Apple News 8-Hour Briefing
×Last updated: October 15, 2026, 3:32 PM ET
Apple Hardware & Pricing
Apple's M5 MacBook Air with 24GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD has dropped to $1,599, a $200 saving on the upgraded 13-inch model. Separately, AirPods Pro 3 are still carrying a $50 price drop, alongside a $220 discount on the Mac Studio. Amazon is offering $120 off the Air Pods Max 2 and $50 off the Air Pods Pro.
Smart Home
Apple unveiled a new Apple TV 4K and HomeView, but pre-order shipping has slipped further into November. Critics are not won over: MKBHD said he is "not convinced" by the new hub, and the wall-mounted HomeView ships without a power adapter, USB-C cable, or mounting hardware. The new Siri Remote Precision Finding feature also comes with an unexpected dependency on an iPhone.
iPhone Duo & Foldables
Apple has set a cutoff time for the fastest iPhone Duo pre-order, and Apple has announced the deadline to get ready. Early benchmarks show the iPhone Duo delivering performance on par with the iPhone 18 Pro. Reporting suggests the device has been in planning for fifteen years, and CEO John Ternus has been candid about early foldables, calling them "kind of cheap and crappy" in a TIME interview. Ternus was also featured on TIME's cover under the headline "New Era."
AI & Competition
Apple SVP Greg Joswiak said the company is "not threatened" by OpenAI's hardware plans, and in a separate interview with TIME he insisted Apple is not chasing the "lunatic fringe" of AI. Meanwhile, MacPaw launched Eney, a proactive AI assistant for Mac and iPhone.
Products & Events
A touchscreen MacBook Pro with OLED is expected alongside other launches at an Apple event on October 28. The Pokémon x Beats Pill collaboration received positive early impressions.
Policy & Corporate
Apple donated $25 million to the White House ballroom project, according to Washington Post reporting. Half of United flights now offer Starlink Wi-Fi.
History
A rare Apple-1 with a Steve Jobs letter sold for $1.15 million including the buyer's premium. Looking back, Apple Insider revisited John Sculley's rise and fall as Apple's CEO, including his departure on October 15, 1993.