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News of the Week

September 8–15, 2026 — The AI pause that shook Wall Street, the first folding iPhone, and the new OM SYSTEM PEN.

Jose Cisneros

• 10 min read
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News of the Week
September 8–15, 2026
The AI pause that shook Wall Street, the first folding iPhone, and the new OM SYSTEM PEN: 22 stories across computing, photography, and electronics.A weekly selection of the 22 most relevant stories in computing and AI, photography, and consumer electronics, compiled from web sources consulted on September 15, 2026. Stories marked “Unconfirmed” are still developing; use your judgment before citing them.

Top Stories

AI leaders call for slowing development; chip stocks tumble — AI leaders call for slowing development, and chip stocks tumble.

Source: Sep 14, 2026
★★★★★ — Comment: When the very people building AI are questioning the real power of their products and warning about the consequences for the economy at large and for humanity, these stories deserve our closest attention.

OM SYSTEM PEN (2026): the first PEN under the OM System brand — OM System launches the PEN (2026), the first PEN under its own brand.

Source: Sep 9, 2026
★★☆☆☆ — Comment: Olympus has always stood out for small, high-quality cameras, and the PEN philosophy brings back exactly that kind of machine, so well received in its day. We'll see — although there is a significant drop in sales of sophisticated cameras driven by the success of smartphone photography.

Apple unveils the iPhone Duo, its first foldable, from $1,999 — Apple unveils its first foldable, the iPhone Duo, from $1,999.

Source: Sep 9, 2026
★★★★☆ — Comment: Apple fans will be very pleased with the announcement of the folding iPhone, the first of its kind for the company — it fulfills an old expectation, since these phones have been on the market for the last three years from Samsung, Huawei and Xiaomi. Let's hope the quality of this product is a huge motivator to adopt these phones.

Computing and Artificial Intelligence

AI leaders call for slowing development; chip stocks tumble — Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei published an essay urging the industry to avoid a "race to the bottom" in frontier-model development, while OpenAI's Sam Altman told Fortune he does not expect an OpenAI IPO in 2026 over safety concerns. President Trump rejected the call on Truth Social, insisting the U.S. must stay ahead of China. On September 14, chip stocks fell: Nvidia lost 3.4%, Marvell, Intel, Micron and SanDisk about 6%, Broadcom 4.5%, and the Nasdaq 1.1%. — (Multiple sources)

★★★★★ — Comment: It matters to keep following this kind of news: many scientific, academic and military sectors are worried about the dangers a powerful, highly autonomous AI could bring — disrupting supply chains and creating chaos if it is not kept under control.

Mistral AI raises €3 billion: Europe's largest-ever tech round — France's Mistral AI raised €3 billion (about $3.5B) at a valuation above €21 billion, in a round co-led by Samsung Electronics, EQT's Scaleup Europe fund and PSG Equity, with participation from ASML, BlackRock funds and Luxembourg. The company described it as the largest capital raise ever by a European technology company, and plans to expand its data-center footprint and reach 1 GW of compute by 2030 to advance sovereign AI. — (Multiple sources)

★★★★☆ — Comment: European countries and their scientists are determined to compete with the United States and China in the AI market, and we all stand to benefit. I am pleased to see they raised billions of euros to boost Mistral — Europe's contribution to the global AI landscape.

Amazon–Qualcomm AI infrastructure deal — Qualcomm reportedly granted Amazon warrants to buy up to 25 million shares at $161.26 (about $4.03B in total) as part of an agreement that includes custom AI-inference chips and optical networking. The deal would support Qualcomm's expansion beyond smartphones and intensify competition with Nvidia, Broadcom and Marvell. — (Unconfirmed)

★★★★☆ — Comment: Given Nvidia's near-total dominance of graphics and AI processing cards, it helps to know that Amazon and Qualcomm are also working to expand the supply of cards and enable alternative systems to the ones Nvidia produces.

MediaTek unveils the Dimensity 9600 Pro: the first 2 nm mobile chip — MediaTek unveiled the Dimensity 9600 Pro, its first smartphone chip built on TSMC's 2-nanometer process, alongside the 3 nm Dimensity 9600M. It aims to take premium share from Qualcomm with on-device generative AI (51% faster prompt processing on the NPU). — (Unconfirmed)

★★★★☆ — Comment: Considering the progress Apple has made with two-nanometer chips, it is important to know there is competition — and that MediaTek is now able to produce chips comparable to Apple's 2nm generation.

Nvidia's Huang "confident" in 70% revenue growth next year — Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang reiterated his confidence in 70% revenue growth next year, flagged cybersecurity as AI's next big growth area, and presented the Vera Rubin system (~$40,000) as a full-stack "AI factory" bet versus Blackwell's ~$25,000. — (Unconfirmed)

★★★★★ — Comment: Nvidia's CEO keeps betting on incredible growth, but we should look at it with some skepticism: many questions remain about the future viability of the data-center infrastructure that is the main buyer of Nvidia's cards.

