A 9to5Mac roundup published Oct. 14 highlights a first discount on Apple’s HomeView smart display preorder at Amazon, along with savings on AirPods Pro 3 and AirPods Max 2, a lower-priced Siri Remote, and deals on the 2026 Magic Keyboard, iPhone 18 Pro cases and AirTag 2. Its Oct. 13 roundup featured discounts of up to $600 on M5 Pro MacBook Pro models, a $199 clearance deal on the Black Titanium Apple Watch Ultra 3 and nearly $150 off the M6 Mac mini.
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October 2026 news
Apple's $299 HomeView smart home display will not have an App Store, but it can display third-party widgets from an iPhone, 9to5Mac reports. Apple announced the 7-inch display as a device for controlling connected accessories, making FaceTime calls, and enjoying music and video.
Tom's Hardware reports that an IMF report examines how financing for the global AI buildout could spread financial contagion if the industry fails to deliver its promised profits. This follows earlier IMF warnings about AI and debt risks, including a possible market correction, as it raised its world-growth forecast.
Apple’s first folding iPhone, the Duo, is described as a high-priced, niche device. 9to5Mac reports that it starts at $1,999 for 256GB and reaches $3,199 for 2TB, and says a “renewable” inner display layer may help justify the cost; CNET says the device’s high starting price makes it suited to a specific audience.
Apple is reportedly planning to unveil a touchscreen, OLED MacBook Pro at an event on October 28, with invitations sent to selected media representatives, according to 9to5Mac. The same event is expected to include an OLED iPad mini and M6 versions of the MacBook Pro and iMac, the outlet reports. ZDNET also says the touchscreen MacBooks are reportedly days away and hints at another OLED surprise.
Apple has published out-of-warranty repair costs for the iPhone Duo ahead of preorders starting Friday and shipping next week, according to 9to5Mac. The Verge reports that repairing the phone’s folding screen costs as much as a new iPhone.
OpenAI alleges in a court filing that a former employee who left for Apple sent more than 100 files about an unreleased device to personal accounts and later presented the product to Apple leaders, according to The Guardian. 9to5Mac reports that Apple told Reuters it had found no evidence to support the allegations. The Guardian says the filing delayed a court showdown between OpenAI and Apple.
9to5Mac's Oct. 12 Daily episode highlighted last-minute rumors about an Apple event. Its Oct. 13 episode covered HomeView, Apple TV 4K and HomePod mini, but the listings provide no further details.
Apple confirmed that Siri AI will be exclusive to HomePod mini 2, 9to5Mac reports, correcting an earlier CNET report that older HomePod mini models would get the feature. Separately, clues on Apple’s website may suggest Siri AI could come to full-size HomePods, though 9to5Mac says they may have been an error.
Gemini 4 Argon is starting to roll out to the Gemini app, Google Antigravity and more, following an announcement at the end of September. As part of the rollout, Google is integrating Antigravity into the Gemini app for macOS.
Tom’s Hardware reports that an ASUS ROG gaming laptop with an RTX 5060 is discounted by $600 to $1,399, or about $1,400.
Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian data centers disrupted apps and services, while online bot activity may have fallen less than initially reported, according to Tom's Hardware. The outlet also reported that legitimate bot traffic declined but malicious Russian disinformation bots remained operational.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy says China is handing Russia technology for its own Starlink-like network, which could allow Russia to dominate the skies over Ukraine, TechRadar reports. The report says Moscow's Rassvet network has launched 32 satellites and lost at least one. This follows reports that new Starlink restrictions disrupted Ukraine's military operations.
Palo Alto Networks has issued security updates for a high-severity PAN-OS remote-code-execution flaw being exploited in attacks targeting firewalls. The Hacker News identifies it as CVE-2026-0322, gives it a CVSS score of 8.6, and says it affects the software’s management interface.
Scientists have rewarmed pig kidneys cooled to -150 °C and stored in a freezer for months, and shown that they work again, MIT Technology Review reports. The kidneys are similar in size to human ones, and the scientists hope to replicate the findings with human organs.
Microsoft and a coalition of cybersecurity organizations announced the disruption of three phishing kits: CoGUI, Haozi and Iron Man System. The Hacker News and The Verge report that the kits or network were linked to more than one billion scam messages; The Verge describes the takedown as involving Microsoft and Japan.
Apple has unveiled new smart-home devices showcasing an upgraded Siri AI, The Guardian reports. Ars Technica says preorders are open for Apple’s first smart display, the 7-inch HomeView, at $299. ZDNet highlights features of the $299 hub, including a wall model, and says its writer wants to test it firsthand.
Google has launched its Universal Cart shopping tool in the United States, according to TechCrunch. ZDNet says Google unveiled two shopping tools ahead of the holiday buying season and describes Universal Cart as tracking prices on items users want. CNET reports that the tool tracks stock availability and price drops but requires users to shop on Google first; The Verge says the launch comes ahead of the holidays.
OpenAI has updated its ChatGPT Chrome extension so it can use tabs that are already open in the browser. The Verge says users can tag Chrome in ChatGPT’s web or desktop app to let it view those tabs; Engadget reports the extension can compare information across them to help with tasks.
Apple unveiled HomeView, its smart-home hub, in two models: one with a domed speaker base and one designed for wall mounting. 9to5Mac reports that the wall-mount model does not include a mount, which costs at least $59 separately; it also reports a feature difference between the models but does not specify it in the supplied summary.