NEW: Episode 3 of the Power On podcast is out! We break down Apple’s smart home launch, go hands-on with the HomeView, and debate the new Apple TV & HomePod mini. Plus, exclusive details on Apple’s upcoming touchscreen Mac launch, OLED iPad mini and more.
Source: Mark Gurman
I find the $299 price for HomeView solid. Not super aggressive but reasonable all things considered. The $149 for the HomePod mini 2 is in the same category. But I think $299 for the Apple TV is a huge stretch and a cheaper model - a stick? - is now essential.
Source: Mark Gurman
Lastly, the new HomePod mini is official with an S10 chip at $149. It comes in blue, white, midnight, green and pink. It supports Siri AI (coming later) and can serve as Mac or surround sound speakers.
Source: Mark Gurman
Apple is also officially launching a suite of co-developed home accessories with LG, including a doorbell, deadbolt lock and thermostat. There are also accessories made with Schneider Electric. These won’t launch until end of year.
Source: Mark Gurman
Apple also introduces the new Apple TV 4K box with a price hike to $299. It has an A19 chip, Siri AI, microphones in box for voice control without the remote and a new remote with a speaker for Find My.
Source: Mark Gurman
If you’ve reserved an iPhone Duo, what’d you get?
Source: Mark Gurman
Apple’s Fifth Avenue store is expected to have more than 150 iPhone Duo demo units for the Oct. 23 launch. Apple Park Visitor Center will have nearly 100. There’s also a new fixture showing the phone opening and closing. More in Power On:
Source: Mark Gurman
Also in Power On: Apple’s upcoming OLED iPad mini will be considerably more expensive than today’s $599 model. My guess is closer to $799. Expect an A20 Pro chip, a relocated FaceTime camera and a revamped speaker system.
Source: Mark Gurman
Power On: Apple spent a decade losing the smart home. Now it has a plan to compete: HomeView, a new Apple TV and HomePod mini, and LG-built accessories. Tuesday’s unveiling is about protecting the iPhone as much as outfitting your house.
Source: Mark Gurman
NEW: The countertop HomeView with a speaker base will come in space gray, silver, starlight and pink. The wall-mounted version: space gray and silver. The new HomePod mini: midnight, green, white, blue and pink.
Source: Mark Gurman
Fun little touch for the iPhone Duo launch: Apple retail stores will have a system to customize the boot of the device with the buyer's name so it says "Hello, Mark" (for example) when it turns on for the first time. (US only, Duo only, English and Spanish).
Source: Mark Gurman
NEW: Apple is naming Steve Smith its new M&A chief, shifting longtime dealmaking head Adrian Perica to focus exclusively on his responsibilities overseeing parts of the company’s services business. It’s the latest management shake-up under John Ternus.
Source: Mark Gurman
Apple’s touch-screen and OLED MacBook Pro has one more thing: they are lighter — Significantly lighter. Apple has reengineered the machine’s interior, miniaturizing parts and rearranging components to make the computer much easier to carry.
Source: Mark Gurman
Amazon’s New Kindles Are Thinner, Lighter and More Colorful — Sales of the company’s e-readers are rising as the product line approaches its 20th anniversary next year. Story from @chriswelch on @panos_panay and co.’s terrific new e-readers.
Source: Mark Gurman
This Thursday, I’m launching the Power On Podcast and it’s all about Apple and consumer tech. It’ll be available anywhere you can get your podcasts, including on Apple and Spotify. It’ll also be a video podcast on YouTube and Bloomberg’s website. Enjoy!
Source: Mark Gurman
Apple Pay is now live in India with Axis Bank —
Source: Mark Gurman
Exclusive: All the details on Meta's new Muse Charm, a dedicated AI hardware device that sits in the palm of your hand for Muse. It can be worn with a wrist strap, has an OLED screen, 5G and was developed by Apple's former top interface design executive.
Source: Mark Gurman
Meta has killed Vision Pro Personas with its new Holograms on its VR headset and display Ray-Bans. The first time I used it I joked that it wasn't working because it was so realistic. I had no idea it was AI.
Source: Mark Gurman
NEW: Meta launches camera-free Ray-Ban smart glasses, debuts the third-generation Ray-Bans with cameras, brings Muse to glasses, and upgrades its Display glasses with new software.
Source: Mark Gurman
Apple is gearing up to launch Apple Pay in India — finally — by October, I’m told.
Source: Mark Gurman
Here’s the story with the iPhone Duo Apple Pencil. A new stylus was originally planned and scrapped due to technical snags, so Apple pivoted for supporting the iPad Apple Pencils.
Source: Mark Gurman
Early impressions: The vast majority of people with an iPhone 17 Pro shouldn’t upgrade to the 18 Pro unless they’re trying to lock in trade-in value toward next year. And, burgundy is a step down from orange. The overall reality is far different than what you’re seeing on TikTok.
Source: Mark Gurman
This is super refreshing! Apple's new head of hardware engineering Tom Marieb, when asked about the crease getting bigger over time on the Duo, says, "Hold us accountable to that, please." Never heard that one before.
Source: Mark Gurman
Source: Mark Gurman
Power On: Apple’s iPhone Duo will one day be remembered just a notch below the 1998 iMac, 2001 iPod and 2010 iPad and eventually turn foldable smartphones into the new normal.
Source: Mark Gurman