Top stories: Yellow iPhone 14 next week?, iPhone SE 4 and iPhone 15 rumors and more

It looks like we could see a new Apple product introduction as soon as next week, and based on rumors and timing, it looks like it could be a new iPhone color.

We also continue to hear rumors about the iPhone 15 series coming later this year and even a fourth-generation iPhone SE, so read on for all the details on these stories and more!

Sources: Apple Planning Product Briefing next week as iPhone 14 rumored to launch in yellow

A rumor from Chinese microblogging site Weibo claims that Apple intends to launch the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus in yellow as a mid-cycle addition, and we’ve heard that Apple is planning media briefings next week, so it’s possible they could be for the launch.

For reference, Apple launched its green iPhone 13 colors mid-cycle on March 8 last year, so the timing is right for a new iPhone color, but the topic of next week’s briefing has yet to be revealed.

Kuo: New iPhone SE with 6.1-inch OLED screen and Apple’s 5G chip planned

Again, off-again rumors about the future of Apple’s budget iPhone SE are back, with analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claiming that Apple has started development on an upcoming fourth-generation model, although it’s unlikely to be released until next year.

According to Kuo, the next-generation iPhone SE will be similar to the current iPhone 14, including a 6.1-inch OLED screen. It could also use Apple’s in-house 5G chip that has been in development for a number of years as Apple has tried to break away from Qualcomm as its mobile chip supplier.

iPhone 15 USB-C cables without MFi branding may have data transfer and charging speed limits

While Apple is expected to replace the Lightning port with a USB-C port on the iPhone 15 series later this year, the company may still limit the functionality of cables and accessories that are not certified under the MFi program.

Apple’s MFi program uses a special authentication chip in approved accessories to ensure their authenticity and reassure customers that the products are safe to use with their Apple devices. However, the authentication can also be used to limit the functionality of non-MFi accessories, for example with data transfer and/or charging speeds.

According to the leaker “ShrimpApplePro”, Apple’s manufacturing partner Foxconn is already moving ahead with mass production of USB-C cables and accessories under Apple’s MFi program.

Everything New in iOS 16.4 Beta 2: Apple Books Changes, Apple Music Classical Mentions, Apple Pay in South Korea, and More

Apple this week released the second developer and public beta of an upcoming iOS 16.4 update, and we’ve spotted some additional changes since the first beta.

One of the most notable changes is the return of the “curled” page-turning animation in Apple Books that was removed in iOS 16.0. The code in the new beta also suggests that Apple is nearing the launch of the promised Apple Music Classical app, while there are some additional tweaks in the Settings app under AppleCare device coverage and Always On Display.

iPhone 15 Pro Max may have thinner camera bump and smaller footprint

The iPhone 15 Pro Max will be thicker than its predecessor despite having a slightly reduced height and width, but it may offer a less prominent rear array, according to recently shared CAD renderings and dimensions.

According to dimensions from the “Ice Universe” leak, the ‌iPhone 15 Pro‌ Max’s footprint is about 1mm smaller in both height and width compared to the ‌iPhone 14 Pro‌ Max, but it is 5% thicker. The CAD renderings and accompanying dimensions suggest that the iPhone 15 Pro Max will have a less prominent camera bump than previously expected, and be 0.59mm shallower than the iPhone 14 Pro Max.

Apple reportedly has a secretive “startup team” working on experimental technology for future devices

While last week we learned that a secretive “Exploratory Design Group” at Apple has had success with non-invasive blood sugar measurement, BloombergMark Gurman this week shared more information about how this group known as “XDG” works.

XDG includes only a few hundred people and functions as a “startup” working on a number of different projects. Group members are organized by skill and can work on multiple projects simultaneously, but XDG members are not allowed to discuss their work with others in the group who are not working on that specific project.

The group is said to be working on next-generation display technology, artificial intelligence, low-processor technologies, next-generation batteries for smartphones and health features for headphones to help people with eye diseases.

MacRumors Newsletter

Every week we publish an email newsletter like this one that highlights the best Apple stories, making it a great way to get a little recap of the week that hits all the major topics we’ve covered and ties together related stories for a large-picture display.

So if you want top stories like the roundup above delivered to your email inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter!