Apple - Page 3

Counterpoint's preliminary data: Q3 2026 smartphone shipments fell 20% YoY, the lowest Q3 since 2012, as DRAM and NAND costs squeezed supply.

Ex-Plaud exec Peter Mo's Ambi (Mistlabs) raised $26M, launching AI apps for iPhone, Mac and Watch that can listen all day; capture is off by default.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reportedly says Apple will announce a smart home hub called HomeView on Tuesday 13 October. Apple has not confirmed the product.

MacRumors reports a European Commission filing says Apple can make job offers to certain Huxe staff and take a non-exclusive licence to its IP. Not an acquisition; no names given.

IDC's preliminary data show worldwide PC shipments fell 20.1% year on year in Q3 2026 to 62.7 million units, and 9.1% from Q2. IDC blames supply constraints and stockpiling "ahead of memory-driven price hikes", links higher prices to the AI data-centre build-out, and says "Prices will remain elevated." What the figures show, and what they don't.

A preprint from EPFL researchers, listed on Apple's research site, finds a single minimal coding-agent session matched or beat elaborate machine-learning agent systems in its tests. Pasqal releases skills that let coding agents prepare quantum experiments, and Microsoft makes 30 Dynamics 365 CRM skills generally available, with Autopilot still in private preview.

Two device stories from 8–9 October 2026. Nikkei Asia reports that Apple told some suppliers to cut production of iPhone 18 Pro components after price rises dampened demand; Apple has not commented. And start-up Natura has shown Interface, a $99 smart ring for sending voice requests to AI agents, which cannot be ordered yet.

Apple marketing chief Greg Joswiak has posted "Welcome home. October 13.", and press have been invited to an "Apple Experience" in New York. Apple has named no products. A home hub with a display, a new Apple TV 4K, a refreshed HomePod mini and LG-made accessories are rumoured, not announced.

An unreleased "Additional sandbox options" setting found in Google's Gemini desktop app for Mac would let the AI reach files, apps and network connections beyond the folders users connect today. It is hidden, unconfirmed by Google and arrives just as Apple is tightening Full Disk Access.

Anyone can now check an image, video or audio file for SynthID watermarks from Google and partners including OpenAI, NVIDIA and Kakao, with Apple to follow. A useful check for some AI content, not a general AI detector. What a "no" result does and does not mean.