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This week’s top stories: iPhone 11 exclusive, Apple + Intel, MacBook keyboard changes, more

Chance Miller | Jul 28 2019 - 5:40 am PT

In this week’s top stories: Exclusive details on the iPhone 11, Apple releases iOS 12.4, 16-inch MacBook Pro pricing rumors, and more. Read on for all of this week’s biggest stories.

9to5Mac on Tuesday published an exclusive report detailing several changes coming with this year’s iPhone 11 lineup. For instance, the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Max will offer a new Smart Frame feature for adjusting framing in post production. The front-facing camera will also be upgraded, adding support for slo-mo recording at 120 frames per second.

We also noted of something called “leap haptics,” which will be an upgraded version of the Taptic Engine. Details here are unclear, but it’s possible that leap haptics is a feature geared towards improving Haptic Touch since the new devices won’t feature 3D Touch as we know it today. Read our full report here.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo was out this week with a new investor note saying that all MacBook keyboards will be replaced with more reliable scissor switch keys in 2020, starting with the 16-inch MacBook Pro this fall. This is a change from Kuo’s previous reporting, when he indicated that the change would start with the MacBook Air in 2019.

Apple on Thursday confirmed that it will acquire Intel’s smartphone modem business for $1 billion. Apple says that approximately 2,200 Intel employees will join the company through this acquisition, significantly beefing up its modem team. A report from Reuters this week added that Apple hopes to ship its own custom 5G modem in some devices by 2021.

Last but not least, Apple this week released iOS 12.4 to the public. The update lays much of the groundwork needed for Apple Card, but Apple Card itself was not released. A report from Bloomberg suggests that Apple and Goldman Sachs are aiming for an early August release.

These and the rest of this week’s top stories below.

iOS | macOS | tvOS |

iPhone |

Mac + iPad |

Apple Watch |

Apps |

Accessories |

Tech industry |

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This week’s top videos |

9to5Mac Daily |

Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from 9to5Mac. 9to5Mac Daily is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

9to5Mac Watch Time |

9to5Mac Watch Time is a brand new seasonal podcast series hosted by Zac Hall. Over the next three months, we’ll talk to real people about how the Apple Watch is affecting their lives.

In the second episode of our new Watch Time podcast, my personal fitness coach Jacob Knight and I talk about his role in helping me explore new forms of fitness with the Apple Watch, the benefits of starting an exercise streak, his experience with both losing weight and building muscle, and an unlikely marathon he ran in December with the Apple Watch.

9to5Mac Watch Time is now available on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, and your favorite podcast player through RSS. Subscribe now to enjoy our teaser trailer and hear new episodes as soon as they drop — starting next week.

Happy Hour Podcast #235 |

This week Benjamin and Zac talk LG’s AirPlay 2 and HomeKit TV launch, changes in iOS 12.4 and watchOS 5.3, Bloomberg’s report that Apple may invest in original podcasts, and new hardware rumors for Apple Watch, MacBook Pro, and iPhone 11.

9to5Mac Happy Hour is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play Music, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

Stacktrace Podcast #46 |

Rambo goes on a shipping spree while also finding out exciting new info about this year’s iPhones. In the meantime John cheers himself up by writing a Markdown parser, and the Pixelmator team embeds their entire app inside of Photos. Also, what does it take to build up an audience and to make a blog successful?

Stacktrace by 9to5Mac is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

Apple @ Work |

Apple @ Work is a weekly series from Bradley Chambers covering Apple in education. Bradley has been managing Apple devices in an education environment since 2009. Through his experience deploying and managing 100s of Macs and 100s of iPads, Bradley will highlight ways in which Apple’s products work at scale, stories from the trenches of IT management, and ways Apple could improve its products for students.