Welcome to our weekly collection of all the Apple news you missed this week in one convenient, bite-sized summary. We call it Apple Breakfast because we think it goes great with a morning cup of coffee or tea, but it’s also cool if you want to read it at lunch or dinner as well.
The last of the gang to die
Pour one out for that iPod touchWhich walked out like a boss in this week. And by “like a boss” we mean “in a strangely vague way press release after many people assumed it died years ago.”
Since the mini, nano, shuffle, and other iPod models are long gone, this is a sad and disappointing end for one of Apple’s the most famous product lines. It’s also unlike Apple, which usually follows a “keep them wanting more” principle when it’s getting rid of products they love. The iPod touch languished without an update for three years before receiving its death sentence. It’s practically torture.
It didn’t have to be like this. Many Apple fans were introduced to the company’s product ecosystem through an iPod (for me, it was a black iPod nano circa 2006), and the iPod touch continued in that role through its final model, offering an introduction to iOS and the Cupertino Design ethos for under $200. Even its original price of $299 in 2007 cost hundreds less than the iPhone.
Apple is very good at keeping people in its walled garden, but the high price of its products can make it difficult to get new customers to come through the gate. The iPod touch was Apple’s gateway device.
It’s easy to see a future for the iPod touch because there will always be a market for a version of the current iPhone that doesn’t do as many things but costs less. With the right promotion and regular updates, the Touch could have gone on as long as the iPhone, enticing conversions with its tasty price tag and then pushing them towards the more expensive devices once they were comfortable with the interface and interested in picking things up the next level.
The danger with most entry-level products like the iPhone 5c or the current iPhone SE is that they feel cheaper and can potentially tarnish the premium brand. The genius of iPod touch is that it’s a complete premium rendition of half a product. It’s like the hardware version of a feature-limited free software trial. It doesn’t leave you unsatisfied; it makes you hungry for more.
It should not be. But of course, official recruitment is not the end of the road. This week’s announcement prompted many owners to post photos of still-working iPods, and we hope they’ll be enjoyed for years to come. Although iPod touch is now sold out in the US, you still can get one if you know where to look and are in the market for a music player with a lot of history.
Trending: Top stories of the week
Jon Jacobi explains how a single macOS app convinced him leave his PC behind.
at his annual IO conference This week, Google introduced a number of new products and features. but five of them sounded very familiar to Apple fans.
privacy is a right says the Macalope… The right way lose money!
Apple has all the ingredients for effective remote work. Why doesn’t it use them?
Portability is overrated. Here are 5 reasons to buy a desktop mac rather than a MacBook.
Jony Ive answers the age old question: Why so many Apple products come in silver?
mini, Air, Pro, Max, Studio, Ultra: what to do Apple’s name actually mean?
The rumor mill
The iPhone 14 could be from Apple last handset with Lightning connectorwith rumors circulating about a switch to USB-C in 2023.
This is what the AirPods Pro look like Finally a refresher this fallalongside a new version of the AirPods Max. New colors and designs are expected.
Apple is planning to reorganize its ever-growing portfolio of services sell groceriesafter a well-known analyst.
With WWDC looming, Apple is moving fast no more macs. What a could be Notice of this summer’s product launches… or just indications of logistical problems.
We now know exactly how much bigger the The screen of the iPhone 14 Pro will be. And the answer is… not much.
podcast of the week
It’s been almost three years since Apple released the AirPods Pro. What about it? We’re talking about them State of the AirPods range from Apple— as well as the final stand for the iPod — on this episode of the Macworld Podcast.
You can catch every episode of the Macworld podcast at Spotify, sound cloudthat Podcast appor our own page.
Software updates, bugs and other issues
The standalone fix for the Studio Display webcam issues is almost there: Studio Display Firmware 15.5 is now in Release Candidate (RC) stage.
Speaking of which RC from iOS 15.5 is now also available. The public version is expected to land next week.
And one final word from beta land: Apple has fallen Universal Control’s beta label as macOS Monterey 12.4 is about to be published.
Apple shut down iCloud Documents and DataYes you can you can still find your files.
And with that, we’re done for this week. Sign up to receive regular summaries our newsletters. You can also follow us on twitter for breaking news. See you next Saturday, enjoy your weekend and stay Appley!
