Apple News
Same black box, totally different device: 2022 vs. 2026 Apple TV 4K
The 2022 Apple TV 4K (third generation) arrived as a more compact, fanless refresh that lowered the entry price while adding the A15 Bionic chip, HDR10+ support, and optional Ethernet/Thread. Four years later, the 2026 Apple TV 4K (fourth generation) keeps the same compact black square form factor, but shifts the product into a higher price tier as a smarter home theater and smart-home hub, powered by the A19 chip, built-in far-field microphones, Wi-Fi 7, and new multi-speaker capabilities.
Design and Build
Both units share nearly identical dimensions and a passive-cooled, palm-sized design. The 2022 models measure roughly 1.2 × 3.66 × 3.66 inches and weigh about 7.3 ounces (Wi-Fi) or 7.5 ounces (Wi-Fi + Ethernet). The 2026 model is listed at 1.22 × 3.67 × 3.67 inches and 7.6 ounces. The exterior remains a minimalist black box with an etched Apple logo; the meaningful physical additions on the 2026 unit are the three-microphone array for hands-free voice control and standard Gigabit Ethernet on every unit.
Processor, Memory, and Performance
The 2022 Apple TV 4K uses the A15 Bionic (introduced in the iPhone 13 line), which Apple positioned as delivering up to 50 percent faster CPU and 30 percent faster GPU performance than the prior A12-based model, along with 4 GB of RAM. The 2026 model moves to the A19 chip (from the iPhone 17 family). Apple claims up to 50 percent faster CPU performance and up to twice the GPU performance versus the A15, with reports indicating roughly 8 GB of RAM to support on-device Apple Intelligence features. The result is snappier navigation, smoother animations, more headroom for games, and the processing power needed for Siri AI. Both remain limited to 4K output at up to 60 fps over HDMI 2.1; neither supports 4K 120 Hz.
Storage and Configurations
The 2022 generation offered two variants: a $129 Wi-Fi model with 64 GB and a $149 Wi-Fi + Ethernet model with 128 GB (the latter also adding Thread). The 2026 model simplifies to a single configuration: 128 GB with Gigabit Ethernet and Thread included, priced at $299. Streaming apps and most media still rely primarily on the cloud, so the storage difference matters most for offline content or large game downloads.
Connectivity
The 2022 models use Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) with 2×2 MIMO and Bluetooth 5.0; Ethernet and Thread were exclusive to the higher-storage version. The 2026 model upgrades to Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2×2 MIMO, Bluetooth 6, and includes both Gigabit Ethernet and Thread on every unit. Wi-Fi 7 brings wider channels and multi-link operation that can improve stability on congested networks when paired with a compatible router, though real-world gains depend on the rest of the network. Both support HDMI 2.1 with eARC, IR for control, and the usual AirPlay and HomeKit features.
Video and Audio
Core video output remains 4K HDR at up to 60 fps on both, with support for Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+, and HLG, plus Dolby Atmos audio. The 2026 model expands codec and format support: it adds hardware decoding for AV1 and VP9 (helpful for more efficient streaming on services that use them), Dolby Vision Profile 8.1 in addition to Profile 5, HDMI Quick Media Switching for smoother format changes, and broader 21:9 cinematic aspect-ratio support. A new exclusive feature is four-speaker surround sound using matching pairs of HomePod mini 2 or second-generation HomePod speakers; the system auto-detects speaker positions and calibrates timing and levels. The 2022 model lacks this multi-speaker HomePod configuration.
Remote and Controls
Both ship with a Siri Remote that uses USB-C for charging and supports IR/CEC TV control. The 2022 remote is the third-generation version (Bluetooth 5.0). The 2026 remote is the fourth generation (Bluetooth 6) and adds Find My support with Precision Finding plus the ability to play a sound so it can be located under cushions. The new remote can also be purchased separately for $59. It works with all Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD models. The 2026 Apple TV itself adds three far-field microphones with voice isolation and echo cancellation, enabling hands-free “Hey Siri” or “Siri” commands even while content is playing—something the 2022 hardware cannot do.
Software, AI, and Ecosystem Features
Both run modern versions of tvOS and support the Apple TV app, Apple Arcade, Fitness+, FaceTime via Continuity Camera, HomeKit hub duties, and Siri. Siri AI (the more conversational, Apple Intelligence-powered assistant with personal context, full-screen results, and follow-up questions) arrives as a beta on the 2022 model (and the 2021 model) via a later tvOS update, but the 2026 hardware is better optimized for it thanks to the faster chip, extra memory, and dedicated microphones. The 2026 model also gains enhanced smart-home capabilities such as Apple Intelligence-generated descriptions and summaries for HomeKit Secure Video cameras. Core streaming, AirPlay, and app experiences remain broadly comparable, with the newer hardware simply feeling more responsive.
Pricing and Value
At launch the 2022 models started at $129 (64 GB Wi-Fi) and $149 (128 GB with Ethernet/Thread). The 2026 model is a single $299 configuration. That is a substantial increase — roughly double the original entry price and roughly $150 more than the prior 128 GB model — even accounting for later price adjustments on the older unit. Buyers of the 2022 model who primarily stream video, use basic Siri, and have no need for the newest wireless standards or four-HomePod surround will still find their box capable for years. The 2026 unit makes the most sense for those who want hands-free voice control, the latest Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, AV1 efficiency, multi-speaker HomePod audio, maximum responsiveness, or deeper Apple Intelligence integration in the living room.
In short, the 2022 Apple TV 4K refined an already strong streaming box at a more accessible price with a solid performance jump and optional wired connectivity. The 2026 model preserves the familiar form and core 4K HDR/Dolby experience while adding meaningful generational gains in processing power, wireless standards, on-device microphones, codec support, and multi-speaker audio—positioned as a premium home-theater and smart-home device rather than a low-cost streamer.
MacDailyNews Take: Pricey, but they will last for many years. $299 over 5 years is $59.80/year or $4.98/month. We’ve already ordered multiple units.
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Apple’s HomeView smart display pairs 15 built-in apps with CarPlay content and widgets
Apple’s newly announced HomeView is the company’s first dedicated smart display, a 7-inch Liquid Retina device intended to serve as a shared household screen that still feels personal to each user. Announced on October 13, 2026, as part of Apple’s “Welcome home” push into the smart home category, it is available in tabletop and wall-mounted versions at $299 each. Preorders are open, with availability beginning November 13th.
Users can customize HomeView with a collection of playful faces that display useful information at a glance, taking full advantage of the Liquid Retina display.
The tabletop model pairs the square screen with a domed speaker base connected by a stainless steel tilting hinge, while the wall-mounted version uses purpose-built mounts (including options for hardwiring or Power over Ethernet). Both run on an A18 chip and come in colors including silver, starlight, rose pink, and space gray. The display supports True Tone and can dim as low as 0.3 nits. A 12-megapixel Center Stage camera and multi-microphone array enable facial recognition for up to six household members, FaceTime calls, and voice identification. Facial recognition data stays on the device. Audio includes full-range drivers in the screen, with the base model adding a down-firing woofer and passive radiators.
HomeView does not run iOS or iPadOS and has no App Store. Instead, it uses its own software with customizable “faces” that users can swipe through, similar to an Apple Watch. These can show clocks, shared photo albums, weather, Snoopy animations, smart home controls, or up to nine live camera feeds. Swiping up reveals a home screen of apps and widgets. The device recognizes faces (when the user’s iPhone is on the same Wi-Fi and recently unlocked) to switch from a shared household view to personal content, app arrangements, and widgets. It also supports voice recognition and Handoff from a nearby iPhone.
Apple’s tech specs list these 15 built-in apps:
• Alarms
• Calendar
• FaceTime
• Find My
• Home
• Intercom
• Messages
• Music
• Podcasts
• Reminders
• Safari
• Settings
• Timers
• Weather
• World Clock
Additional content comes from a paired iPhone. Supported items include:
• Apple Music Classical
• Apple News
• Apple TV
• Audiobooks
• Spotify (and other supported third-party audio and video apps)
Video and audio can also play through Safari. Full Siri AI features, including personal context drawn from the paired iPhone (such as playing songs mentioned in Messages or scheduling actions based on estimated arrival), require an Apple Intelligence-capable iPhone (iPhone 15 Pro or later). Older devices can set up the HomeView with more limited Siri capabilities.
The latest Apple Developer Program License Agreement formalizes how third-party content reaches the device. Section 6.4 addresses CarPlay and Apple HomeView. It states that an iOS application’s widget may be made available on both CarPlay and Apple HomeView, with developers responsible for ensuring widgets are functional and suitable (particularly for CarPlay driving contexts, using tools like disfavoredLocations where needed). Apple can disfavor unsuitable widgets. Separately, if an app includes a CarPlay entitlement in a category Apple identifies in its documentation, the company may provide access to that application on HomeView while it runs on a paired iOS device. Apple’s CarPlay developer materials add that CarPlay audio and video apps work on HomeView without requiring modifications to the app. Widgets from iOS apps that already support CarPlay (available more broadly than just audio and video categories) can therefore appear as well, unless developers opt out.
This approach lets HomeView offer media and glanceable information from the user’s existing iPhone apps without a native App Store or new app builds in many cases. It emphasizes privacy through on-device processing for recognition features and requires the nearby, recently unlocked iPhone for sensitive personal content. The device also acts as a smart home hub for controlling accessories, viewing cameras, and handling automations, with multiroom audio support alongside HomePods or other HomeViews.
MacDailyNews Take: HomeView represents Apple’s late entry into the smart display market already occupied by devices from Amazon and Google. Its design leans on tight iPhone integration, Watch-style faces, household personalization via the camera, the revamped Siri AI, adn emphasized user privacy. Availability begins in select countries including the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, Singapore, and South Africa; it is not offered currently in the EU.
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OpenAI alleges former employee took files on unreleased device to Apple
An OpenAI employee who left the ChatGPT maker for Apple sent more than 100 files about an unreleased product to a personal account and later made a presentation about the unreleased product to senior Apple leadership, a new filing by OpenAI in the lawsuit between it and Apple alleges, according to reporting by Reuters’ Stephen Nellis and Deepa Seetharaman.
