iPhone 17 Pro Release Date, iPhone Fold Design Leaks, MacBook Pro Disappointment

Taking a look back at this week’s news and headlines from across the Apple world, including iPhone 17 Pro release date, new iPhone 17 design, iPhone Fold’s display secret, delayed MacBook Pro, Meta’s Apple AI hires, Cyberpunk 2077 on macOS, and Apple’s baseball plans.

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 17 Pro Release Date Details

While Apple traditionally launches the new line of iPhones during the second week of September, the exact date is not confirmed until later. David Phelan gathers the details we have so far on when the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro will arrive, including the latest note from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman on a potential Monday launch:

“I had only briefly considered the Monday, but Gurman is giving it more credence. However, we both think that Tuesday 9 or Wednesday 10 are more likely. As I said before, my money is on the keynote happening on Tuesday, Sept. 9 at the absolutely regular time that it always does, that is, 10 a.m. Pacific. And the location will, I’m sure, be in the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino.”

(Forbes).

iPhone 17 Design Details Leak

While there is discussion around the date, the larger discussions centre on the potential new hardware and software that Tim Cook and his team will introduce with the new iPhone. The potential colours of the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air popped up this week; the iPhone 17 is set to come in black, white, steel grey, green, purple and light blue; while the iPhone 17 Air will come in black, white, light blue and light gold:

“We also obtained access to an internal document with the Pantone colors… While the colors are currently the same for both the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, Apple will provide different color options for the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air to distinguish the two models.”

(MacWorld).

Samsung Leads For iPhone Fold Display

Looking to 2026, many are expecting Apple to debut an iPhone Fold, with some of the biggest signals coming from the display supply chain. Curiously, Apple looks to be sourcing a Samsung Display design of foldable screen, choosing to go off-the-rack rather than its own design:

“Apple’s decision to go all-in with Samsung Display’s crease-free solution will benefit the latter’s suppliers, including Fine M-Tec, a key provider of internal hinges, which has emerged as the leading beneficiary according to Ming-Chi Kuo, a renowned source of Apple-related information from the supply chains.”

(GSM Arena).

MacBook Pro And More Delayed

While the iPhoen release date is, as mentioned, relatively steady, the Mac schedule is a bit more wild. Even with an annual update to macOS built around WWDC announcements and a fall release, Apple has some wiggle room. The MacBook Pro release everyone expected in October is a case in point, with Tim Cook and his team now looking at a January 2026 release for the M5 model:

“Apple has taken this route before, with the MacBook Pro M2 pushed back into January 2023. Unlike the iPhone, which has an almost mythical need to launch in the second week in September… That gives Apple a little bit more of a cushion ot get things right rather than follow a strict schedule, at least for hardware”

(Forbes).

Meta Poaches Key Apple AI Staff

With artificial intelligence at the forefront of computing, Apple’s lack of a commanding presence in the discourse is notable. It also means that staffing moves in this area—especially from Apple towards the comeptition it is failing to matching—are worth nothing. Meta “poached” Ruoming Pang earlier in the summer. Now two of his former colleagues are joining him:

“The social networking giant hired Mark Lee and Tom Gunter for its Superintelligence Labs team, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Lee has started at Meta after leaving Apple in recent days, while Gunter will begin work in the near future, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the hires haven’t been announced.”

(Bloomberg).

Five Years Later, Cyberpunk 2077 Arrives

Apple has been distinctly lacking in supporting any AAA gaming titles in recent memory, so the availability of Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition is worth noting. it’s also worth noting that the game itself was first released five years ago, and has made the tour of countless other gaming, desktop and handheld systems before finally arriving on Apple hardware:

“Development studio CD Projekt Red today [Thursday 17 July] released acclaimed role-playing action game Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition for the Mac, and it looks like the developers have gone all-out to make the experience as impressive as possible for Mac gamers with the right hardware.

(MacRumors).

And Finally…

Apple’s forays into sports look set to continue as Major League Baseball’s weekend franchise package is recieving bids from both the expected ESPN and NBC, but also the Apple TV team in Cupertino.

“[MLB Commissioner Rob] Manfred broke some news in our sitdown. He confirmed NBC, Apple and ESPN are the three bidders for the league’s “Sunday Night Baseball” package, which ESPN opted out of earlier this year. Manfred told me he plans to choose a winner for those rights within the month and that they could be split up between two bidders.

(CNBC).

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.