Exact iPhone 17 colors

In partnership with

Apple is regularly criticized for making devices that are hard to repair — especially by end consumers.

Spare parts supplier iFixit, for example, almost always gives iPhones and iPads low repairability scores.

But the flip side is that these devices are often pretty durable — and durability comes at the expense of repairability.

The latest iPad Pros are difficult to repair because they’re glued together, but despite being super-thin, they’re hard to bend. The glue creates a laminated structure that’s surprisingly rugged.

This is important because durability may actually be more environmentally-friendly than repairability.

Sure, it’s a green crime to throw out your old iPad when the battery (which is consumable) peters out, but most of Apple’s devices can and do last for many years, dominating the used and refurbished markets.

In fact, according to market research firm Counterpoint, some iPhones have three lives — they are sold and resold three times during their lifetimes, which may stretch to a decade or more. Throw-away they are not.

Which brings us to rumored design changes in the upcoming iPhone 17 lineup, which on the surface are kinda puzzling.

Apple’s current iPhone 16 Pro handsets are made with titanium bodies, but it’s rumored the 17 Pro models will switch to aluminum instead, which sounds like a downgrade. However, the high-end, super-thin iPhone 17 Air will continue to have a titanium body, according to the latest rumor.

Why would Apple ditch titanium for the Pro models, but not the Air?

The reasons are unclear, but I’ll bet it has to do with color and durability. The 17 Pros are moving back to aluminum because of color: Aluminum is much easier to tint than titanium.

But the 17 Air, which will be ultra-thin, will be made of titanium to make it less bendable. Titanium’s tougher than aluminum.

The result is that the Air will be less colorful than the Pros, which Apple will spin as a feature, rather than a bug. The titanium 17 Air will come in “lighter” colors to emphasize is lightness — according to the latest report, which details the exact colors of the upcoming lineup.

The report originated with Macworld, which has quite the scoop. The outlet claims to have gotten hold of internal Apple documents, which detail the precise Pantone colors that will be used in every handset due to be unveiled in the fall. Tim cook must be fuming!

Also in today’s newsletter:

• This mini power bank juices your iPhone and Apple Watch, and can be attached to your keychain for emergencies. It looks super handy. We have it on sale for just $20.

• I’m seeing more and more people use iPhone lanyards. These new ones from Satechi double as a charging cable. Clever!

• Today’s featured setup details how one user switched their aging iMac for a M4 Mac mini and 27-inch Dell monitor. The old and new setups look similar, but of course, everything’s newer and better.

— Leander Kahney, EIC.

^{A message from the Cult of Mac Deals team}

^{A message from the Cult of Mac Deals team}

Tweets of the day

Wallpaper of the day

One more thing ...

Today’s poll

Results from yesterday’s poll: What is Apple's cleverest use of magnets?

Best reader comment

Subscribe to The Weekender — Get the week's best Apple news, reviews and how-tos from Cult of Mac, every Saturday morning. Our readers say: "Thank you guys for always posting cool stuff" -- Vaughn Nevins. "Very informative" -- Kenly Xavier.