The allegation appears in a court filing in the ongoing trade-secrets dispute between the companies in U.S. District Court in California. Apple sued OpenAI and two former Apple employees in July, accusing them of misappropriating confidential information related to hardware design, manufacturing, and supply-chain operations as OpenAI expands into consumer devices. OpenAI has denied the claims and described the dispute as largely of Apple’s making.
The new filing turns the spotlight on an OpenAI employee who moved in the opposite direction — to Apple — and allegedly transferred materials concerning an unreleased OpenAI product before presenting related information to Apple executives.
The case has already produced extensive discovery fights, including recent judicial orders granting Apple expedited access to certain OpenAI hiring and interview records involving former Apple staff. Neither company has issued an immediate public response to the latest allegation in the filing.
The lawsuit underscores intensifying competition between the two firms as OpenAI pushes into hardware while Apple works to integrate advanced AI into its products.
MacDailyNews Take: ChatGPT. The AI for newbies who don’t know better alternatives exist. Nobody cares about your goofy privacy-nightmare speakers, necklaces, and trinkets, designed by a washed Jony Ive, OpenAI.
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Think of Apple’s HomeView as a large Apple Watch for your tabletop or wall
After years of half-measures with HomePod speakers and the Home app, Apple is making a serious push into the smart home with the launch of HomeView.
The new 7-inch Liquid Retina display hub (available for countertop or wall mounting) is Apple’s biggest dedicated smart-home device yet. It combines Apple Watch-style interfaces for controlling lights, locks, and thermostats with a home screen for apps like FaceTime and Messages, plus camera feeds, recipe projection, and facial recognition for up to six users.
Users can customize HomeView with a collection of playful faces that display useful information at a glance, taking full advantage of the Liquid Retina display.Timed for a market in flux as AI-capable assistants arrive, the device leans on upgraded Siri AI and Apple’s privacy focus while working with existing HomeKit and Matter accessories—positioning Apple to compete more directly with Amazon and Google during an open upgrade cycle.
Daniel Howley for Yahoo Finance:
“Most smart speakers and hubs in homes today are low-cost devices that can’t run AI at the edge, so they are ripe for replacement,” Counterpoint Research research director Mohit Agrawal said in a note following Apple’s Welcome Home event on Tuesday.
“Amazon and Google have only just begun refreshing their hardware for Alexa+ and Gemini, so the upgrade cycle is wide open, and Apple wants to win it,” he added.
Apple is framing both its Siri AI and its privacy stance as two key benefits of the HomeView. Siri AI will allow you to control smart home devices with your voice, make FaceTime calls, and ask broad world-knowledge questions.
The new hardware provides users with a long-awaited Apple-built solution for controlling smart home devices. To date, customers have had to wrangle a collection of do-it-yourself options, such as using iPads as wall-mounted command centers.
HomeView changes that, with Apple noting that the device will work with existing Apple Home and Matter-compatible accessories.
“Generative AI has raised expectations for conversational ease and genuinely useful assistance, and Siri has consistently lagged,” Forrester vice president and principal analyst Dipanjan Chatterjee said in a press statement.
“The critical question is whether the new Siri capabilities can close that gap and make Apple’s home experience as intuitive and compelling as its best products,” he explained.
If Apple’s strategy to take smart home share from Amazon and Google succeeds, it could provide a boost to the company’s bottom line while helping to ensure increased lock-in among its customers.
MacDailyNews Take: We’re still struggling to convince ourselves we need this – we already have the Home app on our iPhones and iPads, music on our HomePods, Apple Watches on our wrists, etc. – but, maybe for the average Joe and Jane, this product will somehow appeal to them?
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Apple asks judge to toss record $5.7 billion verdict over iPhone and Watch haptics
Apple has asked a federal judge in San Diego to throw out a $5.7 billion jury verdict — the largest patent award in U.S. history — won last month by a small company that says the tech giant borrowed its ideas for the taps and buzzes in iPhones and Apple Watches.
In a filing this week, Apple told the court the award was “untethered to any evidence at all” and amounted to little more than “impermissible guesswork on a massive scale.” The company argues that Taction Technology never showed the jury what its patents were actually worth, leaving jurors to invent a number instead. It also says its own Taptic Engine works differently from the technology described in Taction’s patents, and that one of Taction’s key experts used a testing method invented for the lawsuit rather than the one set out in the patents themselves.
The case has been running since 2021. Taction, which builds haptic systems into headphones and gaming headsets, claimed Apple’s Taptic Engine — small actuator that makes the phone or watch tap when you press a button or get a notification — infringes two of its patents covering damped, electromagnetically driven vibrations. A jury agreed on September 25th, finding infringement of specific claims in the two patents and awarding $5.72 billion. It did not find that Apple’s infringement was willful.
Apple points to an unusual moment in court: before the verdict was even read, Judge Todd Robinson reportedly told the lawyers he was “not sure that the figure that appears on the verdict form is what the jury meant to convey.” The company is asking the judge to rule that it did not infringe, that Taction is entitled to nothing, or at least to order a new trial on infringement, validity, and damages.
Big patent verdicts often shrink or disappear later. Several previous awards over a billion dollars have been overturned or cut on appeal, and Apple is counting on that pattern. Taction’s side has not yet responded publicly to the new motion. The judge has not ruled, and any decision is expected to be appealed either way — most likely to the Federal Circuit, which already revived the case once after an earlier dismissal.
For now, the $5.7 billion figure remains a jury’s number, not a final bill. Apple continues to insist its technology is fundamentally different and that it never used Taction’s inventions. Taction’s lawyers have said the verdict simply vindicated patents the company waited more than five years to defend in court. The next round of legal arguments will decide which of those views the judge accepts.
MacDailyNews Take: This ludicrous $5.7 billion jury verdict must get tossed.
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Amazon offers first pre-order discounts on Apple HomeView
Right after Apple unveiled its new HomeView smart display, Amazon has rolled out the first pre-order discounts on the device. The Space Gray and Starlight versions of the tabletop model are now listed at $289.99, down from the standard $299 price.
Apple introduced HomeView on October 13, 2026, as a central home hub combining a 7-inch square Liquid Retina display, built-in speakers, and Siri AI. Key features include facial recognition for up to six users (each getting a personalized experience with their own apps and widgets), a Center Stage camera for FaceTime, support for Apple Home and Matter accessories, and the ability to show camera feeds or other information at a glance. The tabletop model pairs the display with a domed speaker base via a tilting stainless steel hinge; a separate wall-mounted version is also available. Both models launch at $299, with first deliveries expected on November 13.
The all-new Apple HomeView is available in four beautiful colors: silver, starlight, rose pink, and space gray.
The Amazon discount applies only to the Space Gray and Starlight tabletop units so far. Other colors (Silver and Rose Pink) and the wall-mounted edition remain at full price, and no other major retailers have matched the markdown as of this writing. Delivery estimates on Amazon still point to the November 13th launch window. Because Apple is not offering trade-ins on the new product category, the modest savings currently makes Amazon the lowest-priced pre-order option for those two finishes.
While the cut is small, it marks the earliest deal on HomeView and could expand as the November 13th release approaches.
MacDailyNews Take: If you like those finishes, pre-order while they last here.
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Apple and OpenAI face off in court over alleged trade secret theft in AI hardware push
Apple and OpenAI are set for a pivotal hearing Wednesday in a high-stakes lawsuit accusing the artificial intelligence company of conspiring to steal proprietary details about upcoming products as it expands into consumer hardware, according to Bloomberg News‘ Madlin Mekelburg and Georgia Fearn.
The case, filed in July in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, names OpenAI, its hardware chief Tang Tan, and former Apple engineer Chang Liu. Apple alleges the defendants systematically extracted confidential information on product design, manufacturing processes, component technologies, testing methods, and the company’s supply chain from departing or interviewing employees. Cupertino claims OpenAI is using that material to accelerate its own entry into hardware.
OpenAI has strongly denied the accusations. It contends the lawsuit is an attempt to deter talent from leaving Apple and that ordinary job interviews have been mischaracterized as misappropriation. In court filings, OpenAI stated it is developing a new family of AI-era devices and has “no need or desire for Apple’s trade secrets.” Bloomberg News has reported that OpenAI’s first consumer hardware product is expected to be a doughnut-shaped smart speaker priced above $300, positioned as a distinct AI-centric device.
U.S. District Judge Edward Davila in San Jose will hear arguments on two motions. Apple seeks a preliminary injunction barring OpenAI from using any confidential information obtained from Apple and from further efforts to acquire such details while the case proceeds. Apple has claimed OpenAI used interviews with current and former employees to solicit proprietary information, including by directing candidates to bring prototypes and design materials for demonstrations. OpenAI, meanwhile, has moved to dismiss the suit entirely, arguing Apple has not identified specific trade secrets and has only pointed to broad categories of hardware information.
OpenAI has further asserted that the dispute highlights weaknesses in Apple’s own security and offboarding practices. It has pointed to employees’ use of personal iCloud accounts for work materials, an authentication issue that allegedly left Liu with residual access after his departure, and continued technical questions from Apple staff after he left. OpenAI previously published some private messages between Liu and Apple employees on its website. Apple has countered that materials in Liu’s personal accounts are distinct from its core claims involving later unauthorized access to company network storage and downloads of confidential files.
On Tuesday, Judge Davila ordered OpenAI to expedite production of certain documents related to the alleged use of trade secrets in its hardware development. The companies’ clash comes despite a roughly two-year partnership that integrated ChatGPT into Apple software, amid reports of hundreds of Apple employees joining OpenAI. The litigation has added uncertainty for OpenAI as it pursues a high valuation and public listing.
MacDailyNews Note: The case is Apple v. Liu, 5:26-cv-07078.
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Apple TV unveils trailer for gripping drama series ’12 12 12′
Apple TV on Tuesday revealed the trailer for “12 12 12,” the highly anticipated drama starring and executive produced by Emmy Award nominee Anthony Mackie and Golden Globe Award nominee Jamie Dornan. The gripping, eight-episode new series will premiere globally on Friday, November 13, 2026, with the first two episodes, followed by one episode weekly through December 25, 2026.
Each episode of “12 12 12” unfolds across three timelines of a heist: the 12 months of planning, the 12 hours of the heist and the 12 days following it. The series follows a disgraced FBI agent (Mackie) and an American career criminal (Dornan) as they play a zero-sum game of cat and mouse across Europe. At the center of it all is the daring, epic raid on a bank vault deep beneath the streets of Zurich.
