TechCapsules

Apple launched the iPhone Duo on September 9, sparking a near‑instant sell‑out of pre‑orders. The $2,000+ foldable device attracted a broad audience, including Android users, and was praised for its marketing and product design. However, the company could not meet demand, pushing shipping dates to late January 2027 and creating a three‑month backorder. Apple reportedly had 6 million units slated for 2026, all sold out, but the supply shortfall limits immediate revenue capture.

Apple’s first foldable iPhone, the iPhone Duo, is now available for preorder, prompting AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon to launch competitive incentives. T‑Mobile offers up to $1,000 in bill credits for new or existing customers trading in any eligible device, with no upfront cost and up to 36 monthly credits. AT&T provides up to $1,200 in bill credits for trades of an iPhone 14 Pro Max or newer, requiring a Premium 2.0 plan or higher. Verizon gives up to $840 in bill [...]

Elorian, a Palo Alto AI startup, unveiled its first multimodal model, Glimpse, on Friday. The model, released as a research preview with API access, emphasizes iterative visual reasoning rather than single-pass image tokenization. Glimpse repeatedly revisits the source image, cropping, zooming, and executing code to refine its understanding—a “visual scratch space.” Trained on a few hundred GPUs, it outperforms larger competitors on scientific chart reasoning and short‑form video captioning while remaining cost‑effective. The company targets video‑heavy sectors [...]

Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled a remotely piloted flying Roadster at a Texas SpaceX test site, demonstrating its ability to lift off a ramp, perform aerial maneuvers, and land safely using SpaceX thrusters. Musk emphasized the collaboration between Tesla and SpaceX, noting the vehicle is not yet safety‑optimized and may be the only manually driven Tesla model. He announced a 2028 production target, while experts and influencers expressed both excitement and skepticism about the prototype’s feasibility and [...]

Google’s AI Pro subscription, priced at $19.99/month, offers expanded Gemini limits, 5 TB of storage, and bundled services such as Google Home Premium, Health Premium, and YouTube Premium Lite. The company frequently grants extended free trials with new Pixel phones, but trial users receive fewer benefits than paid subscribers. Trials exclude Gemini 4 Argon in Antigravity and delay access to YouTube Premium Lite, and they omit the 10% Google Store cashback. Google’s support pages note these limits, yet they are not [...]

Apple announced a free software update for the HomePod (2nd generation) that adds Sound Glow, a visual lighting effect that syncs with music and displays album‑art colors. The update also allows the HomePod to become the default Mac speaker on Wi‑Fi 6E or newer Macs, improving connectivity. Additionally, the new Apple TV 4K (4th generation) will support a four‑speaker surround sound setup using paired HomePods. These features are slated to launch with iOS 27.2 and HomePod 27.2 later this month. [...]

The Department of Justice has signaled a willingness to settle its antitrust lawsuit against Apple, a move that has drawn criticism from major developers such as Epic Games and PayPal. Epic argues that a settlement would fail to curb Apple’s alleged anti‑competitive App Store practices, while PayPal shares similar concerns. The DOJ’s shift toward settlement comes after a prolonged legal battle that began over two years ago, raising questions about the future enforcement of antitrust rules in [...]

Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro introduces a variable aperture lens that expands the wide‑end from f/1.8 to f/1.48, granting slightly more light for Night mode. Tests show the exposure time drops from about 2.1 seconds to 1.7 seconds, reducing motion blur in low‑light shots. Users can also dial the aperture to f/4, extending exposure to 4 seconds for smoother water and starburst effects. While the gain is modest, it offers practical benefits for night photography and creative control.