The new iPhones are here! And the new models of the Apple Watch, and the new AirPods Pro 3. If you ordered one of these new products, hopefully it will be ready for you to pick up today in your local Apple Store or it will be delivered to you. When Apple started taking pre-orders last week, I ordered a new iPhone 17 Pro Max to be delivered to my office. But then I noticed that it wouldn’t be delivered until later next week, so I placed a second order that I would pick up at 9am at my local Apple Store. Days later, Apple updated my original order, saying that it would actually be delivered today. I guess that for a brief period of time, I’ll have two new iPhones in my possession until I return one of them. But one way or the other, I should be able to start checking out the new features just a few hours after I am writing these words. And now, the news of note from the past week:
- For many years now, Apple has given photographer Austin Mann early access to each new iPhone model so that he can test the new cameras. This year, he went to the Dolomites, a mountain range in Italy. In this post, he shares some amazing pictures along with his thoughts on these new cameras.
- Chance Miller of 9to5Mac reviews the iPhone Air.
- Billy Steele of Engadget reviews the iPhone 17.
- Raymond Wong of Gizmodo also reviews the iPhone 17. These two reviews are consistent with what I’ve seen elsewhere: this entry-level model of the new iPhone is a better model than what we saw in previous years, making it an especially good value this year.
- Juli Clover of MacRumors lists 100 new features and changes in iOS 26.
- Felipe Espósito of Macworld identifies some of the more hidden features in iOS 26 that are worth checking out.
- Ben Lovejoy of 9to5Mac shares his favorite features in iOS 26.
- Amalia A of The Mac Observer explains how the new call screening feature works in iOS 26.
- Tim Hardwick of MacRumors identifies the new ringtones in iOS 26.
- Joanthan Reed of MacStories explains what is new in watchOS 26.
- Juli Clover of MacRumors lists 26 new features in watchOS 26.
- If you have an Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, Ultra 2, or Ultra 3, your Apple Watch can now notify you of possible hypertension. Apple added this page to its website to describe how the feature works.
- If you have AirPods 4, AirPods Pro 2, or AirPods Pro 3, you can now use the AirPods as a remote camera control, but you have to explicitly turn that feature on. Ed Hardy of Cult of Mac explains how it works. I tried it, and it does work, but if you already have an Apple Watch, I think that the Camera Remote app on the Apple Watch works much better. For example, that app gives you a preview of what your iPhone camera is seeing. So after testing this new AirPods feature, I turned it back off again.
- Ryan Christoffel of 9to5Mac notes that if you have the new AirPods Pro 3 and a new iPhone 17 or iPhone Air, the Find My feature is even more precise if you are trying to locate your AirPods.
- Christoffel also describes what is new for CarPlay in iOS 26.
- Christoffel also describes how you can save even more information about your credit cards in the Wallet app in iOS 26.
- Devon Dundee of MacStories reviews visionOS 26.
- Apple had a good night at the Emmys. As Joe Rossignol of MacRumors notes, The Studio and Severance received many awards. In fact, The Studio was the most-winning freshman comedy in history.
- New shows start on Apple TV+ every week for four weeks, starting today. Today, it is Season 4 of The Morning Show. Next weekend, it is Season 5 of Slow Horses and the new limited series crime thriller The Savant starring Jessica Chastain. On October 3, it is the movie The Lost Bus starring Matthew McConaughey and America Ferrera. And on October 10, it is the new crime thriller The Last Frontier starring Jason Clarke. I’m interested in seeing all of those, but I don’t have nearly enough time.
- Dessi Gomez of Deadline lists all of the songs played in the first episode of Season 4 of The Morning Show.
- I’m enjoying the show Chief of War on Apple TV+. Marcus Mendes of 9to5Mac notes that Apple Maps now has a guide so that you can see the locations on a map that are featured in the show.
- Apple released a video to help you decide which of the four iPhone models is right for you. It’s a silly video, but it does show off the key features.
- And finally, here is a video from Apple that shows off the durability of the iPhone 17 Pro and how it can be used to take epic videos: