This is Rumor Replay, a weekly column at 9to5Mac offering a quick rundown of the most recent Apple product rumors, with analysis and commentary. Today: iPhone 17e design changes, Intel producing M-class chips, and ChatGPT integrating with Apple Health. Here are this week’s Apple rumors.
iPhone 17e’s two design changes
Rumors around Apple’s next iPhone have been coming more frequently lately. And this week, we received word that not one, but two iPhone 17e design changes may be coming.
iPhone 17e was already expected to ditch the notch for a Dynamic Island, but now per The Elec, the new model will also have thinner bezels than its predecessor. Thus, from the front it should look nearly identical to a base iPhone 17.
My takeaways
Apple seems set on expanding its lineup of new iPhones launched every year. And I’m especially interested in the balance it seeks to strike with giving or withholding features from each model.
The base iPhone 17 has reportedly been selling extremely well, so the iPhone 17e probably won’t cannibalize sales much. But with a practically identical front design, and the new Center Stage front camera, I imagine it will tempt a lot of budget-conscious buyers.
Intel might start producing Apple’s M-class chips
Before the debut of Apple silicon in 2020, Intel produced all of the chips powering the Mac. Now, it sounds like Apple may be turning to Intel as a partner again—but in a different capacity.
Ming Chi-Kuo reported last week that Intel might start producing M-class chips for Apple as soon as 2027. This would be limited to the low-end chip (e.g., M7 but not M7 Pro).
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