Apple News 24 Hours

Last updated: September 12, 2026, 6:28 AM ET

iPhone 18 Pro Pre-Orders Open Saturday

Apple's online store has gone dark ahead of iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max pre-orders, which kick off Saturday at 5:00 a.m. Pacific Time. Buyers who want a launch-day unit should prepare now rather than waiting for the queue to open, since popular configurations typically slip within minutes. Mac Rumors has published a full walkthrough covering carrier versus unlocked options, storage tiers, and which colors historically sell out first. Apple has also set a cutoff time of 9:00 p.m. Pacific tonight for "Get Ready" selections, letting shoppers pre-load trade-in details, payment methods, and model choices before the store reopens. Anyone financing through Apple Upgrade should unfreeze their credit first, because a locked file can stall approval on the busiest morning of the year. For international buyers, the company has confirmed a time zone breakdown spanning dozens of countries, with the same 5:00 a.m. PT start translating to 8:00 a.m. ET and 1:00 p.m. in London.

First Impressions From the Hands-On Room

Apple let press handle the new phones after Wednesday's "Surprise and Shine" event, and early first looks describe a chassis that looks nearly identical to last year's model while hiding substantial internal changes. Apple Insider's team walked away with mixed reactions to the overall lineup, praising the camera hardware while questioning how much the design language has actually moved. For owners coming off a three-year-old device, the comparison against the iPhone 15 Pro frames the upgrade math on the typical replacement cycle. The Mac Rumors crew devoted an episode of its show to the announcement recap, and 9to5Mac's daily podcast covered the same ground in a September 11 episode focused on Apple Intelligence and the foldable. Photographers without the budget for the new variable aperture lens can still get shallow depth of field using four techniques that work on older hardware.

The Foldable Arrives: iPhone Duo

Apple's first foldable is now official, and the iPhone Duo dominated discussion across every outlet this week. The device's Split View implementation runs two apps side by side in a fixed 50/50 split with no resizing, a deliberate constraint that sets expectations below iPad multitasking. Buyers weighing the two flagships should note that the Duo omits 10 features found on the iPhone 18 Pro, from the variable aperture camera to several Pro-tier capabilities. IMAX issued a measured response to Apple's 1:1.4 aspect ratio on the inner and outer panels, a boxier proportion that sits close to the company's own large-format framing. In a joint interview with Tom's Guide and Tech Radar, new CEO John Ternus and marketing chief Greg Joswiak explained the display design and secrecy behind the product, along with how the price was set. Tim Cook's surprise cameo in the launch video landed with real dramatic weight after reports suggested he would sit this one out. The Apple Insider Podcast unpacked design choices and MagSafe problems, and 9to5Mac's Overtime hosts shared their early impressions of the hardware.

Samsung's $250 Display Deal

A leaker with a reasonable track record claims Samsung will hold Apple to roughly $250 per panel for iPhone Duo displays under a three-year agreement, a figure that shapes the foldable's bill of materials. Apple Insider's write-up of the same three-year arrangement notes that Samsung holds exclusive supplier status, though the sourcing remains unverified. Counterpoint Research projects that Apple's entry could push foldable panel shipments up 167% by 2030, a forecast that reshapes expectations for display suppliers across the category.

Analysts See Demand Holding Through the Cycle

Analyst Jeff Pu wrote in an investor note that this week's iPhone price hike came in better than feared, and he expects the iPhone Duo to sustain demand through the current cycle as early consumer response builds. Component costs remain a pressure point, with memory expected to lead the iPhone 18 Pro's bill of materials higher.

Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 Push Health Sensing

The Series 12 is now available for pre-order, and a 25-point comparison against last year's model shows a substantially deeper refresh than the Series 11 delivered. 9to5Mac's breakdown of everything new highlights improvements to the components powering watch OS along with new AI capabilities. One small but welcome change is the heart rate complication, which benefits directly from the redesigned Health Sensing System. Apple is making a bold accuracy claim for both the Series 12 and the Ultra, and it has now published the study data behind that assertion. Apple Insider's independent testing found the accuracy gap versus rivals is real, though the margin depends heavily on methodology. The Ultra 4 keeps the same exterior as the Ultra 3 but packs internal upgrades to the chip and sensors that unlock new features.

iOS 27 Lands Monday With Two Features Missing

Apple confirmed that iOS 27 ships to everyone on Monday, September 14, but two features that appeared during the beta won't make launch and will arrive in a later update. The company has since formally acknowledged the delay, describing the features as arriving in a "future software update." Siri AI ships alongside the release, and 9to5Mac outlined three real-world examples where the revamped assistant impressed during testing. The outlet also flagged three features worth trying across Messages, Notes, and elsewhere. Visual Intelligence gets renewed promotion in iOS, and it now extends to Mac through mac OS 27 Golden Gate — Apple Insider has a full walkthrough of how to use it. The first point release, iOS 27.1, should enter beta testing not long after Monday's public rollout. Buried in the Settings app, meanwhile, is a classic Mac easter egg — a Clarus the Dogcow nod that suggests Apple's design whimsy is returning.

Apple Research, Rankings, and the Rest of the Lineup

Apple researchers published a study detailing SimpleDesign, a streamlined AI model that jointly generates protein sequences and structures. On the corporate side, Apple returned at No. 3 on TIME's World's Best Companies 2026 list after dropping off the ranking entirely last year. The company still has eight more products to announce before the year ends, according to Mac Rumors, spanning Macs and home devices. Accessories are already on shelves: Apple's own iPhone 18 Pro cases have arrived in retail stores and fit iPhone 17 Pro models as well. Apple Insider rounded up the best third-party cases available right now for protecting the new hardware. Air Pods 5 buyers should note that the box contains no charging cable or power adapter. Deals are already live, including AirPods 5 from $64 with trade-in, Air Pods Pro 3 discounts, and $330 off the Studio Display XDR. Amazon has knocked $600 off an M5 Max 14-inch MacBook Pro configuration, while Mac Rumors is tracking up to $600 off across M5 Pro and M5 Max models alongside Mac mini and Mac Studio pre-order offers.

WhatsApp, Car Play, Roblox, and a State Naming Fight

WhatsApp is rolling out a redesigned iPad interface featuring a Mac-like sidebar after months of Liquid Glass beta testing. Car Play now supports six major third-party AI chatbots, with Microsoft Copilot the latest to add support — leaving Gemini as the notable holdout. Roblox's push to distribute games as standalone apps and web experiences is raising fresh safety concerns, particularly with 182 federal child sexual exploitation cases still pending against the platform. Congressional representatives from New Mexico have asked Apple and Google not to rename the state to "New America" after social media posts from the US President suggested the change. In the smart home, Shelly's Flood S Gen4 offers a low-cost Matter leak sensor for Apple Home. And one writer explained why they left T-Mobile for an MVNO after nearly a decade as a customer, even with a military discount applied.