The iPhone Air

Welcome to the Tech Brew Ride Home for Tuesday, September 9th, 2025. I'm Brian McCullough. Today, all the headlines from the iPhone event earlier today, including the new iPhone Air. The judge isn't happy with Anthropik's $1.5 billion payday to authors. OpenAI isn't happy with California and might leave. And despite what it said publicly, Google recently argued in court that the post-AI web is already dying. Here's what you missed today in the world of tech.

Happy iPhone event day, everyone. iPhone 17 lineup, new iPhone Air, and more. Let's do this. Apple's new iPhone Air. is the statement piece here, an ultra-slim, titanium-framed iPhone that measures just 5.6 millimeters thick.

Apple's thinnest iPhone ever. It pairs the Air branding with a design emphasizing thinness, durability, and brightness. The Air uses a 6.5-inch ProMotion OLED that now peaks at... 3,000 nits outdoors, and Apple is leaning into durability claims with its ceramic shield 2 front glass and ceramic shielded titanium on both sides. Apple positions it as pro performance in a thin and light design, powered by the new A19 Pro processor. Networking.

Also gets a notable shift. Apple is touting a new in-house C1X modem, two times faster than the prior C1, and a companion N1 chip that handles Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Thread, including support for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 7. all in aid of power efficiency and accessory connectivity. More on that in a second.

In a design decision clearly meant to maximize internal volume for the battery, the Air also goes eSIM only. Apple is promoting all-day battery life with all of these changes, and even cites up to 40 hours of video playback. specific for an ultra-thin device. Color options include black, white, beige, and light blue. The base model starts at $999 for 256 gigabytes of RAM, with pre-orders opening today and availability on September 19th.

On the camera side, the Air has a single 48 megapixel rear camera. The front camera is more interesting. It's got an 18 megapixel selfie camera with center stage. and a square sensor so you can frame landscape style selfies without having to rotate the phone. You just hold the phone up and it can go into landscape if you want.

As for the standard iPhone 17, the base model gets meaningful display and camera upgrades. While retaining the low-end spot in the lineup, it grows from 6.1 inches to a 6.3-inch OLED because of thinner bezels and It finally gets ProMotion, an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate that drops to 1Hz for the always-on mode. Apple is also quoting the same. 3000 nit peak brightness seen on the air, bringing top tier readability to the base model at last. Cameras are reworked.

into what Apple calls a 48-megapixel dual-fusion system that merges main and telephoto capabilities, including a 2x optical quality mode and a 48-megapixel fusion ultrawide that bumps detail up a bit over last year. It's got that 12 megapixel center stage selfie camera that uses a larger square sensor. You can, again, tap to rotate the field of view between portrait and landscape without having to turn the phone. But this year's baseline iPhone also carries over a lot of...

pro trickle-down features like the action button, the vertical camera layout, and the camera control button that debuted on the 16 Pro. It's launching alongside iOS. 26 in Apple's glossy liquid glass design language, though Apple's event language around Apple intelligence was again notably muted. On the high end, the iPhone 17 Pro returns to an aluminum build that is anchored by the A19 Pro chip as well. The industrial design introduces what Apple calls a full-width camera plateau on the back.

So basically, there's sort of like a shelf there now, a visual and presumably thermal statement. about the camera housing. There's improved battery life because of this. Apple says it is the biggest battery Apple has shipped in an iPhone ever, although Apple's official watt-hour specifics weren't immediately available unless I missed that. Also there's a new orange color, which didn't look that great to me on the video, but maybe it looks better in real life.

Bottom line is for the phones, this is a four-phone stack. The iPhone 17, the iPhone Air, and then the two Pro models with iOS 26 and the liquid glass across the board. Again, pre-orders begin on Friday. Availability begins on September 19th. The iPhone 16e is still there, starting at $599, but the base iPhone 17... begins at $799, the iPhone Air begins at $999, and the Pro begins at $1099 or $1199, depending on if you go just Pro or Pro Max. There is a new 2TB option on the Pro Max, though.

Other hardware announcements today.

AirPods Pro 3. Apple's flagship in-ear buds get their biggest update in three years and a clear health slash AI bent. The marquee feature is a built-in heart rate sensor. Apple says it's the smallest as PPG sensor ever created. Active noise cancellation gains with foam-infused ear tips. Apple claims enable twice the active noise cancellation of the prior generation and a new live translation capability that...

lowers ambient audio, and then pipes in translated speech back at you. Basically, if you're talking to someone who speaks a different language and you have your AirPods in, you'll hear what they're saying transcribed in essentially real time. Then you would hold up... your iPhone while you respond to them in your language and it either types up your responses in their language on screen or your phone

can speak it in their language. If two people of different languages are talking to each other and both have the new AirPods in, then the translation is basically seamless and real-time in both persons' ear. Again, the ear fit is reworked. There are now five eartip sizes and durability is now IP57 in terms of sweat and water resistance. The price is $249 with shipments starting September 19th.