In addition to Mackie and Dornan, the ensemble cast is led by Jack Kesy, Agathe Rousselle, Sallie Harmsen, José Garcia, and Emmy Award nominee Kali Reis.
The series is created and executive produced by Dudi Appleton and Jim Keeble. Emmy Award-nominated and BAFTA Award-winning filmmaker Kari Skogland directs multiple episodes, including the pilot, and serves as an executive producer. In addition to starring, Dornan and Mackie executive produce, with Mackie executive producing under his Make It With Gravy production banner alongside Samantha Corbin-Miller, David Knoller and Jason Spire for Inspire Entertainment. The series is produced by Paramount Television Studios and Anonymous Content.
Apple TV offers premium, compelling drama and comedy series, feature films, groundbreaking documentaries, and kids and family entertainment, and is available to watch across all of a user’s favorite screens. After its launch on November 1, 2019, Apple TV became the first all-original streaming service to launch around the world, and has premiered more original hits and received more award recognitions faster than any other streaming service in its debut. To date, Apple Original films, documentaries and series have been honored with 919 wins and 3,829 award nominations and counting including multi-Emmy Award-winning and history-making comedies “Widow’s Bay,” “The Studio” and “Ted Lasso,” global cultural phenomenon “Severance,” Apple’s most-viewed drama “Pluribus,” Academy Award Best Picture winner “CODA” and Academy Award winner “F1,” the highest-grossing sports feature of all time.
MacDailyNews Note: Apple TV is available on the Apple TV app in over 100 countries and regions, on over 1 billion screens, including iPhone, iPad, Apple TV 4K, Apple Vision Pro, Mac, popular smart TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, VIZIO, TCL and others, Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices, Chromecast with Google TV, PlayStation and Xbox gaming consoles, and at tv.apple.com, for $14.99 per month with a seven-day free trial for new subscribers. For a limited time, customers who purchase and activate a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV 4K or Mac can enjoy three months of Apple TV for free.
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Apple’s HomeView launch video is a spectacular disaster on many levels
Apple’s promotional film for the new HomeView smart display (“Welcome Apple HomeView: Designed for life at home”) has drawn unusually sharp reactions. The roughly three-minute piece aims to show the $299 device — essentially a 7-inch square Liquid Retina screen on a speaker base or wall mount, powered by an A18 chip and the new Siri AI — handling a busy household morning. Instead, many viewers found the production choices and the family dynamics it stages more distracting than convincing:
The most immediate complaint concerns the size and shape of the display itself. The HomeView’s display is deliberately small and square, closer in proportions to a large Apple Watch face than to the rectangular panels on Amazon Echo Shows or Google Nest Hubs. In the video, actors repeatedly lean in close to peer at it, swipe, and interact. This staging draws attention to how little usable area the screen actually provides for recipes, calendar details, messages, or anything else that benefits from readable text or a wider view. Critics noted that the production effectively advertises the device’s compactness as a limitation rather than a feature; tighter framing, smaller hands, or different camera angles could have mitigated the impression. One widely shared reaction put it more bluntly: the people on screen look as if they need strong corrective lenses simply to use the thing.
Still from Apple’s HomeView launch video
Hands-on coverage has reinforced the point—reviewers describing the unit as smaller than expected and noting that a square format forces awkward cropping or scrolling for video, group FaceTime, or recipe steps.
Beyond production craft, the family scenario itself has struck many as off-putting. The video depicts a chaotic morning: arguments over French toast (and its origins), a FaceTime interruption, someone hunting for keys via AirTag, calendar checks for evening plans, and general rushing amid barking and doorbells. At the center is a stay-at-home father handling cooking and household logistics while the rest of the family appears largely self-absorbed or lightly mocking. Viewers have described the father figure as passive and ineffectual in an out-of-control household, with the overall tone suggesting little mutual respect. One observer called the portrayal of this “emasculated” dad and his self-centered relatives disappointing as an attempt at relatability; others found the whole scene more like a pain box than an aspirational home. Additional commentary has pointed to the father’s lack of reaction to a teenage visitor arriving for the daughter before school, and to the general sense that the technology is papering over dysfunction rather than improving ordinary life.
Still from Apple’s HomeView launch video
There’s also the hole drilled into the table, which has not gone unnoticed:
"Introducing subtle table hole for HomeView" https://t.co/F0Q0jNCMXU
— Quinn Nelson (@SnazzyLabs) October 13, 2026
Comparisons have already been drawn to Apple’s earlier “Mother Nature” sketch as another high-profile cringe video that landed as awkward and tone-deaf rather than warm or useful. Same producer or team of producers? If so, how many septum rings are we talking here?
These reactions sit alongside broader product critiques that the video does little to dispel. The square screen is poorly suited to most video content (horizontal films/TV or vertical short-form), and HomeView cannot natively run Apple TV, many other video apps, or a full App Store experience. Certain Apple services (including Apple TV, some audiobooks, and Apple Music Classical) require an iPhone nearby and AirPlay or CarPlay bridging; third-party options are similarly constrained. Personal features such as private messages or calendars rely on facial recognition plus a nearby Apple Intelligence-capable iPhone. The device functions as a Matter controller and Thread border router, but its ecosystem is narrower than competitors’, and the $299 price exceeds many existing Echo or Nest options that already offer larger or more flexible screens. Reviewers have variously called it a “glorified clock-sized Apple Watch,” “nothing inspired,” and late to a category Amazon and Google have occupied for years. Some early hands-on impressions are more positive about design, multi-user privacy, and kitchen controls, but even those acknowledge the form-factor compromises and limited native apps.
Apple has long excelled at polished product films that make hardware feel highly desirable if not inevitable. This one, by contrast, has been called one of the company’s worst by multiple viewers — an assessment to which the visible production choices, the strained domestic tableau, and the device’s real-world constraints all contribute. The HomeView may still find a niche among households already deep in the Apple ecosystem, but the launch video has done little to expand that audience and quite a bit to invite scrutiny of both the storytelling and the product it ostensibly seeks to promote.
SteveJack is a long-time Macintosh user, web designer, multimedia producer, and contributor to the MacDailyNews Opinion section.
MacDailyNews Take: Yes, this video is ill-conceived and off-putting, but, again, at just $299, it’s relatively inexpensive to just take a flier on one and see how much use it gets in our household.
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Is Apple’s new $149 HomePod mini 2 worth the upgrade? Here’s what’s new
Apple’s new HomePod mini 2, announced October 13, 2026, costs $149 in the U.S. That’s $20 more than the original HomePod mini’s recent $129 price and $50 above its 2020 launch price of $99. Pre-orders are open now, with availability starting October 30th. The mini 2 keeps the same compact spherical design (3.3 inches tall by 3.9 inches wide) and core audio hardware — a full-range driver plus dual force-cancelling passive radiators for 360-degree sound — while adding a newer chip, improved wireless connectivity, visual effects, and expanded features.
Price Comparison
The $20 bump over the outgoing model is modest. Both speakers serve as smart speakers, HomeKit/Matter hubs with temperature and humidity sensors, and support stereo pairing and multiroom audio. For most new buyers the mini 2 is the better long-term choice. Existing owners need a clearer reason to upgrade.
Key Specs Side by Side
• Price (recent U.S.): Original $129 → mini 2 $149
• Chip: Apple S5 → Apple S10
• Wi-Fi: 802.11n (Wi-Fi 4) → Wi-Fi 6E
• Bluetooth: 5.0 → 6
• Weight: ~0.76 lb (345 g) → ~0.74 lb (335 g)
• Colors: White, yellow, orange, blue, midnight → Pink, green, blue, white, midnight
Both retain Thread networking, Ultra Wideband, the temperature/humidity sensor, and Sound Recognition for smoke/carbon monoxide alarms.
Features That Make the Extra Cost Worthwhile
Siri AI and processing. The S10 chip is a multi-generation jump from the S5. It enables Siri AI—a more conversational assistant with personal context awareness (when paired with an Apple Intelligence-capable iPhone or iPad), broader knowledge, richer music discovery, and multi-app actions. Siri AI arrives later via a software update (initially in English in select countries), not at launch. This is the primary long-term differentiator.
Home theater and audio processing. Computational audio on the S10 analyzes music in real time to optimize dynamic range, loudness, and performance. More importantly, the mini 2 supports four-speaker surround sound with the new fourth-generation Apple TV 4K. The system automatically detects speaker positions and calibrates timing and levels. Mixed setups (full-size HomePods in front, minis in back) are possible. The original mini cannot do four-speaker surround.
Sound Glow and Mac support. The top touch surface now animates with music via Sound Glow: it pulses to bass and treble and pulls colors from album artwork. Soundscapes such as rain trigger matching animations. The mini 2 can also serve as a Mac’s default speaker for movies, games, and calls on supported models, with a more reliable connection than basic AirPlay.
Connectivity. Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 6 replace the older standards, improving range, reliability, and latency for multiroom setups and Mac pairing.
What Doesn’t Change Much
The physical size, fabric mesh, driver, passive radiators, and overall 360-degree sound character remain essentially the same. Pure sound quality improvements depend on the S10’s computational tuning rather than new hardware. Color changes are cosmetic.
Bottom Line
New buyers in the Apple ecosystem should get the mini 2. The modest premium buys a modern chip, better wireless, future Siri AI, Sound Glow, Mac speaker capability, and four-speaker surround readiness.
Existing original mini owners can stay put if they mainly use stereo or multiroom music and are happy with non-AI Siri (and, if you are, you are exceedingly easy to satisfy). Upgrade (or add units) only if you specifically want the far more capable Siri AI when it arrives, plan a four-speaker Apple TV setup, or value the Mac speaker integration and visual effects. A stereo pair of mini 2s runs $298 – a decent price for the quality of sound they offer.
The HomePod mini 2 is an evolutionary update. The $20 difference is reasonable if you will use the new ecosystem features; pure listening performance is still stronger on the larger HomePod for most people.
MacDailyNews Take: The extra Andrew Jackson is worth it for Siri AI upgrade alone.
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Hands-on first impressions of Apple’s $299 HomeView smart display
After years of phone-centric habits, Apple’s new smart home device points toward a more ambient future, according to hands-on first impressions from The Wall Street Journal’s Nicole Nguyen.
