TechCapsules

TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 opens October 13 at Moscone West, drawing over 10,000 founders, investors, and tech leaders for three days of sessions, roundtables, and a Startup Battlefield competition. Attendees can secure ticket savings of up to $100 in the final 24 hours, with a 50% discount on a second pass and additional community pass discounts for groups of four or more. A $75 Expo+ Pass is available for those recently laid off. The event features 300+ startups,

Apple will launch the immersive horror experience “Remnants” for its Vision Pro headset on October 16. The short film, written and directed by Ti West, places viewers inside a haunted castle environment that leverages the mixed‑reality capabilities of the device. Apple staged an exclusive preview inside the historic Woldmere Castle, inviting a small audience to walk through the narrative while the company recorded their real‑time reactions. The event demonstrated how spatial audio, eye‑tracking and hand‑gesture controls can [...]

Microsoft has begun production of its Azure Maia 200 chip, which is now powering production workloads such as Microsoft Copilot, GitHub Copilot, and Microsoft Foundry. The company plans to launch the next-generation Azure Maia 300 in 2027, targeting long‑context reasoning, low‑latency conversational AI, and multi‑step agentic tasks. Maia 300 promises 40% more tokens per megawatt than leading GPU systems and up to seven times the rack‑scale throughput of Maia 200, enabling more efficient, scalable AI inference across [...]

Google has introduced a new Metal Mesh band for the Fitbit Air, available in Polished Silver and Champagne Gold, priced at $69.99. The band aims to complement existing jewelry and elevate the device’s aesthetic. A bundle of the Air with both the Metal Mesh and Performance Loop bands costs $149.99 and is only offered in gold. Alongside the new band, Google announced Health Guardian reports for Premium users and an overhaul of automatic activity tracking, slated for [...]

WISeSat.Space announced a strategy to embed post‑quantum cryptography (PQC) into its satellite‑communications and IoT architecture, leveraging SEALSQ’s QS7001 and QVault TPM platforms that support NIST‑approved ML‑KEM and ML‑DSA algorithms. The company plans to deploy this quantum‑resilient security across its existing nine low‑Earth‑orbit satellites and aims for a sovereign 100‑satellite constellation by 2033, contingent on financing, regulatory approval, and launch availability. The initiative aligns with U.S. Executive Order 14412, which mandates federal systems to adopt PQC by 2030–31. [...]

Apple’s upcoming iPhone Duo foldable, priced at $1,999, is set to launch soon, positioning itself just above Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 and near the Z Fold 8 Ultra’s $2,099 price point. The device’s passport‑style design introduces new protection challenges, prompting the author to evaluate case options from both Apple and third‑party makers. Apple’s first‑party case, a polycarbonate shell with MagSafe support, retails for $79 and guarantees a perfect fit. The Apple Duo Folio with Kickstand, a magnetic cover [...]

JP Morgan lifted its Apple (AAPL) price target to $360, up $20 from the prior $340, while keeping an Overweight rating. The change follows a recent dip in Apple shares after Nikkei Asia reported that the company asked suppliers to trim component output for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, citing soft demand. Despite the 2.5 % intraday slide, the stock recovered to close at $340.97. JP Morgan’s note argues the cuts align with Apple’s normal production adjustments and do not signal [...]

SpaceX will launch the CRS‑35 cargo mission to the International Space Station on Tuesday, Oct. 13, at 6:33 a.m. EDT from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. A Falcon 9 rocket will carry the Dragon spacecraft, loaded with 6,300 pounds (2,860 kg) of supplies, including the final International Space Station Roll‑Out Solar Arrays that will increase the station’s power budget. The capsule is slated to dock autonomously with the Harmony module on Oct. 15 around 11 a.m. EDT, delivering hardware for artificial‑retina manufacturing, 3‑D heart‑tissue [...]