Meta launches Muse, its personal AI agent app — Meta launched Muse, a personal AI agent app able to shop online, manage email and perform other authorized tasks: its latest attempt to monetize its AI investments. Amid safety concerns, Meta AI chief Alexandr Wang told the WSJ that the model's capabilities are limited compared with models involved in prior hacks. — (Unconfirmed)

★★★★☆ — Comment: Meta launches Muse, an AI agent platform I have been using myself and am quite pleased with — efficient, effective and easy to use. I am sure it will bring many more people to AI to manage their web presence and daily work. Still, Meta's track record with personal information worries me: this kind of application handles a great deal of each client's data, which makes it genuinely sensitive.

Cognition AI raises $2 billion at a $48 billion valuation — AI-coding startup Cognition AI (creator of Devin) raised $2 billion led by Andreessen Horowitz, Accel, Founders Fund and General Catalyst, nearly doubling its valuation to $48 billion from $26 billion three months earlier; its recurring revenue reportedly grew from $492M in May to ~$900M. — (Unconfirmed)

★★★☆☆ — Comment: Demand for investing in AI technology companies continues, which shows how healthy the market sees the potential earnings of this sector.

Microsoft publishes a draft AI code of conduct; an Anthropic researcher resigns over safety — Microsoft published a draft code of conduct on how it trains and operates its AI models, with limits and human-oversight measures. Separately, Jacob Coxon, a 27-year-old Anthropic researcher, resigned from the company, saying he did not want to join the race to build self-improving AI systems out of fear they would spiral out of control: one of the first departures from Anthropic explicitly motivated by AI safety. — (Multiple sources)

★★★☆☆ — Comment: Microsoft and other companies are warning about the dangers and potential excesses of AI. When you see researchers leaving companies over claims that the models can be potentially dangerous, it is worth reflecting on whether a moratorium on new model releases would be appropriate.

Photography

OM SYSTEM PEN (2026): the first PEN under the OM System brand — OM Digital Solutions launched the OM SYSTEM PEN, the first camera in the PEN series to carry the OM System brand, shipping in late October 2026. It is an interchangeable-lens Micro Four Thirds camera with a rangefinder-style body, electronic viewfinder, the series' first dust- and splash-resistant design, color and monochrome profile controls for film-like tones, and computational photography features. — (Unconfirmed)

★★★☆☆ — Comment: For photography lovers and the Four Thirds format, this OM PEN is an interesting release — it seems to offer the best of the latest advances in this format, already well known from Panasonic Lumix.

Sigma announces the 85mm f/1.2 DG Art and 20-60mm f/2.8-4 DG Contemporary — Sigma announced two lenses for Sony E and L mounts: the 85mm f/1.2 DG | Art, a fast portrait prime, and the 20-60mm f/2.8-4 DG | Contemporary, a compact standard zoom. No pricing has been reported yet. — (Unconfirmed)

★★★☆☆ — Comment: Sigma, which makes lenses for many platforms, keeps opening new niches with this release: a very bright 85mm at f/1.2, and a 20–60mm f/2.8-4 zoom in its different mounts. The community keeps looking for new reasons to use these lenses against the advances of smartphone photography.

The Fujinon XF400mm f/4.5 is now on sale — Fujifilm's new XF400mm f/4.5 prime for X mount — described as exceptional reach in a compact, lightweight design — went on sale September 10. — (Unconfirmed)

★☆☆☆☆ — Comment:

SIRUI Aurora 15mm f/1.6 wins Best of Show at IBC 2026 — SIRUI's upcoming Aurora 15mm f/1.6 — a full-frame autofocus ultra-wide with f/1.6 aperture, 0.3 m minimum focus and low distortion — won a Best of Show award at IBC 2026 (Amsterdam). SIRUI also showed the new Saturn V2 1.6x anamorphic lens and two new Aurora focal lengths. — (Press release)

★☆☆☆☆ — Comment: Another extremely fast wide-angle lens, 15mm — one that can offer great advantages in its field for those who use this format.

Insta360 Luna Pro: the pocket gimbal with Leica optics, now more accessible — Insta360 launched the Luna Pro, a single-lens handheld gimbal camera, lighter and more affordable than the dual-lens Luna Ultra. It keeps the same Leica Summicron f1.8/20mm lens and 1-inch sensor pairing: 8K/30 and 4K/120 video, plus true 4K vertical (9:16), aimed at Reels, Shorts and TikTok creators. — (Unconfirmed)

★★★★☆ — Comment: The Insta360 Luna Pro, together with the Luna Pro Ultra, is a big step in cinematography with small-sensor cameras, and it is clearly giving strong competition to smartphones and to creator cameras.

