Crowds gathered outside Apple stores across the globe on Friday morning as the highly anticipated iPhone 18 series officially hit shelves. From the iconic glass cube on Fifth Avenue in New York City to high streets in London, thousands of loyal fans waited in long lines to secure the newest hardware. This particular launch carries extra weight for the tech giant, marking the first major product release under the leadership of CEO John Ternus, who took over from Tim Cook earlier this month. Ternus spent part of his day greeting excited customers and signing autographs at the Manhattan flagship store, signaling a personal touch for the start of his tenure.
The centerpiece of this year’s rollout is undoubtedly the iPhone Duo, Apple’s first venture into foldable smartphones. Starting at 1,999 dollars and reaching up to 3,000 dollars for higher storage capacities, the Duo boasts what Apple describes as its thinnest design and largest screen ever produced. For those preferring traditional form factors, the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max remain available starting at 1,199 and 1,299 dollars respectively, featuring a redesigned camera system with a DSLR-like aperture intended to revolutionize low-light photography and depth of field.
Beyond the physical upgrades, Apple is leaning heavily into artificial intelligence with the debut of Siri AI. While teased back in June, the updated assistant was delayed until today to ensure stability. Powered by Google Gemini models, Siri AI can now parse through a user’s private messages, emails, and photos to pull specific information or help draft complex communications. In an effort to combat digital misinformation, these devices also introduce a feature that detects AI-generated images by pairing them with an unalterable reference image stored within the file metadata.
