❌

Normal view

Apple’s HomeView is just the latest threat to online recipe writers

17 October 2026 at 14:00
The HomeView can simplify online recipe formatting into easy-to-follow steps. | Image: Apple

When Apple revealed the HomeView to the world, it did so with an unusual ad for the company: Instead of pristine, polished tech in immaculate rooms, it's a three-minute look at the messy, frantic morning routine of a family of five. Apple's new smart display sits in the center of the chaos on the kitchen table, helping the family check their calendars, send messages, and pull up a French toast recipe in seconds, with simple, step-by-step instructions.

The HomeView is just the latest in a long line of websites, browser extensions, and smart home gadgets with the same promise: that it can take an online recipe and strip it down to the essenti …

Read the full story at The Verge.

All the news about the iPhone Duo

17 October 2026 at 01:36

Apple has finally announced its long-rumored foldable: the iPhone Duo.

The new phone has a 5.4-inch outer display and a 7.6-inch inner display, a β€œnano‑texture” finish on the inner screen, and barely any visible crease. Instead of Face ID, it uses Touch ID on the power button. It has two cameras, a main lens and a wide-angle lens. Apple completely revamped iOS 27’s controls and apps for the foldable, including putting the dock on the side of the phone. And it has a flashy opening animation when you unfold the phone.

The iPhone Duo a big new bet from Apple, though one that’s a little late to the game compared to competitors like Samsung and Google. The phone isn’t cheap: it starts at $1,999 for the base 256GB model, and the prices only go up from there. Still, Apple said that preorder demand was β€œextraordinary,” so it could have a hit on its hands.

Here’s everything unfolding about the iPhone Duo.

Apple’s updated App Store rules go after β€˜nudify’ AI apps

17 October 2026 at 00:51
A mannequin’s face covered in pixels.

Apple's App Store rules now more explicitly ban so-called "nudify" apps that generate intimate images of people without their consent using AI tools.

The rule changes follow significant criticism toward Apple after X users used Grok earlier this year to make nonconsensual, sexualized deepfakes, including minors. Apple didn't pull X or Grok from the App Store, though it told senators that it threatened to yank Grok. At Apple's WWDC event in June, protestors also called on Apple to "remove Grok, X, and all nudify technology from the App Store," and in July, a San Francisco city attorney ordered Apple to remove 13 "nudify" apps, which it said …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Why Apple is finally making its own smart home devices

16 October 2026 at 20:30
Apple’s Home Collection, codeveloped with partners, is part of the company’s first major push into the smart home category. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

For more than a decade, Apple has told other companies to build smart home devices for its platform. This week, Apple launched its own. The Apple Home Collection is a lineup of cameras, thermostats, sensors, a smart door lock, and a video doorbell, all codeveloped with LG Electronics and Schneider Electric. They arrive alongside HomeView, Apple's first smart display.

Even after 12 years of HomeKit, Apple's smart home ecosystem still felt underdeveloped, especially compared to the competition. Amazon's and Google's ecosystems support more products, and both have popular in-house brands: Ring and Nest. Apple had nothing of its own to point cu …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Apple’s HomeView has an app problem

16 October 2026 at 17:38

It's been a couple of days since Apple's big smart home announcement, and we have some more information - and a bunch of new questions - about the Apple HomeView. The device has plenty of computing oomph, is always connected to power, and looks like a perfect place to run a bunch of apps. And yet the HomeView is relying almost entirely on CarPlay. What gives here?

On this episode of The Vergecast, David and Nilay try to make sense of the HomeView's app situation, and why Apple would choose not to make its home hub into its own app platform. After that, they talk about the latest Gemini model and whether building the best model matters if yo …

Read the full story at The Verge.

iPhone Duo orders are already delayed into 2027

16 October 2026 at 15:10
Apple iPhone Duo unfolded showing various widgets and icons.

Delivery estimates for the iPhone Duo slipped into next year in less than an hour after Apple opened preorders for it at 8AM ET on Friday.

At the time of writing we are seeing late January delivery dates for every configuration on Apple's website. The foldable is slated to launch in stores on October 23rd, and Apple typically reserves some units for in-store availability. So while online orders are delayed, you might be able to get one sooner in-person at an Apple Store.

The long delay could be due to high demand for Apple's first foldable iPhone, low supply on Apple's side, or a mix of both. Apple announced the iPhone Duo in September, f …

Read the full story at The Verge.

