Apple Schedules iPhone Duo for October as iFixit Rates AirPods 5 Low

Apple’s foldable iPhone Duo is scheduled to arrive in October, while the AirPods 5 have scored 2 out of 10 for repairability in recent teardown evaluations. Hardware updates across the MacBook Pro and iPad lineups continue to take shape ahead of expected autumn announcements.

Apple’s product schedule for the autumn season spans multiple device categories, bringing new release dates for foldable hardware, updated repairability assessments for audio gear, and ongoing software testing for upcoming Mac computers.

Foldable iPhone Duo Release Dates And China Sales

Unlike the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, which launched on schedule in September, the foldable iPhone Duo is scheduled to arrive in October, according to Forbes contributor David Phelan. Phelan notes that Apple plans to get the device into journalists’ hands early so that interest-generating reviews can appear on Tuesday, Oct. 20, with review embargoes lifting at the same time pre-orders open at 5 a.m. Pacific, 8 a.m. Eastern, and 1 p.m. BST.

The iPhone 18 Pro series has recorded a 12% year-on-year increase in China sales during its first week of availability, according to research from Counterpoint cited by Fiona Craig for Yahoo! Finance. Apple accounted for 33% of smartphone sales in China during Week 38, covering September 14 to September 20, even though the new pro models were available for only the final three days of that period.

AirPods Repairability Score Increases as Batteries Become Removable

The iFixit teardown team examined the latest AirPods models, leading their sub-editor to dub the hardware the least unrepairable AirPods yet. Although Apple’s Self Service Repair program does not provide a repair path for the earbuds, the repairability score jumped from 0 out of 10 to 2 out of 10. The score reflects the fact that earbud batteries are now possible to remove, giving skilled technicians a better chance of keeping a pair operational.

Apple has released security updates covering both the recently launched iOS 27 and the previous iOS 26. Apple’s notes state that the update provides security fixes for the iPhone, and support pages for iOS 26.7.1 detail a single security fix with no new features.

MacBook Pro And iPad Lineup Expansion

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports on the Power On podcast that Apple is testing new laptops with macOS 27.2 beta. The software update is expected toward the end of October, pointing toward possible announcements for touch-screen MacBook Pro models later in the month. Rumored features include an OLED touch screen, M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, a thinner design, and a Dynamic Island replacing the traditional notch.

MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris spotted references to two upcoming tablet models in recent OS code: the iPad 8 Mini and the iPad 12. Apple is anticipated to refresh the iPad mini before the end of October with an A20 Pro chip, a new speaker system, a landscape front-facing camera, and an OLED display.