This week in Apple news we saw details leak for what appears to be an upcoming refresh of the iPad Air. The big deal with this upcoming mid-tier iPad could be the removal of the home button and a Touch ID power button introduced.
In other Apple news, we heard about more Fortnite drama, India-made iPhone SE devices, a crazy floating Apple Store, and a mysterious prototype for an unreleased Mac Mini with an iPod dock built-in.
See the Apple news roundup below for all the latest.
The top Apple news stories of the past week:
- Alleged iPad Air manual leaks: A photo of an alleged iPad Air manual hit social media this week. The manual shows an all-screen iPad with a Touch ID power button. This would be a big shift for Apple as the iPad wouldn’t have access to Face ID, which Apple has been mostly focused on over the past few years. The iPad also features a USB-C port rather than Lightning, but that’s not too surprising. When an iPhone gets USB-C, then we’ll be surprised.
- The Fortnite drama continues: This week, Epic Games confirmed that the next season of Fortnite (which launched today) will not be accessible through Apple products. What’s more, cross-play will no longer work with Apple devices, making it much more difficult for iPhone owners to enjoy playing Fortnite. This is only going to get messier!
- WordPress for iOS finally gets the green light: Apple is currently in some legal trouble that could drastically change how the App Store operates. It didn’t help Apple’s case when word got out that the company was blocking the iOS WordPress app — which is free and has no in-app purchases — from issuing updates. The reason? It wanted the app to have in-app purchases so Apple could take its usual 30% cut. Apple rescinded its demand and blamed the issue on some wording within the WordPress app itself, but it’s clear the company has a real problem on its hands.
- iPhone SE devices sold in India now made in India: If you buy an iPhone SE (2020) in India, chances are good now that the phone you’ll receive will have been assembled in India, too. Apple’s newest iPhone is being assembled by a company called Wiston in Bengaluru. If you grab an iPhone SE in other countries, though, it will likely have been made in China.
- A Mac Mini with an iPod dock? It almost happened:Â Twitter user @DongleBookPro recently posted some interesting prototype images of an unreleased Mac Mini. The compact PC would have sported a 30-pin iPod connector built into the top, allowing you to quickly dock and un-dock your iPod. The product never made it to light, though.
- Apple is losing wireless earbuds market share: Apple’s line of AirPods are the market leader when it comes to true wireless earbuds. Despite its dominance, Apple is currently losing market share, according to Counterpoint Research (via Bloomberg). As one would expect, Chinese rival brands are slowly chipping away at Apple’s piece of the pie by offering less expensive variants.
- Crazy floating Apple store getting ready to open: You read that correctly: Apple has created an Apple Store that floats. The store will be known as Apple Marina Bay Sands, its third storefront in Singapore. It’s a giant sphere that floats. It needs to be seen to be believed!
- There could be AR content on Apple TV Plus:Â A new rumor suggests that Apple is working on AR content for its Apple TV Plus service. The feature would display elements of a TV show in your home while you are watching that show. The example given was being able to see a lunar rover in your living room while watching the For All Mankind series. It is not yet known if Apple is definitely doing this or not, but it seems cool.
Thinking about making the switch?
If you are reading this Apple news article on an iOS device and thinking about making the switch to Android, we have multiple articles and guides that can help you with that process. Despite how it might seem, moving from iOS to Android is easier than ever, and many of the services and systems on iOS have similar or even the same counterparts on Android.
The best place to start would be our guide on how to switch from iPhone to Android, which goes over all the basics. We also have more specific guides, such as how to transfer your calendar from iPhone to Android. We also have app guides that will give you the best alternatives to iOS staples, such as our list of best alternatives to FaceTime on Android.
If you’re looking for a great Android device to replace your iPhone, consult our list of the best Android smartphones available now.