Over the past ten years, Apple’s iPhone has become the company’s most valuable —and recently, somewhat volatile— asset. Since its introduction in 2007, the iPhone helped to jumpstart the smartphone revolution, and with it came some big innovations. The App Store, touchscreen gaming, the mass adoption of social media, and protecting user data with biometrics. Its product lineup is enmeshed in Apple’s ecosystem, and the impact that it continues to have around the globe is vast.
Apple’s thinnest iPhone is finally launching in China next week, with preorders this Friday. The eSIM-only phone’s launch was delayed a month ago over regulatory issues to do with the electronic SIM cards, which aren’t widely available in the country.
Side note: this is how I found out Tim Cook has a Weibo account?
Last week, Ford CEO Jim Farley stepped up to the Decoder mic to explain why Ford isn’t offering CarPlay Ultra. Then this week, our friend Joanna Stern followed up with RJ Scaringe to discuss (again) why his company’s cars don’t have CarPlay support at all.
The free iOS app is now available to download worldwide today, following its announcement earlier this month, bringing Premiere Pro editing features to mobile devices. An Android version is also in development, but Adobe hasn’t said when it will arrive.
There are fixes for bugs that some new iPhone 17 / Pro / Air owners have noticed, like wonky Wi-Fi and Bluetooth radios, as well as camera artifacts experienced “under certain lighting conditions.”
One iOS 26 issue addressed is blank custom tinted icons, plus one security flaw for a “maliciously crafted font.”
In a short video, iFixit speculates that the battery inside is the same as the one that’s in the iPhone Air itself. I’m convinced!
The Verge team has spent the week putting Apple’s brand-new lineup through the test — the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone Air.
Now, Jake, Allison, and Todd have answered the questions you submitted in a live AMA today at 1 PM ET, and you can look below in the comments to see what they had to say.
🎁 Bonus: Our iPhone 17 Pro review is free to read all day — no subscription needed.
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This year’s iPhone is more useful, has more storage, and starts at the same price. What’s not to like?
But most people should buy the regular iPhone 17.
With the launch of iOS 26, Apple planned to let you create a digital ID with your US passport and store it in its Wallet app, allowing you to pass through TSA checkpoints while traveling within the country. Now, Apple says this feature will be “available in a software update,” as spotted by MacRumors.
We were all worried when Apple’s cloth didn’t support its new models on day one, but the company must have pushed an OTA update just in time for preorders today. All four new iPhones are supported, plus the three new Watch models.
Apple’s lens math doesn’t add up.
Unsure about the Air or put off by the Pro? Don’t worry: with double the storage, a 120Hz display, and its upgraded selfie camera, the regular iPhone 17 looks like the best of the bunch, and not for the first time.
thewunderbar:
Every few years, Apple decides to make the base iPhone the best phone in the lineup for 99% of people. This is one of those years.
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Ahead of iOS 26 officially launching on September 15th, the release candidate was made available yesterday and includes a new feature that will automatically change the color of your home screen icons to match your colored Apple MagSafe case, as spotted by MacRumors.
Apple had to walk the tightrope of announcing both a stripped back iPhone Air and a souped up iPhone 17 Pro yesterday. If you were paying close attention, you might have come away just a little confused.
Species 8472:
So funny hearing the way they describe the Pro vs. the Air. You only need one camera! You need three cameras! Titanium is so strong! Forget titanium, aluminum is better for thermals!
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Here’s a novel take on the kickstand case from none other than Apple’s own Beats. The $59 “Kickstand Case with MagSafe and Camera Control” has an adapter on the lanyard that slides open and “attaches to a magnetic point on the side of the case.” It comes in a variety of colors and fits the new iPhone 17, 17 Pro, and 17 Pro Max.
Allison Johnson walks us through Apple’s new iPhone 17 Pro models. Pre-review don’t-hold-me-to-it hot take: orange iPhone 17 Pro Max over the iPhone Air. ALL. DAY. Going to be so easy to find on my next camping trip. Anyway, I’m but a peasant to our Queen Allison. Here’s what she has to say:
