18 October 2026
By Graham K. Rogers
I had been looking forward to the new releases from Apple last week, but what we were offered, particularly in this neck of the woods, just sagged. The HomeView is not available here, and is as significant for me as an electronic cuckoo clock. The updated AppleTV saw a price increase that was criticized by several commentators. The new HomePod speakers have some pretty colors. Withings which sells high end health hardware has upset some by charging new app users a hefty fee. There is some good TV viewing here on Apple and Netflix currently.
Although I had been anticipating the announcement of new products this week, I felt somewhat let down by what Apple released. In something of a contrast, it is widely reported that when the iPhone Duo orders opened on Friday, it was an immediate sellout. Preorders are now extending into 2027. Ed Hardy (Cult of Mac) reports that apparently Apple had "just sold at least 6 million of its foldable in a couple of hours", adding, "the number might approach 10 million." Oliver Haslam (Redmond Pie) writes that Apple says "this is nothing short of extraordinary". These reports, and later information that claims some color versions of the new HomeView device (see below) were having delivery dates extended, bodes well for the Q4 2026 financial report early next week.
There are expected to be more products in the next few weeks. Apple has already sent out limited invitations to the next event on 28 November (Ed Hardy, Cult of Mac). At that event (and the one said to follow in November), it is rumored that touchscreen Macs will be announced. I have already discussed this Steve Jobs No-No, but technology has moved on. While the ergonomics of working with a touchscreen on a notebook computer were once considered less easy, the way we now work with tablet computers has changed that. Even with the magic keyboard setup that makes the iPad Pro look and feel like a notebook device, I have zero problems reaching for the screen. The transition to operating like this with a Mac nowadays should be relatively easy, but I expect gallons of (virtual) ink will be wasted discussing this. Remember the "no stylus" rule? Things have changed. Who, for example, would have imagined in January 2007 that almost 20 years later it would be common to see thousands of preteens through to old folks like me, standing staring into small, hand-held illuminated panel? Plus ça change. . .
The first headlines I read Tuesday morning were unsurprising. These products had featured in the rumor columns for weeks. I did think right away that the new colors for the HomePod mini 2 were attractive, especia;;y the green and the blue. What I was really interested in was the new Apple TV with its A19 chip. After the headlines, I opened the Apple Store app on the iPad and was sad to see that the HomeView device was not shown. The speakers and the new AppleTV were listed, although they are not available for delivery just yet: nothing new there. I was also unhappy with the price of the new TV box. I am not alone. This starts at $299 in the USA, and 10,900 baht here. Chance Miller (9to5Mac) is one of several who comment on this. He calls it "insanely priced". Glenn Fleishman has taken the time to graph the prices off all Apple TV releases and the article this is with has a number of useful observations.
In terms of the cost here, unlike the recent iPhone releases with their heavy pricing (far more expensive than the USA) this new AppleTV is fairly priced in comparison. $299 was 10034.44 baht when I did the calculations. Adding 7% for VAT brings this to 10,737 so the price here (10,900) is within what I think is an acceptable range. However, there is normally a caveat here in Thailand that I cannot resolve. Previously, as with several other Apple devices and services, Siri had not been available with my A1625 (32GB) HD model AppleTV with the A8 chip, even though it was touted as a selling point when I bought the device. I felt let down then and I do now as well. As a basic set-top box (albeit on a shelf under the TV in my condo) it has worked well. The notes and exceptions at the bottom of the current AppleTV page are a bit vague:
The particular point that appears to affect buyers of the device here is number 6: "Find My support is available on the Siri Remote (2nd generation and later). Precision Finding works on the Siri Remote (4th generation) paired with iPhone Duo, iPhone Air or iPhone 17 or later (excluding iPhone 17e) running the latest iOS software; availability varies by region." It is that last point, which I have put in italics, that may well make the difference between a responsive device and a slippery hand-held operation. And all for the same price that users in the USA pay, give or take a couple of hundred baht.
Opinions are not wholly positive, while there are some improvements, mainly from software, Rajesh Pandey (Cult of Mac) compares the previous version, and that was 4 years ago. Outlining the differences in text and in a table, his title includes the conclusion, "More capable, harder to justify". Mike Wuerthele (AppleInsider) has also decided that this is just too expensive. Mahmoud Itani (MacWorld) is even more negative with an article suggesting that those who have placed orders should cancel immediately. Some of the older versions of the AppleTV will apparently also be able to handle the new Siri so what is the point?
I am guessing (see above), especially with the noticeable absence of the HomeView here, that Siri is not going to be available (as before) so users here would be offered even less: 10,000 baht for a box that feeds Netflix and AppleTV shows is not a good deal. MotoGP looks far better on the iPad Pro and there are fewer service drops. I might just as well look at these services on the iPad and connect that using the HDMI cable directly to the television screen. Mike Wuerthele makes a number of other, similar suggestions: there are enough alternatives to keep users connected without this expense. In the articles that have reader comments, the input is almost wholly negative.
