iPhone Duo and other new hardware
We already know Apple has one monster release coming this month, but several other new products could be on the way as well:
iPhone Duo: Pre-orders for Apple’s first folding phone, the iPhone Duo, begin on October 16 and the phone officially becomes available on October 23. Obviously that is going to be the big release of the month, and you can read a lot more about the iPhone Duo in our guide. If you want one, you’ll want to pre-order right when it goes on sale at 8am ET, because we expect stock will be very constrained throughout the rest of this year.
Home hub device: Leading this month’s rumors is a totally new device we’ve been hearing about for years: a home hub many have taken to calling “HomePad.” It’s a simplified tablet with a roughly 6-inch display that runs a new operating system combining the Standby mode of iPhone, the widgets of Apple Watch, and some of the media capabilities of Apple TV, but without its own app store. It will reportedly control your smart home devices, make FaceTime calls, and recognize faces to automatically adjust to each individual’s preferences. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the most reliable Apple leaker around, says the device is set to launch on October 13.
HomePod mini 2: Along with the hub, there are persistent rumors of other smart home devices ready to go on sale in October, including a new HomePod mini. The HomePod mini 2 should have a new processor that supports Siri AI, improved networking, and improved audio, but visually resemble the current model, which hasn’t been updated since its 2020 debut. It will likely have a new lineup of colors.
Apple TV 4K (4th gen): The new Apple TV 4K is getting the same treatment: better networking and a faster chip for Siri AI, but otherwise the same as the current models. Some say that the remote might support Find My, with a tiny speaker to make a chime when lost.
iPad mini: Several rumors also claim the next iPad mini is nearly ready for release, with an A20 Pro, OLED display, and landscape-oriented FaceTime camera. It would be a big upgrade, and the most recent rumors say it will launch by the end of October.