HomeView is a $299, seven-inch square tablet and speaker designed for smart home control, hands-free FaceTime calls, and interaction with the recently revamped Siri AI assistant. As Nguyen notes in her reporting from New York City, the device’s clearest advantage over long-standing rivals from Amazon and Google is its deep access to data already on a user’s iPhone.
The square screen sits on a compact speaker base (with a wall-mount option also available), letting it function as a shared household hub that can personalize the experience. It uses facial recognition to identify up to six people and surface individual content — such as messages, calendars, or widgets — while keeping personal information protected behind that recognition (or an iPhone unlock as a fallback). Siri AI, powered by Apple Intelligence, can draw on personal context from linked Apple devices for more helpful responses about schedules, messages, music, or home controls, while supporting features like recipe guidance, timers, and multi-camera live views for compatible HomeKit or Matter devices.
Apple positions the product as both central to the home and private for each user, with pre-orders open now and availability starting November 13th in select countries. Early looks from the event emphasize the design’s adaptability for counters, nightstands, or walls, along with room-filling audio and glanceable interfaces that shift based on distance.
Nguyen’s hands-on account highlights the integration edge while the broader product introduction underscores privacy and ecosystem strengths. At the same time, the closed nature of the setup — requiring Apple devices for full personalization and limited third-party flexibility — means households outside the ecosystem may see fewer benefits than those already invested in iPhones and related gear. Whether the combination of Siri AI, facial recognition, and iPhone data access is enough to draw users away from established smart displays remains to be seen once the devices reach real homes.
MacDailyNews Take: At just $299, it’s relatively inexpensive to just take a flier on one and see how much use it gets in our household.
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Apple shares hit new all-time high
Apple shares reached a fresh all-time high on Tuesday, trading near $346 as the company rolled out a new smart-home lineup centered on HomeView, HomePod mini 2, and updated Apple TV 4K hardware. The move pushed Apple’s market capitalization above $5 trillion, placing it among the largest companies by value amid continued strength in consumer electronics and services.
Top and selected market caps:
• Nvidia (NVDA): $5.454 T
• Apple (AAPL): $5.048 T
• Alphabet (GOOGL): $4.340 T
• Microsoft (MSFT): $4.070 T
• Amazon (AMZN): $2.807 T
• Taiwan Semi (TSM): $2.287 T
• SpaceX (SPCX): $2.064 T
• Meta Platforms (META): $1.957 T
• Tesla (TSLA): $1.482 T
• Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A): $1.110 T
• Advanced Micro Devices (AMD): $959.389 B
• Walmart (WMT): $904.237 B
• Cisco (CSCO): $451.742 B
• Dell (DELL): $363.118 B
• Netflix (NFLX): $296.766 B
• IBM (IBM): $218.151 B
• SoftBank (SFTBF): $193.768 B
• Disney (DIS): $188.900 B
• Sony (SONY): $141.641 B
• Spotify (SPOT): $109.009 B
• Adobe (ADBE): $92.250 B
• Nokia (NOK): $54.588 B
• Hewlett-Packard (HPQ): $27.937 B
• SiriusXM (SIRI): $8.969 B
• BlackBerry (BB): $4.960 B
• Sonos (SONO): $2.087 B
• Liquidmetal (LQMT): $0.084 B
MacDailyNews Take: Mr. Market seems to like Apple’s new smart home push.
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Apple unveils Apple Home Collection, a new lineup of smart home accessories
Apple today announced Apple Home Collection, a new lineup of smart home accessories — including indoor and outdoor cameras, thermostats, temperature sensors, and a video doorbell and door lock — designed in collaboration with LG Electronics and Schneider Electric. These new accessories are simple to set up starting with one tap with iPhone, and everything is managed through the Apple Home app — no separate app or account required. Each accessory is encrypted end-to-end in Apple Home, so only users and the people they choose can access their home data.
Building on the thousands of Works with Apple Home and Matter accessories available today, Apple Home Collection offers customers a new array of recommended products to better understand what’s happening inside and outside their home, manage access, and keep the temperature just right throughout the day. Availability for all products begins in December, with select accessories available starting early 2027.
“Apple Home Collection makes it easy to choose smart home accessories with confidence,” said Matthew Costello, Apple’s vice president of Hardware Engineering, in a statement. “Working closely with industry leaders LG Electronics and Schneider Electric, we designed every accessory to work seamlessly with Apple Home, so managing your home is simple, reliable, and private.”
Apple Home Collection accessories feature a clean, minimal aesthetic and premium materials, with every detail considered, from how they mount and adjust to how they look and feel throughout the home. Apple Home Collection accessories feature a clean, minimal aesthetic and premium materials, with every detail considered, from how they mount and adjust to how they look and feel throughout the home.
A New Kind of Apple Home
Works with Apple Home and Matter certification have allowed a wide array of third-party accessories to connect with Apple’s smart home ecosystem for years, and Apple Home Collection takes it even further. Apple worked closely with LG Electronics and Schneider Electric to create an integrated Apple Home experience across the new product lineup. And like all accessories in Apple Home, Apple Home Collection products are designed for privacy, with Home app data encrypted end-to-end, so LG Electronics, Schneider Electric, and Apple can’t read it.
These new Apple Home Collection products feature a clean, minimal aesthetic and premium materials, with every detail considered, from how they mount and adjust to how they look and feel alongside Apple products throughout the home. Each product can be set up starting with a single tap with iPhone, controlled entirely from the Home app and using Siri, and work as either standalone accessories or together as a connected system.
“LG Electronics has spent decades developing technologies and products designed around the way people live,” said Kihyun Jung, LG Electronics’ executive vice president, in a statement. “Working closely with Apple, we’ve co-created a more connected, intuitive, and convenient home experience for our customers.”
“As a global leader in energy technology, we are proud to bring our experience in innovative and advanced climate control to Apple Home,” said Olivier Blum, Schneider Electric’s CEO, in a statement. “Schneider Home’s new Smart Thermostat is a true collaboration with Apple to give customers a seamless way to help manage their home’s energy use, effortlessly blending efficiency with everyday comfort and simplicity.”
The accessories are simple to set up starting with a single tap on iPhone, and everything is managed through the Home app — no separate app or account required.
Home Monitoring
LG’s lineup of four cameras gives users a private and intelligent way to monitor their homes when using a home hub like Apple HomeView, HomePod, HomePod mini, or Apple TV 4K. Every camera captures up to 2.5K resolution video and recognizes people, familiar faces, pets, vehicles, and packages, with video history securely stored in users’ supported iCloud+ plan, so there’s no separate camera subscription.
The lineup includes the following devices:
• LG’s Video Doorbell offers dual cameras that capture separate views of visitors and packages — allowing users to switch between the front and bottom camera views seamlessly — along with a built-in spotlight and a chime that plays through HomeView, HomePod, and HomePod mini. The front camera captures 2.5K resolution video, and the bottom camera captures full HD resolution.
• LG’s Floodlight Cam delivers powerful perimeter monitoring with adaptive dual floodlights that activate automatically when motion is detected, and low-light color night vision that preserves clarity in darker conditions so users can see more of what’s happening outside.
• LG’s Outdoor Cam also offers low-light color night vision and can be easily angled, delivering flexible outdoor coverage with simple self-installation.
• LG’s Indoor Cam takes a distinctive approach to privacy in the Home app by automatically tilting upward and downward to adjust the view when users check in on the home, and tilting back down to stop monitoring as soon as the first member of the household returns. Users can also tilt the camera manually or in the Home app at any time, whether to take a quick look around the room or adjust the view to exactly where they need it.
LG’s Video Doorbell offers dual cameras that capture separate views of visitors and packages, along with a built-in spotlight and a chime that plays through HomeView, HomePod, and HomePod mini. LG’s Floodlight Cam delivers powerful perimeter monitoring with adaptive dual floodlights that activate automatically when motion is detected, and low-light color night vision that preserves clarity in darker conditions. LG’s Outdoor Cam offers low-light color night vision and can be easily angled for flexible coverage. LG’s Indoor Cam automatically tilts upward and downward to adjust the view when users check in on the home, and tilts back down to stop monitoring as soon as the first member of the household returns.
Each camera works with iCloud+, giving users access to 10 days’ worth of event video history. On eligible iCloud+ plans, Apple Intelligence adds automatic video descriptions that summarize what’s happening in a clip, along with the ability to search footage using natural, descriptive language. Built-in storage keeps cameras recording even when Wi-Fi goes down, and improvements to the way footage is captured and stored ensure detected moments aren’t missed during a network outage. Users can view live footage and camera activity at any time right from the Home app on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV 4K, or HomeView — with quick live snapshots that give an at-a-glance view without needing to open a full livestream.
The new HomeView works with Apple Home Collection to help users understand what’s happening inside and outside their home, manage access, keep the temperature just right throughout the day, and so much more.
Home Access
LG’s Smart Deadbolt Lock brings a new level of convenience to home access. Using Ultra Wideband technology, the lock can tell how close a user is and when they’re approaching the door. As a user with a home key on a compatible iPhone or Apple Watch walks up, the door unlocks automatically, with no tapping required. For flexibility, users can also tap to unlock with an iPhone or Apple Watch, use an integrated PIN pad, or rely on a hidden backup key slot. The lock can sense if the door has been opened, closed, or tampered with, alerting users if it’s open even while locked. Guest access can also be shared directly through the Home app, making it simple to grant a dog walker, house sitter, or visiting family member their own way in.
LG’s Smart Deadbolt Lock uses Ultra Wideband technology to tell when the user is approaching the door, and can sense if the door has been opened, closed, or tampered with.
Controls in the Home app allow the doorbell and lock to work together as a front-door system — letting users see who’s there and unlock the door in a single view or by asking Siri. When a visitor rings the bell, a chime sounds through HomeView, HomePod, or HomePod mini, and a notification appears on the user’s Apple devices, like iPhone or iPad. From wherever they are, users can see who’s at the door, speak to the visitor, and unlock the door for them. The new smart lock is Matter compatible and supports Aliro, working entirely locally so core access functions continue even without an internet connection.
