Apple's Cloud Chief Michael Abbott will reportedly leave the company in April

Photo: Michael Abbott

Apple's top executive in charge of its cloud initiatives is reportedly leaving the company next month, in April. Michael Abbott will be the latest in a wave of recent departures from Apple. He is the second top lieutenant to services head Eddy Cue to leave this year. Abbott is in charge of services and technologies like iCloud.com, iCloud Mail, and the new iCloud data encryption. He also runs the platform that powers services like iCloud, FaceTime, iMessage, Find My feature, and Emergency SOS on iPhones, among others.

In recent years, Abbott has hired several cloud industry leaders to improve Apple's operations, but the integration of the new talent hasn't reportedly gone smoothly as hoped. Abbott has held his role for five years. He joined the company in 2018 after serving as an investor at venture capital company Kleiner Perkins and as an executive at Microsoft, Palm, and Twitter. Jeff Robbin will take over Abbott's responsibilities. Robbin is considered one of the company's most senior engineering leaders, and he's credited with creating iTunes. He has long managed engineering for several services under Cue.

Source

Leaked image shows iPhone 15 Pro's USB-C port

Photo: URedditor/Twitter

With Apple needing to comply with regulatory changes in Europe, the iPhone 15 lineup is expected to adopt a USB-C port instead of Apple's standard Lightning port. Now, we're seeing what the chassis of the iPhone 15 Pro could look like, thanks to a leak on Twitter. According to the leaker, Apple plans to replace its E75 Lightning Controller with an E85 Port Controller.

It's not hard to imagine what a USB-C port will look like. But it gives a glimpse of the rumoured tweaked curves on the Apple iPhone 15 Pro. Apple is supposedly planning to transition to a titanium material instead of stainless steel. And the brushed metal look of this leaked image makes it look like a titanium finish. The entire iPhone 15 line is expected to make the USB-C switch, but the design refinements are expected only on the iPhone 15 Pro models.

Source

Report: Apple considers 'Ultra' high-end iPhone model in 2024

Photo: Apple

Apple's reportedly thinking about offering an even more expensive, high-end iPhone. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the company won't rebrand the Pro Max to Ultra. Instead, it's considering releasing an Ultra high-end model akin to the Apple Watch Ultra to come out as soon as 2024. This move will allow Apple to increase its average selling price, which CEO Tim Cook commented on during this week's earnings call that consumers are willing to pay more for the best device.

It's unclear what can be different with this Ultra model, but Gurman speculates it could have things like an even larger display, better cameras, and cutting-edge chip designs. There doesn't seem to be a foldable iPhone in the works for now. 9to5Mac pointed out how consumers are willing to splurge, with the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max performing well during this cycle compared to the more affordable iPhone 14 and 14 Plus.

Apple rumoured to launch a foldable iPad in 2024

Apple might be ready to launch a folding tablet soon. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims the iPhone maker will launch a foldable table in 2024. As Inverse pointed out, it seems like an unusual move given how Apple typically takes a bit more time before launching a new product category. Apple has been rumoured to be working on foldable devices since 2022. But Kuo has been somewhat reliable with his predictions, so it might be time to make a countdown for this product launch. In the meantime, the heavily rumoured Apple device coming is a mixed-reality headset. We are expecting to see that new product this year.