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Renewable Electricity in Manufacturing: 50, 60 and 35 Percent, and Two Products With No Figure
News

Renewable Electricity in Manufacturing: 50, 60 and 35 Percent, and Two Products With No Figure

Mike Peterson · September 12, 2026

Apple states that 50 percent of the electricity used to manufacture iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max comes from renewable sources. iPhone Duo’s figure is higher, at 60 percent. AirPods 5’s is lower, at 35 percent. Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 carry no matching percentage in the material published…

Which Apple Accessories to Buy Now: Six Published Prices, and Four Apple Has Not Printed
Round-Ups

Which Apple Accessories to Buy Now: Six Published Prices, and Four Apple Has Not Printed

Mike Peterson · September 12, 2026

Buy two accessories with this launch and wait on the rest: a $49 Clear or Silicone Case with MagSafe, and the $29 wrist strap if you want one. Those sit inside the six accessory prices Apple actually published on September 9, and everything people most want to spend money on next, the charger above all,…

What Not to Buy From Apple Right Now: Five Purchases With a Published Date Against Them
Round-Ups

What Not to Buy From Apple Right Now: Five Purchases With a Published Date Against Them

Mike Peterson · September 12, 2026

Five things in Apple’s current lineup are the wrong purchase this week, and in each case the argument is a published date or a published price rather than an opinion: AirPods 4 in either version, iPhone Air at $1,099, iPhone 16 at $799, any coverage decision made before Monday, and an Apple Watch pre-order placed…

Buying Apple Gear to Last Five Years: Take the 256GB iPhone 18 Pro and the $399 Watch
Round-Ups

Buying Apple Gear to Last Five Years: Take the 256GB iPhone 18 Pro and the $399 Watch

Mike Peterson · September 12, 2026

If you want one purchase to still be current in 2031, buy iPhone 18 Pro at 256GB for $1,199 and Apple Watch Series 12 at $399, and do not treat AirPods as a five-year item at any price. That is the whole verdict, and every part of it rests on a figure Apple publishes rather…

The Cheapest New iPhone You Can Get This Month: $699, and the $30 Catch on the Two Above It
Round-Ups

The Cheapest New iPhone You Can Get This Month: $699, and the $30 Catch on the Two Above It

Mike Peterson · September 12, 2026

The cheapest new iPhone you can buy from Apple this month is the iPhone 17e at $699, and it is the only phone in the lower half of the lineup whose headline price does not lean on activating a carrier plan at checkout. If you want a 120Hz display, the second answer is iPhone 17…

Apple Intelligence on a Budget: $699 Buys In, and $1,099 Buys the Tier Above
Round-Ups

Apple Intelligence on a Budget: $699 Buys In, and $1,099 Buys the Tier Above

Mike Peterson · September 12, 2026

If you are buying hardware purely to get Apple Intelligence, buy the iPhone 17e at $699. It is the cheapest device on Apple’s own price list that also appears on Apple’s Apple Intelligence device page, and the software itself costs nothing: iOS 27 arrives free on Monday, September 14. Siri AI is the headline Apple…

Switching From Android to iPhone in 2026: The $899 Verdict and Apple’s One Trade-In Number
Round-Ups

Switching From Android to iPhone in 2026: The $899 Verdict and Apple's One Trade-In Number

Mike Peterson · September 12, 2026

If you are moving to iPhone this month, buy iPhone 17 at $899 rather than the cheapest model or the most expensive one. It is the entry point in Apple’s lineup that lists a 120Hz ProMotion display, a 48MP main camera with a 48MP Ultra Wide, an 18MP Center Stage front camera and up to…

Apple Buying Guide for Travelers in 2026: Ultra 4 Satellite, a 45-Hour iPhone and the eSIM Rule
Round-Ups

Apple Buying Guide for Travelers in 2026: Ultra 4 Satellite, a 45-Hour iPhone and the eSIM Rule

Mike Peterson · September 12, 2026

For anyone who spends real time in airports, the buy is the iPhone 18 Pro Max at $1,299, and the one add-on worth the money is Apple Watch Ultra 4 at $799. Apple rates the Pro Max at 30 hours of typical use, and the Ultra 4 is the only current Apple Watch with satellite…

Apple Buying Guide for Video Creators in 2026: 4K120, Apple Log 2 and a $129 Audio Add-On
Round-Ups

Apple Buying Guide for Video Creators in 2026: 4K120, Apple Log 2 and a $129 Audio Add-On

Mike Peterson · September 12, 2026

For video, buy the iPhone 18 Pro Max at $1,299 rather than the 6.3-inch model at $1,199. Apple lists the same capture formats on both, so the extra $100 buys the only thing a shoot actually runs out of: Apple rates the Pro Max at 30 hours typical use and 45 hours of video playback…

Apple Buying Guide for Photographers in 2026: Four Apertures, 8x Zoom and One Clear Verdict
Round-Ups

Apple Buying Guide for Photographers in 2026: Four Apertures, 8x Zoom and One Clear Verdict

Mike Peterson · September 12, 2026

If you are buying one Apple product for still photography this month, buy the 6.3-inch iPhone 18 Pro. It is the only iPhone Apple sells with a variable aperture, a 48MP telephoto lens and an 8x optical-quality zoom, and it starts at $1,199 with carrier connectivity selected at checkout. The variable aperture at its widest…

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