Home Climate
Two new Smart Thermostats are available — one from LG Electronics and one from Schneider Electric — so users can choose the product that best fits their home’s broader energy ecosystem. Using on-device intelligence from iPhone, Adaptive Temperature in the Home app automatically adjusts the thermostats based on whether someone is at home, winding down at night, or away, ensuring the home is always at the right temperature without any manual scheduling.
Schneider Electric’s new Smart Thermostat for Apple Home Collection works with a broad range of HVAC systems and ensures the home is always at the right temperature without any manual scheduling. LG’s new Smart Thermostat for Apple Home Collection works with a broad range of HVAC systems and ensures the home is always at the right temperature without any manual scheduling.
In the contiguous U.S., Clean Energy Guidance can shift heating and cooling to cleaner, lower-cost periods for users with a compatible utility plan, and the Home app displays usage insights over time, including peak and off-peak rate information. The new thermostats can read temperature and humidity across multiple rooms using LG Electronics’ and Schneider Electric’s new standalone temperature and humidity sensors, or the sensors already built into HomeView, HomePod, and HomePod mini.
Using on-device intelligence from iPhone, Adaptive Temperature in the Home app automatically adjusts the thermostats based on whether someone is at home, winding down at night, or away.
Both thermostats and temperature and humidity sensors are Matter compatible and DIY-friendly, and work with a broad range of HVAC systems, with on-device wire detection to simplify installation.
One Home, Working Together
Every product across the new lineup shares a consistent, seamless setup and control experience. Starting with a single tap with iPhone, the accessory is added to Apple Home, similar to setting up HomePod — with no additional app to download and no separate account to create. Every device supports Thread, helping it maintain connectivity even if a Wi-Fi connection drops. Products also automatically update their network credentials if a customer changes their home Wi-Fi, eliminating a common smart home frustration.
The accessories are designed to work together, and users can control every product with Siri. A single “Good Morning” scene can simultaneously adjust the thermostat, tilt an indoor camera down while a user is getting ready, and start music on HomePod. Using on-device intelligence from iPhone or Apple Watch, users can set up Apple Home to recognize key moments throughout the day: As the last user leaves for work, the thermostat adjusts for an empty home, the door locks, and cameras begin monitoring again. Before they arrive home, the thermostat begins adjusting the temperature, and the front door unlocks automatically as they approach.
Privacy at Home
Privacy is foundational to Apple Home. Camera footage and personal data in the Home app are stored end-to-end encrypted and never accessible to LG Electronics, Schneider Electric, or Apple. Camera footage is securely processed locally on the customer’s own Apple Home hub or in Private Cloud Compute and, for users with iCloud+, stored encrypted in iCloud for 10 days. No one, not even Apple, can access the data.
Professional Installation Available at Apple Retail
For customers who prefer to have their smart home accessories professionally installed, Apple Retail now offers third-party installation from ADT for an additional charge, available in the U.S. starting this fall.
Pricing and Availability
• Apple Home Collection will be available starting in December at apple.com/store, in the Apple Store app, and at Apple Store locations, with select accessories available starting early 2027.
• LG Video Doorbell Wired starts at US$249.95, LG Floodlight Cam starts at $399.95, and LG Outdoor Cam Plug-In starts at $299.95, all available in Essence Graphite and Essence Silver in the U.S., Canada, and the UK. LG Indoor Cam Plug-In, also available in the U.S., Canada, and the UK, starts at $199.95 in Essence White.
• LG Smart Deadbolt Lock starts at $349.95 and is available in Essence Graphite and Essence Silver in the U.S. and Canada.
• LG Smart Thermostat starts at $199.95 and LG Temperature Sensor starts at $39.95, and are available in Essence White in the U.S. and Canada.
• Schneider Home Smart Thermostat starts at $199.95 and is available in Silver + White in the U.S. and Canada. Schneider Home Room Sensor, also available in the U.S. and Canada, starts at $39.95 in White.
• Installation accessories for smart thermostats are available separately at apple.com/store and in the Apple Store app. LG C‑Wire Power Adapter starts at $24.95, Schneider Home Trim Plate starts at $14.95, and Schneider Home C‑Wire Power Adapter starts at $24.95.
• Apple HomeView is not available for sale in the European Union, as Siri AI is currently unavailable in iOS in the EU. Apple is working constructively with the EU in an attempt to find a path forward.
MacDailyNews Take: While we’re sticking with our Anker Eufy 4K solar-powered outdoor cameras (no wires and no issues), some of these other items are intriguing. Because Apple is relatively late to the game here, we already have smart thermostats, other aforementioned camera systems, smart deadbolt locks, etc., so we’ll see how well Apple Home handles them all, hopefully freeing us from having to use several third-party apps to control everything and access all of their capabilities (one app for the cameras, another for the thermostats, etc.).
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Apple reveals HomePod mini 2 with support for Siri AI, new colors, and rich sound
Apple today announced HomePod mini 2, featuring Siri AI, gorgeous new colors, and enhanced audio experiences. Siri AI, coming to HomePod mini 2 in a future software update, is a profoundly more capable and conversational assistant with personal context understanding, broad world knowledge that powers tasks like richer music discovery, and the ability to tap into even more apps — bringing a whole new level of capability to HomePod mini.
Users can enjoy room-filling audio with a single speaker, in a stereo pair, or using multiroom audio. When paired with the new Apple TV 4K, HomePod mini 2 supports four-speaker surround sound — Apple’s most immersive home theater setup yet. And HomePod mini makes it easy for different users to manage the connected home with just a voice command, securely controlling accessories and running automations.
HomePod mini 2 can be pre-ordered starting today in pink, green, blue, white, and midnight, with availability beginning Friday, October 30.
“HomePod mini 2 brings together Siri AI, gorgeous new colors, and incredible audio,” said Kaiann Drance, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Home Product Marketing, in a statement. “With Siri AI, it understands you better than ever, drawing on personal context and broad world knowledge to make music discovery even richer. It fills a room with sound on its own, which gets even bigger in a stereo pair or with multiroom audio, and when paired with the new Apple TV 4K, it delivers our most immersive home theater setup yet. And with just your voice, HomePod mini makes it easy to securely control your accessories and run automations across the connected home.”
From filling a room with sound to intelligently connecting the home, HomePod mini 2 is more helpful than ever.
Siri AI Transforms the HomePod mini Experience
Powered by an entirely new architecture built on the latest generation of Apple Foundation Models, Siri AI transforms the HomePod mini experience and helps users get more done than ever before.
When paired with an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone or iPad, HomePod mini can tap into a user’s personal context to help them find what they need in the moment. HomePod mini can recognize up to six users in a household by their voice and securely connect to their device across apps like Messages and timers, while playing their favorite music, and more. Siri AI can also privately act on this context across a user’s iPhone and iPad apps to complete tasks like finding a song a friend recommended in a text, setting a reminder tied to a calendar event or location, locating a recipe from an email, or adding ingredients to a grocery list. With broad world knowledge, Siri AI can answer questions on almost any topic by getting up-to-date information from the web. And users can go back and forth with Siri in a conversation like never before.
Once Siri AI is enabled on a supported HomePod mini speaker, even users without an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone or iPad will benefit from Siri AI’s broad world knowledge; its ability to have rich, natural conversations; and its improved music discovery.
Immersive Audio Experiences
HomePod mini delivers rich 360-degree sound from its compact footprint, whether it’s used as a single speaker, in a stereo pair, or as part of a multiroom audio setup. Powered by the Apple S10 chip and advanced computational audio, it analyzes music in real time to optimize dynamic range, loudness, and acoustic performance. For the first time, users can create a four-speaker surround sound experience with Apple TV 4K (4th generation) and HomePod mini 2. Together, the four speakers and the new Apple TV 4K intelligently recognize each speaker’s position in the room, so audio timing and levels are automatically calibrated to the space.
Users can create a four-speaker surround sound experience with HomePod mini 2 and Apple TV 4K (4th generation).
The new HomePod mini can serve as a speaker for Mac, delivering expansive sound for everything from movies and gaming to FaceTime and video calls. Finished in complementary colors, the new HomePod mini creates a beautifully unified desktop setup with Mac.
HomePod mini 2 can serve as the default speaker for Mac, delivering more expansive audio for everything from movies to FaceTime calls.
Introducing Sound Glow
With Sound Glow, the top of HomePod mini transforms into a visual canvas that glows and pulses in sync with the music, reacting in real time to bass and treble.5 The song’s album artwork from Now Playing generates a color-matched light experience that’s unique to every song, and users can pick a soundscape like rain to trigger bespoke animations for a soothing atmosphere.
https://macdailynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/261013_apple-homepod-mini-2-midnight-sound-glow.mp4
With Sound Glow, the top of HomePod mini 2 becomes a visual canvas that glows and pulses in sync with music.
Effortless Smart Home Management
HomePod mini makes controlling the connected home easy at an incredible value. With just their voice, users can conduct a series of smart home actions, including locking the front door; closing the garage when leaving the house; and lowering the blinds, adjusting the thermostat, or turning off the lights at bedtime. With the Home app, users can automate their smart home accessories and create scenes to control multiple accessories at the same time. As a home hub, HomePod mini also lets users securely control accessories from the Home app on iPhone, whether they’re at home or away.
At home or on the go, users can securely control smart home accessories with HomePod mini 2 using the Home app.
Sound Recognition gives HomePod mini users peace of mind by listening for a smoke or carbon monoxide alarm and, if one is detected, sending a notification immediately to the user’s iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. Using the Home app, users can check in via HomePod mini and listen and talk to someone at home to make sure everything is all right.
If a smoke or carbon monoxide alarm is detected, Sound Recognition sends a notification to the user’s iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch.
The new HomePod mini also works seamlessly with smart home accessories, including Apple Home Collection video doorbells and cameras, using Face Recognition to announce who is at the door.
Private and Secure by Design
As with every Apple product, privacy and security are foundational to HomePod mini. Siri AI takes full advantage of the bold new architecture for Apple Intelligence. Siri requests on HomePod mini 2 can use on-device processing or Private Cloud Compute, which extends the privacy of the device to the cloud. When processed in Private Cloud Compute, data is not stored or made accessible to Apple or anyone else.
With powerful new features and unrivaled privacy protections, Siri remains the world’s most private digital assistant.