DZOFILM expands its Arles cinema zoom system with 25–75mm and 65–180mm T2.6 — DZOFILM added the 25–75mm and 65–180mm T2.6 cinema zooms to the Arles system: $2,899 each or $5,199 for the two-lens kit, with preorders since September 8 and shipping late in the month. They are compatible with the Marlin 1.4x extender for effective 35–105mm and 91–252mm ranges. — (Press release)

☆☆☆☆☆ — Comment:

CIPA July 2026: interchangeable-lens cameras keep falling; compacts stay strong — Japan's CIPA data for July 2026 show continued declines in interchangeable-lens cameras and lenses, though compact cameras remain strong: further evidence of the fixed-lens compact revival (GR- and X100-style demand) as the market's bright spot. — (Unconfirmed)

★★★★☆ — Comment: People got used to compact cameras — many no longer see any reason to carry five kilos of camera gear for great images when these small cameras deliver such high quality.

Adobe launches a new Photoshop and a unified Creative Cloud plugin for ChatGPT users — Adobe launched a new Photoshop with workflow innovations and a unified Creative Cloud plugin that lets ChatGPT users create images, videos, designs and documents within a single conversation. — (Unconfirmed)

★★★☆☆ — Comment: Facing a shrinking base of Creative Cloud users, Adobe is doing everything it can to make its software compatible with language models like ChatGPT, offering its remaining customers the chance to use AI to ease Creative Cloud tasks. Let's see if this can slow the exodus of Creative Cloud users.

Electronics

Apple unveils the iPhone Duo, its first foldable, from $1,999 — At the "Surprise and Shine" event — the first keynote of new CEO John Ternus, following Tim Cook's departure — Apple revealed the iPhone Duo: a passport-style foldable with a 5.4-inch external screen and a 7.6-inch internal Super Retina XDR display, A20 Pro chip, titanium frame with a hinge of more than 100 components, two 48MP rear cameras, side-mounted Touch ID and Apple Pencil support, in Star White and Night Sky colors. From 256GB to 2TB (up to $3,199 per Reuters). No Face ID or telephoto camera. Preorders October 16, on sale the 23rd. — (Multiple sources)

★★★★★ — Comment: It was announced and the price is known — most Apple fans know there is a folding phone called the iPhone Duo. Now we need to see how it behaves in the market: whether the folding system holds up in reviews, and whether it is worth investing more than two thousand dollars in a system that many find fascinating but that is evidently fragile in daily use because of its moving parts.

Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4, and AirPods 5 — The Apple Watch Series 12 (ceramic case option, S12 chip) and Ultra 4 (new satellite features, including Apple Maps via satellite) arrived alongside the AirPods 5 in two models: $129 with noise cancellation and $149 with wireless charging and volume controls on the stem. Available September 18. — (Multiple sources)

★★★☆☆ — Comment: Likewise, Apple distracts us with a new watch not much different from the previous Series, and the Ultra version does not change much either — nor do the AirPods 5, which are basically relaunches with marginal changes over previous versions, to justify a yearly 'innovation' that looks more like a reissue of last year's model with minimal aesthetic changes and new colors.

Mac mini (M6, from $899) and Mac Studio (M5 Max/Ultra, from $2,499) arrive September 22 — The new Mac mini (M6 and M5 Pro) and Mac Studio (M5 Max and M5 Ultra) would go on sale Tuesday, September 22, the same month as the new iPhones and wearables. — (Unconfirmed)

★★★★☆ — Comment: Desktop Mac users welcomed the Mac mini M6 and the Mac Studio M5, despite fair criticism about a processor that is no longer cutting edge — but both are in high demand for running local AI, which practically guarantees many people will keep buying them with large amounts of memory to install local AI models.

Samsung answers Apple with the "Welcome to Foldables" campaign — Samsung answered the iPhone Duo with an advertising campaign — billboards in Seoul, Tokyo and London reading "Welcome to Foldables" and "The World's Lightest Fold" — plus snarky posts on X ("reheating our leftovers"). Apple adopted a passport-style design similar to the Galaxy Z Fold 8 ($1,899); Counterpoint expects Apple to take 25% of the foldable market this year versus Samsung's 38%. — (Unconfirmed)

★★★☆☆ — Comment: Samsung welcomed the iPhone Duo with a somewhat mocking tone, since Apple presents it as a great technological feat while they — and many Chinese companies like Huawei and Xiaomi — have been making folding phones for years. Samsung certainly has the resources to give Apple's folding phone real competition.

Peak Design launches iPhone 18 cases, including ECCO leather — Peak Design launched its iPhone 18 cases with more configurations than ever: its first Everyday Case without SlimLink (MagSafe-compatible), the new ECCO leather material alongside Versa Shell fabric and Clarino vegan leather, plus a rugged GNAR option. — (Unconfirmed)

☆☆☆☆☆ — Comment:

Editorial Note

Editorial note: this edition was compiled from web-index sources consulted on September 15, 2026. Stories marked "(unconfirmed)" rest on a single source or manufacturer press releases and are still developing; use your judgment before citing them.

View the interactive version of this edition on Muse →

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