Apple's iPhone 18 Pro introduces a variable aperture camera with six blades controlled by a rotor, letting users choose between four settings from f/1.48 to f/4.0 directly in the Camera app. The update is paired with other imaging features including cinematic effects for standard video, Apple Reference Image, Photographic Styles 3, and an Audio Mix tool for music. According to early hands-on testing, the new aperture control produces more natural soft-focus effects than the phone's existing Portrait mode.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-16
Apple has explained the technical workings of Reference Image mode, a new opt-in feature on the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max that cryptographically signs photos at the moment of capture. The camera sensor uses a unique private key generated during manufacturing to sign image data, which Apple's cloud service later verifies against a certified public key, while the phone's security processor also signs and cross-checks the sensor's identity.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-16
Washington State University researcher Cameron Peace, while analyzing DNA samples sent by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association from trees on abandoned farms, found that one sample matched a long-predicted but never-located ancestor in his North American apple pedigree database. The discovery means a living tree in Maine has been quietly passing traits like flavor, hardiness and disease resistance to hundreds of modern apple varieties for centuries.
scientificamerican.com
· 2026-09-16
Filmmaker Todd Vaziri posted a video comparing Apple's 2026 keynote opener to scenes from the James Bond film Skyfall, pointing out matching camera angles and framing used to introduce Tim Cook and new CEO John Ternus. He also noted a gunbarrel-style sequence referencing the iPhone 18 Pro's variable aperture camera.
9to5mac.com
· 2026-09-16
CNET is revisiting its original 2007 review of the first iPhone, written by Kent German and Donald Bell, as Apple prepares to launch the foldable iPhone Duo starting at $2,000. The original review praised the iPhone's design but criticized its missing features, slow EDGE network, and $499 price tag, which required a two-year AT&T contract.
cnet.com
· 2026-09-16
T-Mobile has become the first US carrier to support Apple's new iPhone Handoff feature in iOS 27, which lets one phone number work across two iPhones by activating service on whichever device is unlocked, syncing texts, calls, voicemail and Find My location. T-Mobile is charging $5 a month for the feature, which requires carrier-level eSIM configuration on both devices. Verizon plans to add support by year's end, while AT&T has not committed to offering it.
cnet.com
· 2026-09-16
Apple's iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max launched alongside the more radical foldable iPhone Duo, arriving next month, but the Pro models are largely incremental. They share the same case design as the iPhone 17 Pro and use a new A20 Pro chip with improved thermal management for sustained performance, while the standout hardware change is a moving aperture in the main camera that adjusts how much light reaches the sensor.
theverge.com
· 2026-09-16
Apple's iOS 27 update, released September 14, includes an AI-powered Siri but does not activate it automatically. Users must join a waitlist through Settings to try the new assistant, and can revert to the classic Siri at any time.
cnet.com
· 2026-09-16
Apple published a Security Research blog post explaining how its new Reference Image camera feature, launching on the iPhone 18 Pro, verifies that photos are authentic from the moment they're captured. The system creates a secure digital negative with signed metadata and timestamps inside Apple's Private Cloud Compute environment, and uses a sensor-level trust chain with revocation lists to flag compromised hardware or fraudulent images.
9to5mac.com
· 2026-09-16
Apple has outlined a new approach called Reference Image aimed at proving whether a photo genuinely came from a real camera sensor, rather than relying on after-the-fact metadata like the C2PA standard. The method uses iPhone's secure hardware and Apple's Private Cloud Compute infrastructure to build a chain of trust starting at capture, rather than tracking edits after the fact.
security.apple.com
· 2026-09-16
Apple has finally delivered a version of Siri that behaves more like a conversational chatbot, addressing years of criticism about its limitations. However, newer AI agent applications such as Instinct and Muse have emerged with more advanced capabilities, overshadowing Apple's improvements before they can gain traction.
wsj.com
· 2026-09-16
Apple TV has released the first episode of Slow Horses' sixth season, with new episodes airing weekly through October 21. The premiere lands just hours after Apple TV renewed the espionage drama for two additional seasons and a day after director Saul Metzstein won an Emmy for the show's season five finale.
9to5mac.com
· 2026-09-16
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