Taking a look back at this week’s news and headlines from across the Apple world, including iPhone 18 Pro pre-orders and release dates, Apple facing significant data leak, iOS 27 goes public, new iPad Pro and MacBook Pro details, refurbished iPhone 16e arrives, and the iPhone Photography Awards winner.
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.
iPhone 18 Pro Pre-Orders And Retail Release Dates
Apple is widely expected to launch the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max and iPhone Ultra on Sept. 9. What happens after that? Forbes contributor David Phelan looks at the dates for the pre-order and retail release of the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max”
“Once the keynote has taken place, pre-orders begin shortly after. This is usually on the Friday after the keynote, that is, Friday Sept. 11, at the same moment everywhere, which means the local time varies. The reason for this seems obvious: if pre-orders started at 8 a.m. local time everywhere, buyers in countries like New Zealand could buy up all the stock while denizens of New York were still asleep.
“If last year’s schedule is matched this time around, that point in time when everyone can pile in to buy their favorite product will be 8 a.m. Pacific, which is 11 a.m. Eastern and 4 p.m. British Summer Time, for instance.”
iPhone 18 Pro Reportedly Suffers Unprecedented Leak
Reuters’ Munsif Vengattil, Aditya Kalra and Stephen Nellis are reporting on a significant data loss from Indian supplier Tata Electronics, consisting of lists of suppliers, components, and images of the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro models. Spokespeople for Apple and Tata did not respond to Reuters queries:
“The exposure threatens the carefully negotiated business of building the iPhone, which Apple assembles from a thicket of suppliers worldwide. It could also upset Apple and its relationship with Tata given most of the supplier arrangements are fiercely protected by Apple, and could also hand rivals, counterfeiters and its own vendors a view of who makes what.”
iOS 27 Public Beta Release Date
As part of the iPhone 18 family rollout, iOS 27 will be released to the public. You don’t need to wait till September, though, as the early beta versions will be available in the near future. David Phelan looks at the rollout of iOS 27, from developer builds in July to the full release in September:
“Apple iOS 27 has already hit its second developer beta… The third developer beta expected soon. Historically, the first public beta is based on that third dev beta and lands about a week after it. I believe this year’s public beta will follow the third developer beta. That beta will likely land on Tuesday, July 7 or Wednesday, July 8. This, in turn, means the public beta will probably go live on or around Tuesday, July 14, ready to be downloaded to your iPhone.
New iPad Pros and MacBook Pros Being Prepared
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurm is reporting on two updates to Apple’s Pro range, with new iPad Pro and MacBook Pro models waiting in the wings. The first will be a performance increase for the iPad range, likely lifting the models comfortably into the 12 GB space needed for Apple Intelligence:
“The company is testing four new iPad Pro models planned to arrive in spring 2027, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The new models will keep the current 11-inch and 13-inch display sizes, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing unannounced products.
The MacBook Pro details suggest Apple will skip over the vanilla M6 chipset for the consumer-focused pro laptop and move directly from the current MacBook Pro M5 to a MacBook Pro M7:
“Apple is also preparing a revamped entry-level MacBook Pro, code-named K104, for as early as the first half of next year. The 14-inch laptop will adopt a new design in line with what Apple is preparing for higher-end MacBooks with touch screens due between the end of this year and early next year.”
Apple’s Latest iPhone Offer
Looking for an iPhone for $419? Apple has added the iPhone 16e to its refurbished stores. Stocks vary, so if you see a model you are looking for, be ready to purchase it immediately. Juli Clover looks at the 16e and compares it to the current new iPhone e model:
“…a refurbished iPhone 16e is $180 less than Apple’s most affordable iPhone, the 17e, but it lacks a few useful features. It does not include MagSafe charging, it has a slower C1 modem instead of the C1X, 128GB starting storage instead of 256GB, an older A18 chip, and original Ceramic Shield glass instead of Ceramic Shield 2.”
And Finally…
This week, the winners of the 19th iPhone Photography Awards were announced. All the entries are available now to view on the awards website, including the winning shot of an erupting volcano in the Cayman Islands, taken by Robyn Jensen with an iPhone 15 Pro.
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.