Taking a look back at this week’s news and headlines from across the Apple world, with all the big headlines from Apple’s “Surprise and Shine” event, including the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max, the iPhone Duo, pre-order and release dates, Apple Watch’s new audio capabilities, AirPods 5 revealed, macOS 27’s public release date, and a look at John Ternus’ first public appearance as CEO.

Apple Loop is here to remind you of a few of the many discussions around Apple in the last seven days. You can also read my weekly digest of Android news here on Forbes .

iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max Sport Apple’s New Camera Aperture

The core launches were the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. Apple has bumped up many of the specs across the board in another iterative design refresh. As usual, Apple has paid particular attention to the camera, with significant changes to the main lens thanks to a variable aperture. Aisha Malik has more details :

“The new Pro series camera features a 48-megapixel sensor with a variable aperture controlled by six thin blades. This system is expected to improve low-light photography while also increasing shooting speed. The camera software also introduces new Pro controls, including white balance, shutter speed, aperture, and a histogram. In addition, new “Photographic Styles” offer greater customization with texture and grain controls.”

The Foldable iPhone, From Microsoft, With Love

Of course, the shiniest headlines were reserved for the foldable iPhone. Both iPhone Fold and iPhone Ultra have been mooted as model names, but Apple took a different approach and went with the iPhone Duo. It’s one of the most descriptive names possible - at least in tech circles - because the multi-tasking ethos on show from Apple matches the approach taken by the dual-screen foldable Surface Duo from Microsoft; a fact not lost on the Windows Central team :

“I’ve never seen another folding phone match the Surface Duo’s multitasking design, but iPhone Duo does almost identically. In multiple demos, Apple shows the iPhone Duo opening an app, and letting users split it side by side with another app by dragging the app up and docking it to the left or right of the screen.

“Surface Duo had a lot of flaws, but one thing it got absolutely right was the fluidity and automagic-ness of its multitasking experience...It looks like iPhone Duo is opting for the same design philosophy.”

Pre-Order And Retail Release Dates For The New iPhones

The practical question is when Apple’s community can get their hands on the new phones. David Phelan has the important dates, including the pre-order dates, the review embargos, along with the quirk that means the Duo won’t arrive until October:

“This is the easiest date in the schedule to predict — the newly announced flagship iPhones always go on sale on the Friday in the week after the keynote. The moment sales will begin is consistent, so the 8 a.m. timing refers to local time and means that Australia, for instance, is a long way ahead of California.

“Note that the iPhone Duo is coming later, on Friday, Oct. 23, with pre-orders opening a week earlier, on Friday, Oct. 16. All the other products are scheduled for Sept. 18.”

Apple also launched the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4. Both will come with a new audio feature, under the Audio Intelligence (AI) branding. Kris Holt looks at the new option for Engadget :

“The biggest new capability Apple is touting this time around is called Audio Intelligence. This can pick up sounds in the environment and alert you to noises like alarms and a crying infant, potentially making it very valuable for folks with hearing impairments. The feature can also transcribe the last 15 seconds of a conversation. Siri can summarize your chat too. In addition, Shazam can constantly run in the background to help you identify whatever song is playing nearby.”

The Sound Of Silence Is Renewed

The latest iteration of Apple’s base wireless earbuds was also on stage at this weekend’s event. The AirPods 5 offer an open-ear design with new active noise cancellation processing. Techradar’s Mackenzie Frazier has a listen :

“Apple claims the AirPods 5 deliver industry-leading ANC in an open-ear design, thanks to its new acoustic architecture that delivers 50% more noise reduction than the AirPods 4. The newest earbuds also deliver richer, more detailed sound with more dynamic personalized spatial audio. You also get a more durable design, Live Translation, hands-free access to Siri AI, and up to five hours of playback with ANC on a single charge.”

The Golden Gate Bridge Is Almost Open To The Public

Apple has also confirmed the public release of macOS 27. Golden Gate Bridge is currently available as a pre-release beta, but the ‘consumer-ready’ variant will arrive on Monday, Sept. 14, just in time for the newly announced Macs. Marcus Mendes reports :

“macOS 27 Golden Gate introduces the new Siri app alongside Apple’s revamped Siri AI, as well as an AI-powered Shortcuts app that can create shortcuts from natural-language prompts. Other new features include an AI-powered extension builder and support for pull-to-refresh in Safari, iPhone mirroring improvements, and video support in Apple Podcasts.”

John Ternus hosted Apple’s launch show for the first time since taking over from Tim Cook on Sept. 1st. The Guardian’s Dara Kerr looks at his first event as CEO :

“Bob O’Donnell, the president and chief analyst of Technalysis Research, said: “While products like the expected foldable iPhone have been in the works for some time, the fact that, as the new CEO, John Ternus gets to introduce it to the world is hugely symbolic because it shows off how a new era of more interesting new products for the company is kicking off under his leadership.”

Apple Loop brings you seven days worth of highlights every weekend here on Forbes. Don’t forget to follow me so you don’t miss any coverage in the future. Last week’s Apple Loop can be read here , or this week’s edition of Loop’s sister column, Android Circuit, is also available on Forbes .