With Black Friday and Cyber Week shopping events winding down and the calendar flipping over to December, our attention is starting to turn to 2023 and all of the Apple news we're expecting to see.
This week saw an alleged benchmark leak for an "M2 Max" chip expected to make an appearance in upcoming Macs like the MacBook Pro early next year, as well as fresh rumors about the iPhone 15 coming later in the year.
Other news included Apple's annual App Store Awards, the high-profile launch of the Oceanic+ diving app for Apple Watch Ultra, and our look at some of the other things in Apple's pipeline that we're hoping to see in the fairly near future, so read on for all of the details on these stories and more!
'M2 Max' Performance Revealed in Leaked Benchmark
Alleged benchmark results for Apple's as-yet-unannounced M2 Max chip surfaced on Geekbench this week, offering a first look at the chip's potential performance gains and specs.
The benchmark is likely for a future MacBook Pro. If accurate, the listing indicates the M2 Max chip will have a 12-core CPU option and can be configured with 96GB of RAM, whereas the M1 Max chip has a 10-core CPU and is available with up to 64GB RAM.
Given that Apple CEO Tim Cook said the company's product lineup is "set" for this holiday season, the first Macs with M2 Pro and M2 Max chips are expected to be announced in 2023.
iPhone 15 Said to Feature 'State-of-the-Art' Camera Sensor
Apple's next-generation iPhone 15 models will be equipped with Sony's newest "state-of-the-art" image sensor, according to a report this week from Japanese publication Nikkei Asia.
The report said the sensor can "capture more light and reduce overexposure or underexposure in certain settings," which should result in improved Night mode photos and other benefits for iPhone 15 cameras.
Man Robbed After Buying 300 iPhones at Apple Fifth Avenue
An unnamed 27-year-old man who purchased 300 iPhones from Apple Fifth Avenue this week was robbed shortly after leaving the store, according to New York radio station 1010 WINS.
The man was reportedly carrying 300 iPhone 13 devices in three bags and walking to his car at 1:45 a.m. when another car pulled up next to him and demanded that he hand over the iPhones, leading to a fight in which one of the bags containing 125 iPhones worth $95,000 was taken.
Apple Announces 2022 App Store Award Winners
Apple this week announced its 2022 App Store Award winners, highlighting the 16 best apps and games selected by Apple's editorial team. Each winner will receive a physical App Store award that is modeled after the design of the App Store logo.
Apple also announced the winner of its first-ever Apple Podcasts Award and introduced a new highlight reel feature for the 2022 edition of Apple Music Replay.
Apple Announces Oceanic+ App Now Available for Apple Watch Ultra
Apple this week announced that the Oceanic+ app is now available for the Apple Watch Ultra. Designed by Huish Outdoors in collaboration with Apple, the app serves as a dive computer for recreational scuba diving at depths of up to 40 meters/130 feet.
Apple already offers a basic Depth app on the Apple Watch Ultra. For experienced scuba divers looking for more advanced data, the Oceanic+ app is a useful tool.
Apple Still Has These 5 Things to Release Heading Into 2023
The calendar has turned to December and that means Apple has only one month left to fulfill its promises of releasing an Apple Music Classical app and expanding its self-service repair program to Europe before the end of 2022. Delays are always possible, of course, so the plans could be pushed back to 2023.
In any case, we have put together a list of five things that Apple still has to release over the next several months.
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