HomePod mini 2 and the Environment
HomePod mini 2 is built with the environment in mind and drives progress toward Apple’s ambitious plan to be carbon neutral across its entire footprint by 2030. HomePod mini features 100 percent recycled rare earth elements in all magnets, and 100 percent recycled copper, gold plating, and tin solder in all Apple-designed printed circuit boards. HomePod mini 2 meets Apple’s high standards for energy efficiency and safe chemistry. As with all Apple products, its paper packaging is 100 percent fiber-based10 and designed to be recycled.
Pricing and Availability
Customers in the U.S. and more than 23 other countries and regions can pre-order HomePod mini 2 starting today from apple.com/store and in the Apple Store app in pink, green, blue, white, and midnight, with availability in stores beginning Friday, October 30th.
HomePod mini 2 is available for US$149.
Siri AI will be available in English on HomePod mini 2 via a future software update in the U.S., Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, and the UK.
HomePod mini 2 is compatible with HomePod software 27.2.
MacDailyNews Take: At just $149, the much more capable HomePod mini 2 is an absolute steal!
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Apple unveils $299 next-gen Apple TV 4K, powered by profoundly more capable Siri AI
Apple today announced the next generation of Apple TV 4K, delivering its most immersive home theater experience yet. The new Apple TV 4K features Siri AI, an entirely new version of Siri powered by the next generation of Apple Intelligence, transforming how users search for, discover, and enjoy their favorite movies and TV shows through a full-screen Siri AI experience. With built-in far-field microphones, Apple TV 4K also lets users talk to Siri completely hands-free.
The new Apple TV 4K delivers even faster performance and, when paired with four HomePod mini 2 or HomePod (2nd generation) speakers, unlocks the most immersive home theater surround sound setup Apple has ever offered. As a home hub, Apple TV 4K also makes managing the smart home easier than ever, with Apple Intelligence-generated camera activity descriptions and summarized notifications in the Home app, and control of accessories and scenes.
The new Apple TV 4K, which features 128GB storage, can be pre-ordered starting today for US$299 or $49.83 per month for six months, with availability beginning November 13th.
“The new Apple TV 4K is our most immersive home theater experience yet,” said Bob Borchers, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, in a statement. “With Siri AI, finding something to watch becomes a full-screen, conversational experience, and with built-in far-field microphones, it’s completely hands-free. Pair it with HomePod for the best surround sound setup we’ve ever offered, and it makes managing your Apple Home accessories easier than ever. Now, alongside HomeView, HomePod mini 2, and Apple Home Collection, it’s part of the most connected Apple Home we’ve ever built.”
An Entirely New Version of Siri Powered by Apple Intelligence
Apple TV 4K brings Siri AI to the living room with a rich, full-screen experience. An entirely new version of Siri powered by the next generation of Apple Intelligence, Siri AI is a profoundly more capable and conversational assistant with personal context understanding, broad world knowledge, and the ability to take even more systemwide app actions, making it effortless to find entertainment. Users can simply ask Siri “What Apple TV shows won at the Emmy Awards this year?” and see beautiful poster art pulled directly from the Apple TV app, along with relevant suggestions like “More award-winning comedies” to keep exploring. While watching, users can ask Siri AI follow-up questions and tap into Siri AI’s broad world knowledge to go deeper into a show, asking things like “Where was Pluribus filmed?” or “Is this appropriate for a 15-year-old?” Responses appear in a compact, subtle overlay, providing helpful information when viewers ask while keeping them immersed in the action. With an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone, Siri AI on Apple TV 4K can now tap into a user’s personal context to answer requests like “Play the show Alinda recommended.”
Siri AI is a profoundly more capable and conversational assistant with personal context understanding, broad world knowledge, and the ability to take even more systemwide app actions, making it effortless to find entertainment.
A Fully Hands-Free Experience with Far-Field Microphones
The new Apple TV 4K features three far-field microphones, letting users control what they’re watching and discover new shows completely hands-free. Advanced echo cancellation intelligently isolates a user’s voice from background sound to deliver crystal-clear “Hey Siri” or “Siri” recognition, even while audio is playing.
Faster Performance, Smarter Remote
The A19 chip in the new Apple TV 4K delivers up to 50 percent faster CPU performance and up to 2x faster GPU performance than the previous generation, for greater responsiveness, faster navigation, and smoother animations. The A19 chip also includes a new, dedicated AV1 decoder, enabling more efficient, high-quality streaming while using less bandwidth.
The new Siri Remote keeps its familiar design while adding Find My support with Precision Finding and an option to play a sound on the remote — making it far easier to locate.
The Siri Remote adds Find My support with Precision Finding and an option to play a sound, making it far easier to locate.
Apple’s Most Immersive Home Theater Ever
Pairing HomePod with Apple TV 4K already offers users an immersive viewing experience that’s easy to set up, and the new Apple TV 4K takes it even further. For the first time, users can create a four-speaker surround sound experience with Apple TV 4K (4th generation) and HomePod mini 2. The four speakers work together with Apple TV 4K to intelligently recognize their position in the room so audio timing and levels are automatically calibrated to the space. HomePod (2nd generation) can also be used in this four-speaker setup for the ultimate audio experience, as long as the front and rear speaker pairs match.
For the first time, users can create a four-speaker surround sound experience with HomePod.
An Even Smarter Home Hub
The new Apple TV 4K continues to serve as a powerful home hub, giving users control of their smart home accessories from anywhere. With a compatible doorbell, notifications appear directly on the TV so users can see who’s at the door, speak with them, and control other accessories like unlocking the door — all without interrupting what they’re watching. Apple TV 4K supports automations, guest mode, and secure local processing of HomeKit Secure Video, now enhanced with Apple Intelligence-generated camera activity video descriptions and summarized notifications. Users can also use Siri AI to control smart home accessories and turn scenes on or off hands-free. And with built-in Wi-Fi and Thread, Apple TV 4K can seamlessly connect and control a user’s smart home.
Apple TV 4K is a powerful home hub, giving users control of their smart home accessories from anywhere.
More Ways to Enjoy the Living Room
Apple TV 4K is more than just a way to watch — it’s a home essential that transforms the living room to reflect what users want in the moment. With Apple Fitness+, the living room becomes a workout studio, while Apple Arcade and the App Store’s library of games turn it into a home arcade. With the Apple TV app, users can stream hundreds of Apple Originals, including thrilling dramas, epic sci-fi, and feel-good comedies, as well as live sports such as Formula 1 in the U.S., Major League Soccer, and Friday Night Baseball. Users can also make FaceTime calls with Continuity Camera, view photos, and do even more, all from the big screen. With an iPhone or iPad, users can now customize how their iCloud photos appear on Apple TV, making it easy to set up personalized Memories & Slideshows or Portraits screen savers without making their entire library visible. Plus, a new screen saver shuffle feature automatically rotates between categories so there is always something new to see.
Users can now customize how their iCloud photos appear on Apple TV. With Apple Fitness+, Apple TV 4K can turn the living room into a workout studio. Apple Arcade and the App Store’s library of games turn the living room into a home arcade. A new screen saver shuffle feature automatically rotates between categories so there is always something new to see. With Continuity Camera, users can make FaceTime calls right from the big screen.
Private and Secure by Design
Like every Apple product, Apple TV 4K is designed with privacy and security in mind. Apple TV 4K and the A19 chip include Secure Exclaves: protected and compartmentalized runtimes used to process microphone data separately from the rest of the system. Isolation features added across many core components of the silicon work in tandem to protect Secure Exclaves and keep them segregated from the rest of the system. Data that is processed and analyzed in the Secure Exclaves cannot be accessed by tvOS, apps, the user, or Apple.
Siri AI takes full advantage of the bold new architecture for Apple Intelligence. Siri requests on Apple TV 4K can use on-device processing or Private Cloud Compute, which extends the privacy of the device to the cloud. When processed in Private Cloud Compute, data is neither stored nor made accessible to Apple or anyone else. HomeKit Secure Video footage is stored end-to-end encrypted and never accessible to Apple.
Apple TV 4K and the Environment
Apple TV 4K was built with the environment in mind and drives progress toward Apple’s ambitious plan to be carbon neutral across its entire footprint by 2030. Apple TV 4K features 100 percent recycled gold plating and tin solder in all Apple-designed printed circuit boards, and 100 percent recycled rare earth elements in all magnets. The thermal module is made with 80 percent recycled aluminum, while the enclosure of the Siri Remote includes 100 percent recycled aluminum. Apple TV 4K meets Apple’s high standards for energy efficiency and safe chemistry. As with all Apple products, its paper packaging is 100 percent fiber-based9 and designed to be recycled.
Pricing and Availability
• Customers in the U.S. and 29 other countries and regions can pre-order Apple TV 4K (4th generation) starting today from apple.com/store and in the Apple Store app, with availability in stores beginning Friday, November 13th.
• Apple TV 4K (4th generation) is available for US$299 or $49.83 per month for six months.
• Siri AI is available as a beta on Apple TV 4K (2nd generation or later), and is available at launch in the U.S., Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, and the UK in English.
• The new Siri Remote is compatible with Apple TV HD and Apple TV 4K, and is also available for purchase separately. Find My support is available on the Siri Remote (2nd generation or later).
MacDailyNews Take: So much more capable than a cheap streaming stick or a slow “smart” TV, but that $299 price point is going to make the new Apple TV 4K a tough sell for anyone who hasn’t already experienced the difference.
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Apple unveils Apple HomeView, a new way to enjoy entertainment, stay connected, and manage the home
Apple today introduced Apple HomeView, designed to be central to the home and personal to everyone in it. With a stunning 7-inch Liquid Retina display, HomeView brings entertainment, connection, and smart home management together in one place, from playing music and making FaceTime calls to home monitoring and hands-free automations with voice control — all designed with privacy and security at the core. HomeView recognizes users by their faces, adapting so they can access their personal content in Messages, FaceTime, Calendar, Reminders, and Find My. HomeView features Siri AI, an entirely new version of Siri that’s profoundly more capable and conversational, with broad world knowledge that powers richer music discovery and onscreen awareness. When paired with an Apple Intelligence-enabled device, it can also draw on a user’s personal context, such as their Calendar, Messages, and relevant information across their apps, to provide more helpful, personalized responses.
Designed to fit in any space, HomeView can be placed on a tabletop as the center of the home or wall-mounted to fit in spaces like the entryway or hallway. Pre-orders start today, with availability beginning November 13.
