Taking a look back at another week of news and headlines from Cupertino, this week’s Apple Loop includes a disappointing iPhone 15 Pro camera leak, the new iPhone Action button, M2 production details, MacBook Pro delays, new AirPods display, Apple’s Weather app problems, and the hidden bitcoin in your Mac.

Apple Loop is here to remind you of a few of the very many discussions that have happened around Apple over the last seven days (and you can read my weekly digest of Android news here on Forbes).

Disappointing iPhone 15 Pro Camera Leak

New details on the iPhone 15 Pro camera have leaked, and it's going to be a disappointment. While Apple is pushing ahead with a ‘periscope’ lens (which lengthens the lens's depth) in the iPhone 15 Pro Max, it won’t be coming to the regular iPhone 15. There doesn’t appear to be a financial reason to this, just a way to create an artificial specs gap between the two models:

"Apple has decided to exclude the periscope lens from the iPhone 15 Pro, despite negotiating a knock-down price of just $4 (including prisms) for the module with supplier Largan. Kuo says Largan cannot profit from the deal at this price. Equally odd, is Kuo says Apple will introduce periscope lenses for both the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max in 2024, making this a single-generation feature difference."

(Forbes).

iPhone’s New Action Button

Apple’s replacement of the volume buttons and mute slider on the next iPhone with a capacitive button looks to have another advantage. Internal documentation calling this the ‘action’ button suggests that users will be able to select from several functions to use while the phone is on… much like the double-tap option you currently have:

"Apple is referring to the mute switch’s solid-state replacement as the ‘Action Button’ — the same terminology the company uses for the custom button on the Apple Watch Ultra. If, as expected, the company implements the button the same way, users would be able to select from an array of quick launch options, such as the camera."

(Forbes).

SHENZHEN, CHINA - APRIL 5, 2023 - Customers buy new iphones at an iPhone store in Shenzhen, South ... [+] China's Guangdong province, April 5, 2023. (Photo credit should read CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images)

Has Apple Halted M2 Chipset Production

With MacBook sales falling worldwide, Apple has reportedly halted production of the M2 chipset. This powers the MacBook Air and the inexplicable 13-inch MacBook Pro. Given there’s an expectation for an M3 MacBook Air to arrive at June’s WWDC, Apple winding down stock shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise… the falling sales may be a concern if there isn’t a huge spike in MacBook Air M3 sales:

"Taiwan's TSMC did not send 5 nano-process M2 chip wafer workpieces to the outsourced semiconductor package test (OSAT) in January and February, according to the OSAT industry on the 3rd. It is believed that it was because Apple requested to stop production as demand for MacBooks dwindled."

(The Elec via MacRumors).

No OLED MacBook Pro Till 2026

Samsung has announced plans to increase its production of OLED displays and confirmed it is working with Apple on various sizes and models. Thanks to that, we know the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models will move from micro-LED to OLED… but not for a few more years,

"The good news is that, yes, the larger and more powerful MacBook Pros will pick up OLED displays… but it’s going to take some time. Display Supply Chain Consultants’ Ross Young has been following the party of the OLED display to Apple hardware, and the MacBook Pro version is slated to appear no earlier than 2026:"

(Forbes).

Will AirPods Reinvent The iPod?

An exciting Apple patent was published this week, showing an AirPods case with a touchscreen display on the outside that could be used for reading notifications, tweaking audio settings such as noise cancellation, or even controlling your music by skipping through tracks and selecting albums. That sounds… rather familiar…

"Sadly, the patent doesn’t hint that the AirPods could take the next step and become a full-on iPod replacement, that is, with no need for a companion phone, for instance. That would be something, but would require significant memory on board the case as well."

(Forbes).

Apple Faces Up To Weather App Problems

Apple has been facing a number of errors in its weather app and service this week. The issues have now been resolved, although some users have been waiting for a fix since the launch of iOS 16.4. Given Apple’s purchase of the popular weather app Dark Sky and subsequently switching it off for what many regarded as a weaker (but built-in) weather app, this has drawn more attention on Apple’s approach to forecasting apps:

"The issue appears to be affecting many users across the globe, with Weather apps on several Apple platforms impacted, including iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and macOS. Apple is currently trying to resolve an issue with its Weather service according to its System Status webpage, although the issue summary only lists next-hour precipitation as unavailable for Alaska "due to a data provider outage," when in fact numerous regions and forecast types are down."

(MacRumors).

And Finally...

There’s a Bitcoin thing hiding in your Mac explaining how it all works. Legendary blogger Andy Baio has uncovered a rather unusual test file in the depths of macOS:

"While trying to fix my printer today, I discovered that a PDF copy of Satoshi Nakamoto’s Bitcoin whitepaper apparently shipped with every copy of macOS since Mojave in 2018. I’ve asked over a dozen Mac-using friends to confirm, and it was there for every one of them. The file is found in every version of macOS from Mojave (10.14.0) to the current version, Ventura (13.3), but isn’t in High Sierra (10.13) or earlier."

(Waxy.org).

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.