Online comments are also divided somewhat on the release of the HomeView device which comes in either a standalone or a wall-mounted version. The latter does not have a power cord or adapter so these need to be purchased separately. There are a number of pre-installed apps connected to its intended operations. There is no app store for the device, so it apparently acts downstream of an iPhone. The 7" display is not really suitable for watching movies. Its square format, limited app capabilities make it seem like a larger Apple Watch, with fewer features andt a limited appeal: too little, too late. It is about as significant as an electronic cuckoo clock for me.
I suspect that one of the reasons HomeView may not be available here is because - like the availability of other devices and services (e.g. Apple Fitness) - Thailand is not an English-speaking country, and there are not enough sales (as in France, Germany, Japan, China et al to provide special language content. There are Thai fonts of course, so devices here are not really limited. Indeed, several of the executives, staff, and students in the Thai-language programs (the majority) where I work have Macs, iPads and other devices. If this language emphasis is the bottleneck, this approach, ignores the many users here who do speak English - the number has grown considerably in the last 20 years - and are quite capable of operating in the language. HomeView is also not available in the EU for legal reasons and it looks as if it is not going to be available here either. It took a couple of years for the HomePod to arrive, so maybe there will be a change of heart later. I will just keep using the iPhone or iPad and the Home app. Once again, users here are let down.
Despite this absence, at least for the foreseeable future, I had a look at a number of reports from those who will be able to buy these things. Chance Miller (9to5Mac) for example reports on the basics but does note that the device can have up to 6 separate user setups. This is unlike the Apple Watch (of course), but also does raise the question in my mind concerning separate user accounts on the iPad. I am reluctant to let anyone use my iPads (I had one stolen this way), although on the Mac it is easy enough to set up a separate user account for a friend or relation, so they can work without accessing data of another user. The iPad needs this too.
In a related post, Marcus Mendes (9to5Mac) reports on a number of home accessories from LG and Schneider that are to be made available from December into 2027. These include, "a new suite of smart cameras, thermostats, and a door lock". Again, these probably will not be available here, although the Home app on the iPad and the Mac should be able to support such devices.
The HomePod mini 2 with its new colors is quite attractive. I particularly like the green and the blue versions. At 5,200 baht, these are competitively priced, particularly when compared to the Bluetooth-connected Beolit 20 speaker I have. I bought this some 5 years ago, maybe more, for a price of around 17,000 baht and the output is quite good. It just soldiers on so I am unlikely to go for the Apple speakers just yet. The Beolit 20 is now listed in local sources for prices between 23,000-28,500 baht. Two of these HomePod mini speakers seem to be a bargain in comparison.
We reported recently on the actions of Skylum who stopped development of Aperty, an application that several users had paid for, suggesting they shift to another version of its Luminar - something this developer has a history of doing. I will not use Adobe products because of their subscription structures and over-emphasis of AI when I prefer ethical photography. Now Withings has apparently moved the goalposts.
I have been using a set of their scales for a few years and this allows me not only to keep my weight in check, but to have an early warning for potential problems. The readings sync to the Withings app, and that adds the data to the Apple Health app. All well and good for me. However, Marko Zivkovic (AppleInsider) reports that, as from 13 October, new users will be charged a $99 subscription "to sync their scale data with Apple Health."
The article adds that syncing to Apple Health does not "require server-side processing, AI agents, or any other potential costs for Withings" and a user comment describes this as a "cash grab", while Withings waffles on about "privacy measures" and an "AI connector." As Zivcovic notes, other scales do such synchronization for free. A follow up to this from Anurag Chawake (9to5Mac) reports that "many Withings fans are outraged over the change." Even though this is unlikely to affect me (at least for now) I am not happy by the arbitrary way in which some developers or companies, just change the rules.
Chawake notes that this applies to syncing Withings data to all 3rd party apps and includes a reply from the company: "We exist to help people take care of their health at home, so they can spot changes early and act before small issues become big ones. Withings+ helps us do that over the long term: it funds the services around your data, while your data itself stays yours", although users of course have to purchase the hardware before the app or data can be used. I did have a Withings blood pressure monitor a few years ago, but the pressure cuff eventually failed (that also happened with devices from other manufacturers).
In 2016 Nokia bought the company. However a couple of years later, the founder of Withings regained control. It was because I had the blood pressure device that I also bought the Nokia-branded scales in 2016 which are still providing good service. There are reported to be hundreds of comments on the Withings site now, but as Chawake writes, "So far, Withings seems to be defending the change rather than reversing it."