The iPhone Duo is now available to preorder at $1,999

16 October 2026 at 14:00
A photo of the iPhone Duo, unfolded.
The iPhone Duo is Apple’s first foldable phone. | Photo by Antonio Di Benedetto / The Verge

Few phones have been more anticipated than a foldable iPhone, but it's finally here. The iPhone Duo was unveiled during Apple's "Surprise and shine" event alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and the Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 models.

Apple's first foldable has a 5.4-inch outer screen, and it unfolds to show off its 7.6-inch Super Retina XDR screen. Apple Pencil support is coming later this year. While it lacks Face ID for facial unlocking, there's a Touch ID sensor along its edge to identify your fingerprint. The device has an IP68 rating, with Ceramic Shield 2 on its back, with Ceramic Shield covering the front display. It has the same A20 …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Meta and Apple team up to make Muse AI models run better on Macs

15 October 2026 at 20:15
The new Muse Spark Open AI model can work on M5 Ultra Mac Studios. | Photo: Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Meta announced the Muse Spark Open AI model today, claiming that it's the "most capable US open-weight model to date." But the company also says that it's the "the first model in its class" that can "run on your desktop using two Apple M5 Ultra Mac Studios with the latest MLX framework."

Meta and Apple, typically rivals, worked together on the launch and are publicly supporting each other.

"Muse Spark Open - weights releasing today - runs great on new Mac Studios thanks to work with @johnternus and Apple," Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on X.

"Congrats to the team!" new Apple CEO John Ternus said in a reply. "Amazing to run a model of Muse …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Nvidia, Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta gave Trump a combined $92 million for his ballroom

15 October 2026 at 17:46
A photo of Donald Trump with an illustrated background.

We knew that a number of big tech firms were helping to fund the construction of Trump's ballroom, but we didn't know just how much they were giving to the cause. Now the Washington Post published a list of all the major donors to the White House ballroom project, along with how much each contributed. In total, Silicon Valley and the crypto industry have reportedly delivered over $150 million for the effort.

Some of that money has come from individuals, some from charitable organizations tied to major firms or industry players, and some directly from the companies themselves. In Google's case, the $22 million was part of a controversial se …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Prep your cart before iPhone Duo preorders open tomorrow

15 October 2026 at 16:07
A photo of the iPhone Duo.

Apple's iPhone Duo foldable phone opens for preorder tomorrow, October 16th, at 8am ET / 5am PT, but you don't have to wait until then to get your order mostly sorted. The company's product page for the phone now lets you select the color you want, along with storage capacity, carrier preference, and whether you want to set up a trade to make the $1,999 foldable a little cheaper.

Once you enter all of the details, all you'll need to do tomorrow morning, once preorders open, is to confirm your order. It'll be sitting in your cart ready for checkout. This will save you some time, and you'll jump ahead of people who are still customizing their …

Read the full story at The Verge.

The best feature of Apple’s HomeView might be its simplicity

15 October 2026 at 00:00
Apple’s HomeView smart display seems tailor-made for the kitchen. (That aluminum base looks like it will hold up better than my now off-white kitchen HomePod.)

I'm just going to come right out and say it. I love the approach Apple has taken with the HomeView. I think it's the shared, always-available household interface that my family might finally use. Is Apple's first smart display my dream smart home dashboard? No. But is it the right product for Apple Home at this moment? Absolutely.

A lot of initial reactions to the $299 HomeView (which looks like a giant Apple Watch on a flatter metallic HomePod Mini) ask why you would want it when you can do most of what it offers on your iPhone or iPad. And yes, its features replicate many of the things you already do on the devices you use all the time. B …

Read the full story at The Verge.

As a TV enthusiast, I was hoping for more from the Apple TV 4K

14 October 2026 at 20:38
The 4th-generation Apple TV 4K and its remote on a tan wooden table at the Apple Welcome Home event.
The new Apple TV 4K and remote look just like the old ones and mostly have the same features.

It's been four long years since the last Apple TV 4K was released, and in that time there have been lots of hopes and dreams for features in whatever comes next. A new chip, 4K/120Hz support, audio passthrough, a remote locator, better home control integration - the 2022 Apple TV 4K is a great box, but there's still plenty of room for improvement. With the fourth-gen Apple TV 4K announced on Tuesday, some of those hopes were met, while others were unfortunately left out.

Coloring the announcement is the device's price. Apple eliminated the cheaper 64GB, Wi-Fi-only model, leaving just the 128GB, Wi-Fi and Ethernet model - and bumped up its p …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Sprout Pi adds Bluetooth, streaming, and USB-C to your aging iPod

14 October 2026 at 19:19
Sprout Pi and Sprout Pico replacement motherboards for iPods on a white table next to their respective iPods.