“Apple HomeView is designed to be shared by everyone in the home yet feel completely personal to each user,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “It recognizes your face to shift from a household screen to your own experience, fills the room with incredible sound, keeps you connected to the people who matter most with FaceTime, and makes it easy to control your smart home. And it’s powered by Apple Intelligence with Siri AI at its core, drawing on personal context from your iPhone to help you find what you need and get more done, all while keeping everyone’s information private and secure.”
Elegantly Designed for Any Space
HomeView features a beautiful aluminum design with a 7-inch Liquid Retina display connected to a domed speaker base by a stainless steel hinge that provides a smooth tilt for comfortable viewing on tabletops of any height. The perfect addition to a kitchen counter, nightstand, or side table, HomeView comes in four beautiful colors — silver, starlight, rose pink, and space gray — each finished with a matching cable.
HomeView is available in four beautiful colors: silver, starlight, rose pink, and space gray. A Liquid Retina display connected to a domed base by a stainless steel hinge provides a smooth tilt for comfortable viewing on tabletops of any height. HomeView comes with a color-matched USB-C cable.
The elegant design and Liquid Retina display seamlessly blend into any space while remaining clearly visible from across the room. It features adaptive display technologies, including True Tone, that react to changing light throughout the day. Automatic brightness adjusts from 500 nits — bright enough to stay vivid and easy to see even in a sunlit room — down to just 0.3 nits, making it ideal for the nightstand. The HomeView interface intelligently adjusts based on the user’s distance, showing simpler information that’s viewable from across the room and richer detail as they step closer.
A separate wall-mounted HomeView model — available in space gray and silver — offers the same 7-inch Liquid Retina display, powerful set of features, and rich audio. It can be attached to a wall using three purpose-built mounts from Schneider Home, with options for self-installation or professional installation.
Available in space gray and silver, the wall-mounted HomeView can be attached using three purpose-built mounts from Schneider Home, extending the experience to more places.A Personalized Experience for Each User in the Home
HomeView recognizes up to six people and delivers a personalized experience for each one. Each user gets their own personalized Home Screen with apps and widgets. Personal content stays private from others, while shared photo albums and music can be easily enjoyed by everyone in a household, including guests.
HomeView can recognize up to six users by their face, and each user can personalize their Home Screen apps and widgets.
Featuring Siri AI, Powered by Apple Intelligence
HomeView features Siri AI, an entirely new version of Siri powered by the next generation of Apple Intelligence and advanced Apple silicon. Siri AI is a profoundly more capable and conversational assistant with personal context understanding and onscreen awareness. With broad world knowledge, anyone in the home can ask Siri about virtually any topic and get an answer.
HomeView features Siri AI, an entirely new version of Siri that is profoundly more capable and conversational.
With an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone or iPad, Siri AI does more for each person — taking action across apps and surfacing relevant information from Messages and Calendar, playlists on Apple Music, and more by drawing on their personal context. Users have the ability to customize the expressiveness and pace of Siri’s voice on their paired and compatible device so that it’s just right for them. That customization carries over to HomeView, allowing users to go back and forth with Siri in a conversation like never before. Conversations that start on HomeView seamlessly continue in the Siri app, which uses iCloud to privately sync history across a user’s products, so they can pick up the conversation on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, or Apple Vision Pro.
With Siri AI built into HomeView, even users without an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone or iPad will benefit from Siri AI’s broad world knowledge; ability to have rich, natural conversations; and improved music discovery.
With an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone or iPad, Siri AI does more for each person — taking action across apps and surfacing relevant information by drawing on each user’s personal context. Conversations that start on HomeView seamlessly continue in the Siri app, so users can pick up the conversation on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, or Apple Vision Pro.
With powerful new features and unrivaled privacy protections, Siri remains the world’s most private digital assistant.
Faces for Every Style
Users can personalize HomeView with a collection of playful and informative faces that display information at a glance, taking full advantage of the vibrant Liquid Retina display. The Photos face brings cherished memories to life with stunning Portrait-style depth effects that keep the subject sharp while creating a beautifully blurred foreground and background. By selecting a shared album, users can turn HomeView into a living photo frame that loved ones near and far can help fill. The Flow face dynamically responds to physical presence and movement, transforming HomeView into a piece of interactive art. And even Snoopy comes to life on HomeView, with animations that reflect the time of day, the weather, sporting events, and holiday moments.
Users can customize HomeView with a collection of playful faces that display useful information at a glance, taking full advantage of the Liquid Retina display.Rich Entertainment Anywhere in the Home
HomeView offers an exceptional listening experience through a custom-engineered acoustic system. Two custom full-range drivers in the display keep everything sounding crisp and clean while delivering room-filling Spatial Audio. A down-firing woofer and two force-cancelling passive radiators are built into the base, offering incredible bass extension. Powered by Apple silicon and real-time system sensors, advanced computational audio continuously optimizes loudness and bass response at any volume. The wall-mounted version delivers rich sound with two custom drivers and computational audio tuned specifically for on-wall placement.
HomeView offers an exceptional listening experience through a custom-engineered acoustic system.HomeView is the perfect way to enjoy Apple Music, complete with animated album art and lyrics, as well as Apple Podcasts, Apple News, Apple TV, and compatible third-party audio and video apps. With Handoff, users can continue listening to a song they were playing in the car or on a walk by placing their iPhone in front of the HomeView display. By setting up multiple HomeView, HomePod, HomePod mini, and AirPlay-compatible speakers around the house, users can enjoy music throughout the entire home with multiroom audio.
HomeView is the perfect way to enjoy Apple Podcasts and Apple Music.
Connecting Users to What Matters Most
HomeView makes it effortless for users to stay in touch and get things done around the house. FaceTime and Center Stage keep everyone framed perfectly, even when participants are moving around the room. Messages can be read and answered by voice or with the onscreen keyboard. Intercom lets users broadcast a quick message to a single room or the whole house — reaching other HomeView and HomePod speakers, as well as personal devices like iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch. In the kitchen, HomeView is the perfect sous chef, converting recipes from the web into step-by-step instructions with hands-free timer control and help with ingredient tracking, so users can stay focused on what’s cooking.
HomeView makes it easy for users to communicate and get things done around the house, whether they’re hopping on a FaceTime call… …looking up a recipe… …or setting a timer hands-free.
With Find My, users can check in on loved ones who have shared their locations with them, or track down a misplaced iPhone, AirPods charging case, or personal item with an AirTag attached. And with Live Activities, HomeView surfaces timely, at-a-glance information, like the song that’s currently playing, an active timer, or an incoming Intercom message from another room.
The Ultimate Smart Home Dashboard
HomeView allows users to securely control their smart home by touch or with just their voice using Siri AI — viewing camera feeds, adjusting the thermostat and lights, locking doors, or closing the blinds. The Home Modular face offers instant access to users’ favorite accessories, while the Home Camera face can livestream up to nine video feeds at once, letting users keep an eye on doorstep deliveries and pets playing in the yard.
With HomeView, users can securely control their smart home by touch or with just their voice by using Siri AI.
With a supported iCloud+ subscription, HomeView works with compatible cameras to deliver intelligent, end-to-end encrypted recognition of people, familiar faces, pets, packages, and vehicles, notifying the household the moment someone arrives at the front door. With video descriptions for HomeKit Secure Video footage, HomeView helps users quickly understand what happened in a video clip without even watching it. Offering added peace of mind, HomeView also detects the sound of smoke or carbon monoxide alarms and alerts users on their iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch.
HomeView also works with Apple Home Collection — a new lineup of smart home cameras, thermostats, and a lock designed in collaboration with LG Electronics and Schneider Electric — as well as other Works with Apple Home and Matter accessories. Together, they help users understand what’s happening inside and outside, manage access, keep the home at just the right temperature, and so much more.
HomeView also works with Apple Home Collection — Apple’s first lineup of smart home cameras, thermostats, and a lock — as well as other Works with Apple Home and Matter accessories.
Private and Secure by Design
Like every Apple product, HomeView was built with privacy and security at its core. HomeView and the A18 chip include Secure Exclaves: protected and compartmentalized runtimes used to process camera and microphone data separately from the rest of the system. Isolation features added across many core components of the silicon work in tandem to protect Secure Exclaves and keep them segregated from the rest of the system. Data that is processed and analyzed in Secure Exclaves cannot be accessed by the HomeView software, apps, the user, or Apple. To ensure that personal content stays private to each individual, even when HomeView is shared by the whole household, content in apps like Messages and Calendar is only surfaced when the enrolled user is recognized by their face, and when their paired iPhone or iPad is present and has been recently unlocked.
Siri requests on HomeView can use on-device processing or Private Cloud Compute, which extends the privacy of the device to the cloud. When processed in Private Cloud Compute, data is not stored nor made accessible to Apple or anyone else.
Apple HomeView and the Environment
HomeView was built with the environment in mind and drives progress toward Apple’s ambitious plan to be carbon neutral across its entire footprint by 2030. HomeView is made with 100 percent recycled aluminum in the enclosure base and in the enclosure of the wall-mounted model, 100 percent recycled gold plating and tin solder in all Apple-designed printed circuit boards, and 100 percent recycled rare earth elements in all magnets. HomeView meets Apple’s high standards for energy efficiency and safe chemistry. As with all Apple products, its paper packaging is 100 percent fiber-based11 and designed to be recycled.
Pricing and Availability
• Customers in Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, the UK, and the U.S. can pre-order Apple HomeView in silver, starlight, rose pink, and space gray for US$299, and Apple HomeView (Wall Mounted) in space gray and silver for $299, starting today from apple.com/store and in the Apple Store app. Customers in Singapore can pre-order starting Thursday, October 15th, at 9 a.m. SGT. Both models will be available in these countries beginning Friday, November 13th. Customers in South Africa will be able to pre-order Apple HomeView and
• Apple HomeView (Wall Mounted) through Apple Authorized Resellers, with availability beginning Friday, November 13th. Apple HomeView is not available for sale in the European Union, as Siri AI is currently unavailable in iOS in the EU. Apple is working constructively with the EU in an attempt to find a path forward.
• HomeView (Wall Mounted) will be available with a choice of three purpose-built mounts from Schneider Home. Power Mount USB‑C Wall Connector, available starting at $59.95, and Power Mount AC Wired, available starting at $79.95, can be ordered starting today from apple.com/store and in the Apple Store app. Power Mount PoE Wired will be available starting in early 2027 for $129.95.