A television-related item is (or was) the arrival and departure of the new White House Press Secretary this week. I watched her first appearance and saw that there were several problems. She was reading from papers on the podium and seemed somewhat unprepared. I have non-native speaking students who could do better than this. A student presentation may not have the same audience, but is no less terrifying. The Q&A session was only 3 questions long, and in a car crash interview with Sean Hannity she referred to one of the news organizations that asked a question, telling Hannity that the Daily Mail was not right wing. I rolled my eyes. It was clear from the responses in the soft ball Hannity interview that her hours were numbered. And so it is. We now have a new unit of time. Instead of the 11-day Scaramucci, the 5-day Zachariah can be used (Jackie Fox, RTÉ). Other sources suggest that 2.75 Zacharias = 1 Scaramucci.
Apple TV has added 12 members to the to the Season 2 cast of its action thriller Down Cemetery Road, reports Deadline (Dennis Sellers). The new cast members include Martin Clunes (Doc Martin). Apple also has a new series in the pipeline with the title, Nocturne. This stars Lieve Schreiber and is due to arrive on our screens on 30 October AppleTV. Schreiber plays a jaded homicide detective who moves from Pennsylvania to a small rural town. But there is a serial killer, played by Stephen Graham, seemingly every bit as calculating as Hannibal Lecter. Also announced recently was a second season of the French series Carême for those who enjoy food (Dennis Sellers, AppleWorld Today). A little silly at times, this was not quite as good as the other Apple French series La Maison which sadly only had one season. Netflix also has programming from France along with series from several other European countries and the company shows that Part 4 of Lupin is scheduled to arrive on 23 October.
I have had a week almost entirely devoted to Netflix, with the exception of the penultimate episode of Slow Horses. Initially, I had not been moved by any of the summaries about Below until I saw one of the short excerpts online. I broke my one episode a day rule. The first episode set up the tension fairly well, and the normality (to an extent) of the Newfoundland citizenry with their reliance on the sea. The main character, Calvin Penney (Josh Hartnett) - who had seen the monster and its huge eyes when he was a boy - is rudely awakened to the reality of the monster's reappearance along with related deaths. A scientist based locally analyzes some of the materials and examines a severed leg, coming to the conclusion that the monster may be a Cephalopod. Ah, the stuff of legends: 20 Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (Verne), and the 1954 movie with Kirk Douglas which I saw in the 1960s on TV; The Kraken (Tennyson). This may actually be Architeuthis dux. This series seems to have some power to it.
Also arriving this week is Series 4 of The Diplomat. Previous series have ended with a bang (quite literally in one case). The death of the President, has pushed the VP, already with some history attached into the prime position and - master politician that she is - senses that Kari's husband will be a good, safe fit as her VP. Somehow the dynamic of this excellent series suggested that instead there will be some conflict and from the 5 episodes I have seen so far (3 to go) I was not wrong. I rewatched the end of series 3 to refresh my memory and was delighted by just how skillfully this series is written, directed and acted. Sarah Dempster (Guardian) is just as happy with the imminent return of this series and points out a number of areas where it could (and probably will) all go wrong, in geopolitical and personal terms. As Dempster's title tells us, ". . . nothing else on TV is as entertaining as this exquisitely stressful show" although Below has made some effort in that area. The series return has been well covered online in the past few days, and included the 2026 Emmys won by Alison Janney (President Penn), Keri Russell as the Diplomat Kate Wyler herself, Bradley Whitford (Penn's husband), and the excellent Rufus Sewell as Kate's husband and now VP.
There are some reports that suggest Netflix has not yet decided on a series 5. That is a good number for a top rate drama series (e.g. Breaking Bad). Silo will have 4, because of the scope of the books, while also because of its source material Slow Horses has just been renewed for Series 8. The difference here is partly because of the writing, but also the plot lines which in some cases can be more easily extended. With Slow Horses different problems can face the security services ad infinitum. The same happens with police series. Silo has a more limited scenario (and I have not read the books): at the end the residents may all die, or they may all come out and restart the planet. What Juliet and her band do when they invade Silo 1 will make all the difference. With Below there is a far more limited story line. At the end, the giant squid is dead and (we are told) the offspring are unlikely to survive with the warmer waters. As good as this was, a second series would just be a reinvention of the first.
Graham K. Rogers teaches at the Faculty of Engineering, Mahidol University in Thailand. He wrote in the Bangkok Post, Database supplement on IT subjects. For the last seven years of Database he wrote a column on Apple and Macs. After 3 years writing a column in the Life supplement, he is now no longer associated with the Bangkok Post. He can be followed on X (@extensions_th). The RSS feed for the articles is http://www.extensions.in.th/ext_link.xml - copy and paste into your feed reader. No AI was used in writing this item.
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