Taking a look back at another week of news and headlines from Cupertino, this week’s festive Apple Loop includes more iPhone discounts, poor iPhone XR sales, serious problems for iOS 12, leaked iPad Mini details, and an Apple Press Launch video like no other.

Apple Loop is here to remind you of a few of the very many discussions that have happened around Apple over the last seven days (and you can read my weekly digest of Android news here on Forbes).

iPhone XR Discounts Continue

Apple continues its fight to boost sales of the new iPhone handsets, with more territories and more marketing in the post-Christmas sales of ’the $449 iPhone XR’ ofer. Of course the offer requires a trade-in, but this is a deliberate choice to try to sell the XR as a ‘cheap’ iPhone. And that has long-term consequences, as I discussed earlier this week:

…it trades on the goodwill of Apple’s name and offers it at a lower price. No matter that it is a trade-in, no matter that it still goes through the books as a full price sale and a buyback of an older iPhone (that can be reconditioned and resold), the consumer specifically sees the iPhone XR as £499 [in the UK, $449 in the US].

In the rush of the Boxing Day Sales, that’s a ‘bargain’ price for the iPhone. And in the short-term that will help Apple’s unit sales, revenue, and margins. But in the long-term it diminishes the status of Apple as a luxury brand, it diminishes the iPhone as the pinnacle of desire in the smartphone world, and it drags the whole company down from ’someone that takes unique and special care of its consumers’ to ‘just another manufacturer looking to maximise profit above all’.

Starting the official sales of iPhone XR smartphones in a Moscow retore shop, an Apple authorised reseller, . Sergei Savostyanov/TASS (Photo: Sergei SavostyanovTASS via Getty Images)GETTY

Poor iPhone XR Sales in November

Why would Apple be continuing to push the iPhone XR, risking its good name and the ire of customers who purchased one as a gift for Christmas? The suggestion from CIRP is that the iPhone XR performed poorly in November, with its share of iPhone sales down considerably compared to the iPhone 8 family from 2017. Michael Potuck discusses the report:

With 32% share of total iPhone sales, the XR took a bit lower share at 32% than the iPhone 8/8 Plus did during the same period in 2017. CIRPs latest report dives into the iPhone sales mix for November 2018 and compares the data to previous years to see how iPhone XR, XS, and XS Max have performed during the holiday quarter.

…In its study, iPhone XR landed with 32% share of total iPhone sales which was better than iPhone X in 2017 with 30% but lower than iPhone 8/8 Plus at 39%.

iOS 12 Faces Serious Problems

Meanwhile Apple is still struggling to bring back a reliable 4G data connection in iOS 12. The latest version of the operating system - courageously released just before Christmas - saw users around the wold having to rely on WiFi as the cellular data connection failed. Forbes’ Gordon Kelly reports:

As more and more iPhone owners blindly upgrade to iOS 12.1.2 reports are now flooding in from around the world that it cuts off mobile data services. As such, Apple’s claims that it “Addresses an issue that could affect cellular connectivity in Turkey for iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max” seem ironic given the problem has now expanded to all models of iPhone across all continents.

Tracking complaints on Twitter alone, iPhone owners now suffering from mobile data loss after upgrading to iOS 12.1.2 can be found in North America, South America, Europe and Asia. But the United States appears to be hit particularly hard.

More here on Forbes. iOS 12.1.3 is in its second beta and it is hoped will address this problem during January. The best advice now is to avoid the update to 12.1.2 if you can.

iPad Mini 5 Details Leak

Thanks to Slashleaks, we can start to work out what features a new iPad Mini will have through the medium of shapes and cut-outs on a leaked case. Juli Clover has more details:

There’s a vertical camera cutout, suggesting the iPad mini 5 might have a camera arrangement similar to the iPad Pro with a rear flash, and a center microphone cutout. Speaker cutouts at the top and the bottom hint at a possible four-speaker arrangement, and there appears to be a cutout for a headphone jack at the bottom. There is also a cutout at the side, which could mean the iPad mini will get a Smart Connector to support a Smart Keyboard, much like the iPad Pro.

And Finally…

Famous for the end of season NFL videos, the Bad Lip Reading team has turned its attention to Apple’s product launches and new products. Uncrate has more background:

There are few things in the tech world like an Apple product launch. The familiar routine has changed only in that Tim Cook is on stage now instead of Steve Jobs and the resulting lack of personality. The team at Bad Lip Reading took aim at Apple with their latest video, making a few hilarious Apple products and much more enjoyable experience overall.

…and a tip of the hat to Daring Fireball.