There's an entire cottage industry of iPod mods out there, but Sprout Pi and Sprout Pico are two of the few full motherboard replacements that combine many of the most popular mods into a single upgrade. Both versions add Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB-C, a microSD card slot, FLAC playback, and more. And while cracking open an iPod will never not be intimidating, at least the Sprout doesn't require any soldering.

The firmware allows audio over USB for wired headsets, as well as over the original 3.5mm jack. Plus, Bluetooth support lets you connect to your AirPods or favorite UE party speaker. Wi-Fi enables Google Cast and AirPlay streaming, as well …

Read the full story at The Verge.

OpenAI claims an ex-employee took its product plans and presented them to Apple

14 October 2026 at 18:43
Vector illustration of the Open AI logo.

OpenAI claims a former employee took more than 100 files related to its product plans before joining Apple. In a document filed on Wednesday, OpenAI accuses the unnamed employee of sending this information to a personal account and then presenting it to Apple leadership, including the vice president of the company's operations in Asia.

The filing, reported earlier by Reuters, is tied to a legal battle between Apple and OpenAI over trade secrets - but this time, OpenAI is doing the accusing. It alleges that the files in question contain images of at least one unreleased device, along with supplier information, engineering data, project files …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Repairing the iPhone Duo’s folding screen costs as much as a new iPhone

14 October 2026 at 18:21
A photo of the iPhone Duo, unfolded.

If you don't get AppleCare Plus for the iPhone Duo, any repairs are going to be pretty expensive. Apple published the estimated repair costs for the iPhone Duo without AppleCare Plus today, as reported by MacRumors, and they can be high: Battery service, for example, will cost $229, inner display damage will cost $999, and "other damage" costs $1,499.

Here's Apple's estimated costs for various repairs if you don't have AppleCare Plus:

Cover layer damage $49

Back glass damage $199

Battery service $229

Rear camera damage $229

Outer display damage $379

Outer display and back glass damage $509

Inner display damage $999

Ot …

Read the full story at The Verge.

HomeView doesn’t natively support any video apps yet β€” not even Apple’s

14 October 2026 at 17:10
Two Apple HomeView’s, with one displaying Apple TV.
Apple’s HomeView marketing calls out audiobooks, TV shows, and says you can β€œkeep an eye on the match while you do the washing up,” but shys away about these features needing an iPhone connection. | Image: Apple

Apple says HomeView is "the perfect way" to enjoy its audio and video entertainment apps, but some notable examples like Apple TV only work if you AirPlay it through your iPhone. As noted on the HomeView spec page, Apple TV, Apple Books audiobooks, Apple Music Classical, and Apple News Plus aren't natively supported on the smart hub, so you'll have to use your phone to operate them.

HomeView is foremostly designed as a hub for managing smart home gadgets, but competing smart display hardware like Amazon's Echo Show and Google's Nest Hub devices can natively stream Prime Video and YouTube, respectively, without requiring a phone connection. …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Apple’s new Find My-compatible remote will also work with your old Apple TV

14 October 2026 at 16:39

You don't need to buy the new Apple TV 4K just to get the updated Siri Remote with Find My and a built-in speaker, as it works with every model released going back to the Apple TV HD and is available to buy standalone for $59.

Previous Siri Remotes had a basic iOS feature to help you find your misplaced remote, but this is better, with one notable catch. Now the remote has Find My support, but if you want to see exactly how far away it is on your iPhone with details like "20 feet," rather than simply "far" or "near," you will need to have an iPhone Duo, iPhone Air, or any iPhone 17 or later. Those are the only models that include its new N …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Apple’s HomeView ad is confusing to everyone except parents

14 October 2026 at 00:10
Nothing like a little family togetherness in the morning. | Image: Apple

Apple's ad introducing its new HomeView smart display is a little unusual. It's fast-paced and unruly, depicting a family of five as they rush through the morning routine. There's yelling and mess, misplaced keys and discarded eggshells. Apple's typical vibe is clean, simple, orderly; this commercial is chaos.

But the spot has parents - those with teen children in particular - feeling seen.

I'll admit that it stressed me out the first time I watched it, too. Mornings getting my five-year-old out the door are a special breed of chaos, and usually culminate in us playing whatever ad-libbed game will get him to put his shoes on. But it's not …

Read the full story at The Verge.

❌