Radar of the Week (Sept 9–16): iPhone Duo, iOS 27 and a Record Patch Tuesday

This edition of the Radar of the Week covers September 9–16, 2026 — Apple’s week. John Ternus led his first event as CEO and unveiled the foldable iPhone; iOS 27 arrived with the Siri Apple had promised for years; Microsoft set a record for fixes in a single month and needed an emergency update; and a two-year-old startup became a unicorn selling “SEO for AI.”

Quick answer: the five signals of the week

1) Apple launched the iPhone 18 Pro ($1,199), the foldable iPhone Duo ($1,999), Watch Series 12, Ultra 4 and AirPods 5 — and raised prices. 2) iOS 27 shipped on September 14 with the new Siri and a daily usage limit. 3) Patch Tuesday fixed ~1,000 flaws and got an emergency update on September 15. 4) Profound raised $180 million at a $1.8 billion valuation. 5) Nvidia said Vera Rubin delivers 7x more tokens per megawatt.

Apple: Ternus’s week

The September 9 “Surprise and shine” event brought the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max (2nm A20 Pro chip, variable-aperture camera, $100 more expensive), the iPhone Duo (7.6″ open, Touch ID, $1,999, in stores October 23), the Apple Watch Series 12 ($399) and Ultra 4 ($799), and the AirPods 5 with ANC on every model from $129. Apple discontinued the iPhone 17 Pro, raised prices on older iPhones and created AppleCare One Family. The first 18 Pro reviews, on September 16, praised the camera and battery and criticized the weight and price.

Software: iOS 27 and the biggest Patch Tuesday ever

• iOS 27 (Sept 14): new AI Siri with a daily quota, paid “Expanded Access” add-on, AI features only on the iPhone 15 Pro and newer; the OS reaches back to the iPhone 11.
• Windows: the September 8 Patch Tuesday fixed roughly 1,000 vulnerabilities — a record — and caused regressions; Microsoft shipped an out-of-band update on September 15.
• Google Ads: Search campaigns using broad match or automatically created assets are being migrated to AI Max through September 30.

Startups and deals

Company	Move	Detail
Profound	$180M Series D	AEO unicorn ($1.8B); Sequoia and Kleiner Perkins; 1,000+ customers
Euclyd	€200M Series A	Inference chips backed by Samsung; product in 2028
Exein	$270M	Cybersecurity (Rome); $1.7B valuation
Cornelis Networks	$205M	Networking for AI data centers
Open Cosmos	€300M	Satellites (UK); manufacturing expansion
OpenAI	Acquisition	Bought Glass Imaging (computational photography) for $300M+

Big tech and infrastructure

Nvidia shared Vera Rubin tests showing up to 7x better token throughput per megawatt than Blackwell; Jensen Huang attended the state dinner with Xi Jinping and answered Trump, who called AI “takeover” fears a “hoax.” The Gates Foundation committed $1 billion over two years to AI in health, education and agriculture. AWS‘s Bahrain region and one UAE availability zone remain inaccessible after missile and drone strikes. And Google engineers were given broad internal access to Anthropic’s Claude — a sign of a multi-model strategy.

Regulation and geopolitics

X/SpaceX’s antitrust claims against Apple were dismissed with prejudice; the case continues against OpenAI, with trial set for January 2027. China began enforcing exit restrictions on citizens with access to sensitive technology, with bans of six months to three years.

Why this matters to you

If you are an Apple user, the week defined your next choices: iPhone 18 Pro if you are on an older device, Duo if you want the official foldable, AirPods 5 as the cheapest upgrade. If you work in marketing, Profound’s unicorn round and Google’s AI Max deliver the same message: search is becoming an AI answer. And if you manage PCs, install the Windows emergency update before the exploit queue arrives.

Frequently asked questions

What did Apple launch in September 2026?

iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, iPhone Duo (foldable), Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4, AirPods 5, plus iOS 27 and the other operating systems.

When does the iPhone Duo reach stores?

Pre-orders open October 16 and it hits stores on October 23, 2026, starting at $1,999.

What is Profound?

An AEO (AI search optimization) startup that raised a $180 million Series D at a $1.8 billion valuation.

At DigitalRadar, we filter the week for you in five minutes. Subscribe to the newsletter and stay on the radar.