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Apple executive chairman Tim Cook met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly to discuss the proposed EU Kids Act. Von der Leyen said on X that the two agreed on the importance of privacy, safety and security for children online, part of a wider push by the bloc on child safety regulation.
Bloomberg reports Apple is running an early 'technology investigation' into a screen-less fitness band, described as a thin fabric strap with a sensor-equipped computing module. Multiple prototypes reportedly exist, but any product would not launch before 2028. Apple has not commented; TechCrunch says it reached out for details.
Apple shares briefly touched $345.34 shortly after markets opened, topping the previous intraday record of $344.57 set in July. The milestone comes just three weeks after Tim Cook handed the CEO role to John Ternus, with shares having recovered from post-earnings losses and a shaky start to the transition.
In an interview with Clique TV, Apple's John Ternus reflected on being asked by Tim Cook to take on the CEO role, describing the moment as unexpected and humbling. He also spoke about lessons learned from Steve Jobs and Tim Cook, emphasizing a focus on future innovation, and shared enthusiasm about generative AI's potential to enable products once thought to be science fiction.
Apple's new hardware chief John Ternus discussed Vision Pro's slow sales during an interview with French outlet Clique TV, comparing the device to the earliest days of personal computing. He noted surgeons and film production crews are already finding practical uses for the headset, similar to how early Macs found niche applications like desktop publishing before becoming mainstream.
In a Decoder podcast interview, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman discussed Apple's recent iPhone hardware event, which marked John Ternus's debut as CEO following Tim Cook's departure less than two weeks earlier. The event also introduced the iPhone Duo, Apple's first foldable smartphone, a launch Gurman says was deliberately timed to coincide with the leadership transition.
Despite stepping down as Apple CEO, Tim Cook has kept the responsibility of engaging with governments as part of his new executive chairman title. Bloomberg reports Cook, along with OpenAI's Sam Altman, will attend a White House state dinner honoring Chinese President Xi Jinping amid tense US-China relations over AI, trade and geopolitics.
Apple's 'Surprise and Shine' event introduced only two new iPhone models — the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max — alongside a foldable device called the iPhone Duo, priced at $1,999.99. The event also marked John Ternus's debut as CEO, opening the show solo rather than alongside outgoing CEO Tim Cook, who is now executive chair. CNET's reader prediction contest showed most participants expected three phones and a joint Cook-Ternus appearance, both of which turned out wrong.
Apple has re-entered TIME's World's Best Companies ranking at No. 3 with an overall score of 93.16, a year after being absent from the list entirely. The 2026 list is led by Nvidia at 97.51 and Cigna at 94.37, with scores based on employee satisfaction, three-year revenue growth, and sustainability transparency.
Samsung released a new commercial for the Galaxy Z Fold 8 starring a man named 'Tim Cook from Palmerston North,' timed to coincide with Apple's iPhone Duo announcement. The ad parodies Apple's cinematic product-launch style, with this Tim Cook declaring 'the future is here,' and includes a jab referencing Apple CEO Tim Cook's recently updated profile picture.
Apple's fall event, the first led by CEO John Ternus, introduced the foldable iPhone Duo and larger iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, but notably skipped a standard non-Pro iPhone 18. Analysts expect Apple to release a cheaper mainline iPhone in a separate spring event, similar to past SE launches. The entry price for new iPhones announced Wednesday rose to $1,199, while the iPhone 17 saw a $100 price hike to $899.
In his debut keynote as Apple CEO, John Ternus declared the iPhone the ideal 'intelligent personal hub' for the AI era, pushing back against predictions that smartphones are becoming obsolete. This marks a shift from Tim Cook's approach of emphasizing Apple's diversification beyond the iPhone, instead echoing Steve Jobs' 2001 defense of the Mac as a 'digital hub' just before the iPod's launch.