Apple’s foldable phone takes center stage

Apple unveils foldable phone as Ternus takes stage

Apple rolled out its next generation of the iPhone, AirPod and Apple Watch , with the company’s first-ever foldable smartphone taking center stage on Wednesday.

The “Surprise and Shine” event marked John Ternus’s first public appearance as Apple’s new chief executive , offering a glimpse into how the product designer is approaching the next chapter for the company.

The biggest launch of the day was the long-awaited iPhone Duo, marking the technology giant’s first foldable smartphone .

The Duo with 256-gigabyte storage will start at $1,999 , the most expensive sticker price to date for an Apple iPhone.

The Duo, which will be available on Oct. 23, is a book-style foldable, similar to the size of a passport when opened. It has a bendable display and has the largest iPhone screen ever, Apple said.

Ternus said the new phone “will redesign the experience of using a foldable phone.”

“Others have created foldables that just feel like two phones awkwardly stuck together,” Ternus said. “This results in a square screen that’s rarely suited for the way people use them.”

While the iPhone Duo marks the highest sticker price for an iPhone, Apple also raised base-level prices for the new iPhone 18 lineup and older generations.

The new iPhone Pro starts at $1,199 and the Pro Max model starts at $1,299, while the iPhone 17, iPhone Air and iPhone 17e, which were released last year, were raised by $100 each.

This is a change for Apple, which usually lowers the prices of older generations once a new lineup is released.

Amid scrutiny over Apple’s approach to AI, Ternus doubled down on the company’s strategy, while emphasizing the company’s hard-line stance on privacy.

Read our five takeaways from the event at TheHill.com

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Apple unveils foldable phone as Ternus takes stage: 5 takeaways

Apple rolled out its next generation of the iPhone, AirPod and Apple Watch, with the company’s first-ever foldable smartphone taking center stage on Wednesday. The “Surprise and Shine” event marked John Ternus’s first public appearance as Apple’s new chief executive, offering a glimpse into how the product designer is approaching the next chapter for the company. Here are five takeaways from the event. Apple unveils …

NASA wants to see your pictures of the sky. Here’s why

(NEXSTAR) – NASA wants you to point your phone to the sky and take a picture of the clouds. For science. Starting on Sept. 15, the space agency’s PACE satellite (which stands for the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem satellite) will circle the Earth every 98 minutes. While it’s overhead, the satellite will be collecting important environmental data, measuring how clouds and particles in the atmosphere absorb …

Bipartisan coalition pushes Trump administration on AI security framework release

A group of organizations from both sides of the aisle called on President Trump to publicly release his administration’s framework on government AI testing, arguing the closed-door policy raises concerns around transparency. “The government has a fundamental responsibility to share the parameters of the process for reviewing frontier AI models prior to wider deployment,” the organizations wrote in the Wednesday …

Anthropic researchers warn out-of-control AI could destroy humans

Several current and former Anthropic researchers are offering a stark warning about AI, suggesting the technology they are developing could destroy humanity in the near future. Jacob Coxon, a former researcher at both Anthropic and OpenAI, argued Tuesday that neither company is acting responsibly as they race toward superintelligence and accused the AI firms of “gambling with our lives.” “The people building AI earnestly believe …

News we’ve flagged from t he intersection of tech and other topics:

Google to invest $15 billion in AI infrastructure and buy nuclear power in Finland ( Reuters )

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Hunter Biden’s laptop-linked meme coin soars, then falls in market debut

Hunter Biden’s meme coin soared in value Wednesday before its price plummeted hours after the launch.

The $LAPTOP coin quickly surged from $37 to around $222 within its first hour. But the cryptocurrency is trading around $1.36 just after 3 p.m. EDT, according to Coinmarketcap.com, a database tracking cryptocurrency prices.

The coin dropped around 95 percent in value since its launch.

The behavior is in line with the typical lifespan of meme coins, which do not carry any intrinsic value but often surge in price because of social media hype around their launch.

Other political figures have launched coins — including President Trump and first lady Melania Trump’s meme coins, which similarly plummeted in value after their launches.

Crypto Corner is a daily feature focused on digital currency and its outlook in Washington.

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Microsoft, AFT unveil AI safety and privacy standard for schools

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