second 48-megapixel sensor. The ultra-wide-angle camera on the Pro and Pro Max will switch to this sensor and offer the same features as the main camera, i.e. the ability to shoot in full resolution and combine adjacent pixel sides to create better 12-megapixel images.

(Forbes).

Preparing for a new iPad Mini

Could an iPad Mini show up next week? Apple usually clears its inventory of older products that will soon be replaced. Many are seeing the dwindling stocks of Apple’s entry-level tablet and are hoping that the second foot drops on Monday, especially since it’s been three years since the last iPad Mini was introduced:

“Apple has been working on a seventh-generation version of the iPad mini, and rumors suggest it could arrive later this year. The next iPad mini is expected to include an A17 Pro chip or better to support Apple Intelligence, as well as updated front and rear cameras. Updates Apple has made to its entire lineup could also be included, such as Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.”

(MacRumors).

Four new MacBooks

Four new Mac models have been spotted in the developer logs. The consumer names are unknown, but we have the reporting numbers (“16.1,” “16.2,” “16.3,” and “16.10”). The previous reporting numbers 14.10 and 15.10 were later identified as MacBook Pro models. We likely have a base MacBook Air 13, an upgraded Air 13-inch, and a similarly equipped Air 15-inch:

“Upcoming models are expected to include base versions of the M4 chip. Three of these models will have 10-core CPUs and GPUs, while a low-end version will include an 8-core CPU and GPU. The 10-core CPUs have the same specifications as the M4 processor in the iPad Pro, which has four high-performance cores and six efficiency cores.”

(MacObserver).

Update: … and a new Mac Mini

Alongside the new M4 MacBooks set to launch later this year, there will also be a highly anticipated update to the Mac Mini. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has discussed the release date for the new hardware, which will join the MacBook models and will soon debut Apple Silicon’s M4 chipset. Typically, Apple does a second release in October after the new iPhone models go on sale. This would be the right time to bring the M4 platform to the Mac with the lower-end MacBooks and Mac Minis before the more powerful machines get the update:

“The higher-end version with an M4 Pro won’t ship until October. That probably means both versions won’t be announced until about a month after the iPhone is launched. I’m also told the computer’s power supply will be internal, so don’t expect to have to lug around a separate block.”

(Power On Newsletter).

Snapchat comes to the iPad

Amazingly, Snapchat hasn’t released a dedicated client for the popular service that’s specifically targeted at the iPadOS platform. That changed this week, as users of the Apple tablet can now unleash the full power of their devices:

“Snapchat’s latest update allows the app to run natively on the iPad, taking advantage of the device’s entire screen for the first time. Until now, iPad users who wanted to use Snapchat had to run the iPhone version of the app, which was not optimized for the larger display, so it ran like other unoptimized apps at a lower resolution with large black borders.”

(MacRumors).

And finally

Perhaps belief doesn’t come from having ratings and critical acclaim alone, but when the various contracts and options that need to be put in place for a fourth season of Ted Lasso come to fruition, it’s safe to assume that the official green light won’t be long in coming.

“Warner Bros. Television has optioned original cast members Hannah Waddingham, Brett Goldstein and Jeremy Swift. Jason Sudeikis is believed to be involved in the reboot in some capacity as an executive producer. Warner Bros. TV declined to comment.”

(Diversity).

Apple Loop brings you the highlights every weekend for seven days 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.