Taking a look back at this week's news and headlines from across the Apple world, including 50 years of Apple, urgent iOS updates, iPhone 18 design leaks, Apple TV coming soon, goodbye to the Mac Pro, MacBook Pro discounts, and Product Red leaves the Apple Store.
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.
Fifty Years Of Apple
Apple has reached its 50-year anniversary, and celebrations abound online. There's lots of coverage to choose from, but Bill Weir's extensive interviews for CNN's The Whole Story capture the mood in the community and beyond:
"When my college newspaper got a Macintosh in the 80's, I had no idea I'd eventually cover the launch of the iPhone, become the first reporter to see their products being made in China and see Apple screens come to dominate my family's waking hours. So this golden anniversary seems a fitting time to reflect both on what Apple has given the world AND the unintended consequences," said Weir.
Apple Protects iOS 18 Users From DarkSword
Apple has generally taken the view that you should update to the latest version of its operating systems to get the latest bug fixes and security patches. Not everyone stays on the bleeding edge, leaving them vulnerable. The latest warnings over the DarkSword hacking tool not only urge owners to update iOS with the new security patches, but Apple is also offering standalone security patches for older iOS installations, Wired reported:
"DarkSword... is capable of silently taking over certain iPhones running iOS 18 -- the previous version of Apple's mobile operating system -- when they visit a website infected with the malicious code. Users of Apple's latest iOS version released in September, iOS 26, were already protected against DarkSword. But the new patch push is designed to specifically protect vulnerable iOS 18 users who have so far resisted updating to iOS 26."
iPhone 18's Shrinking Signature Feature
More details on the iPhone 18 design have come out this week with leaks through the display's supply chain. While the bezels will remain the same, the signature forward camera cutout -- the digital island -- is shrinking: Forbes contributor David Phelan has more details:
"To achieve a smaller Dynamic Island, Apple will almost certainly need to shrink the cut-out that sits beneath it. In fact, that's what's really at stake here: the data the Dynamic Island is, as the name suggests, changeable, so it can still take up bigger parts of the display when needed."
Will The New Apple TV Please Stand Up?
Apple looks set to release new versions of its Apple TV and HomePod mini hardware. Reportedly ready since late 2025, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman points out the signs of the oncoming sales, as reported in MacRumors: "he reiterated that Apple has held off on releasing them until the more personalized version of Siri and other Apple Intelligence upgrades are released later this year. Inventory of the Apple TV, HomePod mini, and full-sized HomePod is once again 'running low' at Apple's retail stores around the world," according to Gurman,"but it is unclear if this means anything since the revamped Siri has yet to debut."
Goodbye MacPro
Last week, Apple confirmed that the Mac Pro -- once the flagship of the deskbound range -- had been cancelled. It left the Apple store and will no longer be available directly from Apple. In its place will be the Mac Studio. That currently reaches up to the Apple Silicon M3 chipset, but expect an M5 Pro and M5 Max version to arrive during 2026 to take the top spot, reported 9to5Mac:
"Ultimately, Apple needed to make a decision to either update the Mac Pro or discontinue it. Continuing to sell it with the M2 Ultra at such a high price was a disservice to Mac shoppers. I think Apple made the right call by discontinuing it and prioritizing the Mac Studio going forward."
Your Refurbished MacBook Pro M5 Is Ready
With the launch of the M5 MacBook Pro and iPad 11 in October 2025, it was only a matter of time before the models would arrive in Apple's refurbished store with the customary discount and full guarantee and eligibility for Apple Care+. That time is now. Juli Clover reports:
"Pricing on the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5 chip starts at $1,359 in the U.S. for the model with a 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 16GB unified memory, and 512GB SSD. Apple has several configurations available at different price points, including a high-end model with 32GB RAM and a 4TB SSD for $2,759. Discounts are right around 15 percent, which is common for refurbished Macs."
And Finally...
The final "Product Red" item has left the Apple Store; the iPhone 14 Silicon Case was the last entry in the now historical charity partnership between Apple and the Red brand to raise funds and awareness for The Global Fund. Support for The Global Fund will continue through the Apple Pay donation program, per MacRumors:
"While the (PRODUCT)RED era is over for now, the color could always make a return one day. The upcoming iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will reportedly be available in a 'deep red' finish, but this might look more like burgundy than bright red, so it remains to be seen if Apple revives the (PRODUCT)RED brand for that."
Apple Loop brings you seven days worth of highlights every weekend here on Forbes.