Before Apple’s big product announcement on Wednesday, I expected Apple to announce an iPhone 18 Pro and a folding iPhone, and I also thought it was likely that Apple would announce a new Apple Watch and AirPods. But in addition to that, I expected new products for the home, such as a HomePod with a screen. Apple did not announce any new products for the home, and I’m incredibly thankful for that because there was so much announced this week that it is going to take a very long time to process it all. The iPhone Duo changes so many basic assumptions about what an iPhone is that I don’t think I’ll have an honest opinion on that product until I can try it out in person. Once it is released in October, a trip to my local Apple Store is definitely in my future. I’ve done my best to pick out the highlights of the week in this post, but I apologize in advance for everything else important that I omitted. There is just too much. Buckle up, here we go, the news of note from the past week:
- Before I get started, here is a quick reminder that while new Apple products are exciting to think about, something even better to think about is doing something positive about childhood cancer. Whether you can spare $5 or $500, please take a few seconds to click here and donate any amount to St. Jude now that it is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Thank you!
- An important improvement in all of the new iPhones is the A20 Pro processor. Mark Tyson of Tom’s Hardware reports that, based on some early GeekBench scores, the A20 Pro could be 25% faster than its predecessor. That’s mighty impressive, if true.
- Oliver Haslam of AppleInsider says the A20 Pro could be the “secret sauce” that makes the new Siri AI incredibly useful.
- Antonio Di Benedetto of The Verge says that the big new camera feature on the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max is not the variable aperture but instead the ability to have an aperture of f/1.48 because people love pictures with bokeh, “that blurry, ‘dreamy’ blur isolating them from the background.”
- Rajesh Pandey of Cult of Mac notes that an important new feature of the iPhone 18 Pro is the improved thermal chamber, which has three times the surface area of the iPhone 17 Pro.
- Apple announced a new type of iPhone accessory this week. As noted by Ryan Christoffel of 9to5Mac, it is a Wrist Strap accessory that works with certain Apple cases for the iPhone.
- John Voorhees of MacStories shows off all of the new accessories that Apple announced this week.
- I agree with Dan Moren of Six Colors that the iPhone Duo is not really a bigger iPhone, nor is it really a smaller iPad. It seems like a third type of device.
- David Sparks of MacSparky believes that the iPhone Duo’s hardware is impressive, “but the software sold the device” for him. “The way apps move between displays, the new dock, the two-app layouts, and all the partially folded positions make this feel like a new kind of iPhone.” I agree. I expected to see a folding iPhone this week. But I was delighted and surprised by the device’s impressive software.
- Andrew O’Hara of AppleInsider got to try out the iPhone Duo and says that based on his “time with it, I can easily see it being my daily driver.”
- Horace Dediu of Asymco got to try out the new iPhone Duo, and here is his first impression: “The iPhone Duo is stunning to behold. I was mildly skeptical that it would be a necessity. A nice-to-have, sure, but a must-have, I doubted it. I’m now converted. I feel the Duo is going to become extremely desirable. Mostly because to see one is to want one. The more they sell, the more they will be seen and demanded. It’s the ultimate gift and object of desire.”
- In a few weeks, we will see video reviews of the iPhone Duo, and I’m sure that they will be fascinating. But for now, my favorite video of the iPhone Duo is from Joanna Stern.
- The iPhone Duo is not the first smartphone with a folding screen. But as William Gallagher of AppleInsider notes, Apple is almost never the first in a product category, but it is usually the best.
- Anurag Chawake of Cult of Mac explains what features you miss when you get an iPhone Duo instead of an iPhone 18 Pro.
- Federico Viticci of MacStories wrote a good overview of all of the new iPhones.
- Oliver Haslam of AppleInsider explains why an iPad mini may be a better purchase than an iPhone Duo.
- Ben Lovejoy of 9to5Mac says: The Duo is drool-worthy, but the iPhone 18 Pro camera features win for me. Yep.
- The ability to share a phone number between two different iPhones is a useful new feature for the small universe of people who own two iPhones. Marcus Mendes of 9to5Mac reports that T-Mobile will support the feature but will charge you $5/month to use it.
- Adam Engst of TidBITS provides an overview of the new features in the Apple Watch Series 12: more heart rate measurements throughout the day, Siri Recap (an AI feature that can summarize your conversations), Live Rewind (transcriptions of what was said in the last 15 seconds), sound recognition (which can listen for important sounds like an alarm or a doorbell), and more.
- I’ve been thinking a lot about the privacy and ethical implications of Siri Recap and Live Rewind. Glenn Fleishman of Six Colors has been thinking about this too, and he wrote a thoughtful article on the topic. It’s worth reading, since this is the world we will all be living in, whether you own a new Apple Watch or someone else you encounter does.
- This page on Apple’s website has lots of detail on the new Audio Intelligence features and their privacy implications.
- The new Apple Watch has a new watch face called Siri Modular. Zac Hall of 9to5Mac explains how it works.
- Apple announced a lot of things this week that will happen on different dates. Federico Viticci of MacStories prepared a helpful calendar so you can keep track of it all.
- Ryan Christoffel of 9to5Mac reports that the new Apple Watch models have double the RAM of last year’s models. I’m sure that this will make a big difference in boosting performance.
- You can pre-order the new Apple Watch on Amazon and save some money. For example, this model is $20 cheaper.
- Tom Warren of The Verge reports that iOS 27 will be available on Monday, September 14.
- Stephen Hackett of 512 Pixels found a fun Easter Egg in iOS 27. Moof!
- AppleCare One costs $19.99/month and protects three products. As Andrew Orr of AppleInsider notes, Apple announced the new AppleCare One Family service this week. It costs $49.99/month, but it covers unlimited eligible devices for up to six family members. As Andrew Orr of AppleInsider notes, you need to do some math to figure out what is right for you, but for some folks, this new plan is worth it, especially if you have three or more people in your family.
- When Apple introduced the iPhone 14, one interesting new feature was satellite connectivity. As I reported at the time: “Apple says that the service will be free for the first two years that you use one of these phones. After that, you will have to pay a fee that Apple has yet to disclose.” It is now four years later, and Apple has still not disclosed what that fee might be. Marcus Mendes of 9to5Mac reports that Apple disclosed, in a footnote, that the service will remain free for another year. I wonder if Apple will ever charge for the feature.
- And finally, here is a 90-second recap from Apple of the announcements of this week: