Apple Loop: iPhone 18 Pro Release Dates, iPhone 17 Success, Mac Studio Cutbacks

Detail of an Apple Mac Studio desktop computer. (Photo by Future Publishing via Getty Images)

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Taking a look back at this week’s news and headlines from across the Apple world, including iPhone 18 Pro release dates, iPhone 17 sales, iPhone 18’s delayed launch, Mac Studio cutbacks, the next MacBook Neo, why AirPods need cameras, iPhone AI class action settled, and Apple’s Pride 2026 collection.

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.

When Will Apple Launch The iPhone 18 Pro?

Apple’s traditional September launch of the new iPhone family will look a little different this year, as the company will only show some of the Family Eighteen to the press; a second event is being planned for late Q1 / early Q2 in 2027. Three premium iPhones will be on show, the iPhone 18 Pro, 18 Pro Max and the new foldable iPhone Ultra. As for the exact timings, Forbes contributor David Phelan has more on the potential iPhone dates:

“Apple’s biggest keynote of the year always features the iPhone, and usually the Apple Watch plus, sometimes, another product like AirPods. It always falls in roughly the first half of September, mostly on a Tuesday or Wednesday. Very occasionally, it happens on a Monday. And the keynote never falls on Sept. 11… I’m going to stick my neck out and say the keynote will be on Wednesday, Sept. 9.

Number One Sales Spot For The iPhone 17

Counterpoint Research’s look at the top-selling phones for Q1 2026 will make for happy reading in Cupertino. The iPhone 17 takes the top spot, with the 17 Pro Max and 17 Pro rounding out the podium. Tim Hardwick asks why the market is reacting so strongly to the 17?

“Counterpoint senior analyst Harshit Rastogi credited the iPhone 17’s success to upgrades that brought the base model closer to the Pro variants, including higher 256GB base storage, improved cameras, and a faster 120Hz display…

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