• Siri AI on HomeView is available in English in the U.S., Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, and the UK.
Canadian French-language support will be offered later via a free software update.
MacDailyNews Take: $299 is a great price for both the tabletop and wall-mounted Apple HomeView devices!
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Apple set to unveil smart home devices highlighting new Siri AI
Apple is expected to introduce a fresh lineup of smart home products on Tuesday, centered on an iPad-style device designed to mount on walls or sit on tabletops and powered by its AI-enhanced Siri assistant, according to Reuters’ Stephen Nellis.
The products aim to let users manage doorbells, thermostats, and smart locks — areas where Apple has experimented for about a decade with limited breakthrough success. Analysts anticipate the announcement may also feature updates to the HomePod smart speaker and Apple TV devices.
The move comes as Apple seeks to counter rivals. Amazon has poured resources into Echo speakers and Ring doorbells and recently released premium tablets, while newer AI-focused companies such as OpenAI pursue hardware of their own. With regulatory scrutiny weighing on Apple’s services business, investors are paying closer attention to hardware sales as a growth driver.
Apple launched its Home app for controlling connected gadgets in 2016 and followed with HomePod speakers in 2018; a late entry into the smart speaker market based on a limited, largely inadequate Siri. Those offerings continue to compete against Alphabet’s Google Home speakers and Amazon’s Echo lineup. Analysts have pointed to two persistent obstacles: ensuring compatibility with a wide range of third-party devices and Siri’s woefully limited ability.
This summer Apple significantly boosted Siri’s capabilities with Siri AI in partnership with Google. Even so, Bob O’Donnell, chief analyst at TECHnalysis Research, told Nellis that setting up a smart home remains too complicated for many Apple customers to perceive clear value. “Advancements in AI should finally help, but the key questions for Apple are, do they have connectivity smarts to simplify the process and are they going to be willing to work across the smart home ecosystem and not just within their own walled garden,” O’Donnell said.
MacDailyNews Take: We’ll know what Apple has p its sleeve very soon!
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Set up your iPhone Duo pre-order with Apple now
Apple’s “Get Ready” process for the iPhone Duo is live today on apple.com and in the Apple Store app. You can lock in your exact configuration — color, storage, carrier, accessories, AppleCare+, trade-in, payment method, and shipping details — so that when pre-orders open on Friday, October 16, at 5 a.m. Pacific Time (8 a.m. Eastern), checkout takes just a couple of taps.
This is especially useful because early supply is expected to be limited. Completing Get Ready does not reserve inventory, but it removes friction when the window opens and demand is high.
Key dates and pricing
• Get Ready available: Starting today (October 12) through much of October 15.
• Pre-orders open: Friday, October 16, at 5 a.m. PT / 8 a.m. ET.
• Availability begins: Friday, October 23, in more than 70 countries and regions (including the U.S., Canada, UK, China, Japan, India, and others), with 28 more markets on October 30.
U.S. pricing starts at $1,999 for 256GB. Other configurations: $2,199 (512GB), $2,599 (1TB), and $3,199 (2TB). Colors are Star White and Night Sky. Financing options include roughly $83.29 per month for 24 months on the base model, or an Apple Upgrade lease starting around $57.99 per month. Trade-in credits and carrier offers are available during setup.
What makes the iPhone Duo different
The iPhone Duo is Apple’s first foldable iPhone. Closed, it has a 5.4-inch Super Retina XDR outer display. Open, it becomes the thinnest iPhone yet (5.2 mm) with a 7.6-inch inner display that is 50% larger than the iPhone 18 Pro Max, both with ProMotion up to 120Hz, Always-On, and high peak brightness. The inner screen has a nano-texture finish to reduce glare and crease visibility. It uses a grade 5 titanium frame, Touch ID in the side button (no Face ID), an A20 Pro chip with vapor-chamber cooling, a dual-battery system (up to 44 hours of video playback on the outer display), and a 48MP Dual Fusion camera system (Main + Ultra Wide, with optical-quality 2x). Unique features include Split View multitasking, StandBy, hands-free use, Smart Take, Duo Preview, and an under-display FaceTime camera.
It ships with iOS 27.1 and is eSIM-only worldwide.
How to set up your pre-order now
- Go to the Apple Store online or open the Apple Store app and sign in with your Apple Account.
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Select your color (Star White or Night Sky) and storage capacity.
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Confirm carrier options (or choose to connect later), add any accessories (such as the case or folio), AppleCare+ if desired, and a trade-in.
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Enter payment and shipping/billing details.
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Save the configuration. When pre-orders go live on October 16, return to the same place and finish in a couple of taps.
Update the Apple Store app beforehand and double-check saved payment and address info so nothing slows you down on the morning of the 16th. Supplies could move quickly, so having everything prepared gives you the best shot at your preferred model.
MacDailyNews Take: If you want one of the first iPhone Duos, we strongly recommend heading to Apple.com or the Apple Store app and completing the Get Ready steps today!
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Apple readies late-October Mac and iPad launches alongside major iPhone Duo store push
Bloomberg News‘ Mark Gurman’s latest Power On newsletter focuses mainly on Apple’s smart-home push, but also covers new details on a late-October Mac and iPad event and Apple’s retail demo plans for the iPhone Duo.
Apple Readies Late-October Mac and iPad Launches Alongside Major iPhone Duo Store Push
Beyond the October 13th “Welcome home” smart-home event (HomeView hub, refreshed HomePod mini, and new Apple TV), Apple is preparing a second October hardware showcase on or around October 27th. It is expected to feature the company’s first touchscreen MacBook Pro models (internally code-named K114 and K116). These are described as lighter than current designs, with OLED displays, a Dynamic Island-style interface, and high-end chips (reports point to M5 Pro/Max variants). The event is also slated to include more conventional M6-chip updates to the 14-inch MacBook Pro and iMac, plus a redesigned iPad mini with an OLED display, a landscape-oriented front camera, and an upgraded speaker system. The format is expected to combine an online presentation with in-person elements geared toward creators and press, similar in spirit to the New York smart-home gathering rather than a classic full keynote.
Separately, the newsletter details Apple’s retail preparations for the iPhone Duo, which begins shipping October 23rd after pre-orders open October 16th. Supply is constrained, but stores will still receive unusually large numbers of demo units so customers can try the device. Flagship locations stand out: more than 150 units at New York’s Fifth Avenue store and nearly 100 at the Apple Park Visitor Center. Other major stores (such as Chicago’s Michigan Avenue, The Grove in Los Angeles, and Manhattan’s Upper West Side) are expected to get roughly 30–40 units each, with typical stores averaging around 20. New fixtures will demonstrate the folding mechanism, a MagSafe stand will hold an unfolded Duo next to standard iPhones for comparison, and untethered units will let shoppers try StandBy mode.
U.S. stores are also set to offer personalized first-boot greetings (e.g., “Hello, [name]”) in English and Spanish for Duo buyers.
MacDailyNews Take: We can’t wait to see how Apple will try to entice us to smear our fingers all over our MacBook Pro displays!
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Mark Stephens, a.k.a. Robert X. Cringely, dead at 73
Mark Stephens, known to much of the world as Robert X. Cringely, passed away on October 3, 2026. He was 73.
Obituary via the “Robert X Cringely” account on Facebook:
Hello, this is Mary Alyce, Bob’s wife. I am coming to you with immense sadness to let you know that Bob passed away. His obituary follows. His family is not requesting anything, however, if you would like to make a donation in his honor, please consider The American Heart Association or The American SIDS Institute.
https://sids.org/
https://www.heart.org/
Mark Stephens, known to much of the world as Robert X. Cringely, passed away on October 3, 2026. He was 73.
Mark was a gifted writer, journalist, storyteller, husband, father, brother, and friend. To millions of readers and viewers, he was Robert X. Cringely, the witty and sometimes irreverent observer of the technology world. But to those of us fortunate enough to love him, he was simply Mark—and losing him leaves an emptiness that is difficult to put into words.
Born January 28, 1953, in Cleveland, Ohio, Mark was never destined to lead an ordinary life. From an early age, he was intensely curious, independent, and determined to see the world in his own way. He attended the College of Wooster and later Stanford University in the 1970s, arriving in Silicon Valley at an extraordinary moment in its history. He became captivated by the people, ideas, energy, and possibilities surrounding the emerging computer industry, and that fascination would help shape the rest of his life.
Writing as Robert X. Cringely, Mark became a distinctive voice in technology journalism. He had an unusual ability to understand not only technology but also the human beings behind it—the dreamers, inventors, entrepreneurs, eccentrics, and risk-takers who were changing the world. He could take a complicated subject and make it understandable, entertaining, funny, and deeply human. He was skeptical when skepticism was warranted, irreverent when others were overly serious, and never particularly interested in following conventional wisdom.
That independence was not simply part of his writing. It was Mark.
He followed the beat of his own drummer throughout his life. He was brilliant, funny, opinionated, curious, generous, exasperating, and unforgettable —s ometimes all within the same conversation. He loved a good story and knew how to tell one. He could make you laugh, make you think, make you argue with him, and occasionally drive you crazy. Life with Mark was rarely dull.
Mark’s life also included heartbreaking loss. He was preceded in death by his beloved sons, Chase and Cole Stephens, as well as his parents, Ray and Lois Stephens and father-in-law Jim Neader. I could also add brother-in-law Jimmy Neader and niece Ericka Neader, but they were a thorn in our side.
Mark is survived by his wife, Mary Alyce; his sons, Channing and Fallon Stephens; his brother, Paul Stephens; his sister, Ann Stephens; his mother-in-law, Alice; and his brothers-in-law, Mike and Brian Neader.
Mark was never quite like anyone else. He was complicated and original, extraordinarily intelligent and wonderfully unconventional. He lived life on his own terms and left an impression on nearly everyone who knew him.
We will miss him more than words can say.
MacDailyNews Take: Too young! R.I.P., Mark.
Fanously, a 1995 interview between Robert X. Cringely and Steve Jobs was conducted for the PBS documentary series Triumph of the Nerds and later released as Steve Jobs: The Lost Interview after a VHS copy was rediscovered in a garage.
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