What's also interesting is how AirPods now cross-wire with Apple's broader workout buddy and Apple intelligence narratives. Essentially, this is obviating some of the need for an Apple Watch. AirPods Pro 3 can help track heart rate, calories, and activity.

as part of a more cohesive fitness experience tied to iOS 26. Apple is also rolling out general AirPods improvements into the entire platform this fall, e.g. there's a camera remote for iOS's camera app, enhanced call quality, new charging reminders, auto-pause if you fall asleep while wearing them. Though some of those features are limited to AirPods 4 or AirPods Pro 2, for the Pro 3, the headline is clearly the Health Sensor Plus.

active noise cancellation plus translation, all at the same $249 price point as the previous model.

Apple Watch Series 11, the mainstream watch, got its biggest connectivity bump in years with 5G built in, stronger scratch resistance via a ceramic-coated... Ion X glass and a slimmer chassis while maintaining aluminum and polished titanium case options. Battery life is quoted as up to 24 hours. I think that's the first time.

It's all day battery life for these lower ends. On the health and software side, Apple is adding pattern detection around hypertension and chronic high blood pressure by analyzing a rolling 30-day window of metrics, plus a new sleep score that waits duration and sleep stages, including sleep apnea.

improves SmartStack and AI-assisted Workout Buddy. Pep talks and insights as you work out is what Workout Buddy apparently does. There's also a wrist flick gesture for dismissing calls and alerts and the new liquid glass look. Pricing starts at $399. Pre-orders are open now. Shipping begins September 19th. Then there's the Apple Watch SE3. The entry-level watch finally gets an always-on display and fast charging and an aggressive $249 starting price. Big!

quality of life upgrades that should make the SE a more comfortable daily driver. As for the Apple Watch Ultra 3, Apple's adventure-oriented watch keeps its rugged DNA but adds headline capabilities like satellite connectivity, 5G, and a slightly larger edge-to-edge display in the same case size. Battery life... is quoted at up to 42 hours. And the watch now surfaces notifications around chronic high blood pressure and sleep scoring.

The Ultra 3 starts at $799 in natural or black titanium with pre-orders with everything else beginning today and public availability on September 19th.

In other news today, well, not so fast. A federal judge has postponed Anthropik's $1.5 billion copyright settlement over concerns that class lawyers might be striking a deal behind the scenes. to force on the authors involved. Quoting Bloomberg Law, Judge William Alsup

At the hearing said, the motion to approve the deal was denied without prejudice, but in a minute order after the hearing said approval is postponed, pending submission of further clarifying information. During the first hearing since the deal was announced on September 5th,

Alsup said he felt misled and needs to see more information about the claim process for class members. I have an uneasy feeling about hangers-on with all this money on the table, he said. The agreement is, quote, nowhere close to complete. said ALSEP of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Authors counsel Justin Nelson of Sussman-Godfrey assured ALSEP that the attorneys care deeply that every single proper claim gets compensation.

In an order docketed the evening before the hearing, Alsup said he was disappointed that the parties left important questions for the future, including a list of works covered by the deal and the process for notifying potential class members.

critical choices will need to be made before preliminary approval can be granted, he said. His criticism forces attorneys to recalibrate a proposed settlement touted as among the largest copyright deals in U.S. history and a template for similar AI copyright litigation." Hmm, guess I can't spend that $3,000 just yet. If you thought goldenly breaded McDonald's chicken couldn't get more golden, think Golder. Because new sweet and smoky special edition Gold Sauce is here.

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Microsoft and LG have partnered to bring Xbox Cloud Gaming to cars that use LG's automotive content platform, which includes Kia's EV3, EV4, EV5, and Sportage in Europe. So get ready to Xbox game in your car, I guess. Quoting The Verge. The Xbox app will be able to stream games when you're charging an EV or trying to entertain passengers on a road trip. LG's ACP is already available on Kia's EV3 in Europe and is also coming to the EV4, EV5, and the new Sportage.

ACP runs LG's webOS platform, the same software that powers its smart TVs and provides access to a variety of content like... Netflix, Disney+, YouTube, and more. Microsoft already partnered with LG to bring its Xbox app to smart TVs earlier this year, and the extension to compatible cars comes as the software maker gets ready to expand Xbox Cloud Gaming to Game Pass Core and...

standard subscribers. Our work with LG is the latest example of Xbox expanding to new places, building on partnerships that already bring Xbox cloud gaming to mobile devices, PCs and TVs, says Christopher Lee, vice president of Xbox marketing. By adding vehicles to the mix, we're giving players more choice than ever in how they enjoy their games." Speaking of cars, Microsoft also announced overnight that it's returning to the Tokyo Game Show later this month.

An Xbox stream will be held on September 25th at 3 a.m. Pacific Time, 6 a.m. Eastern, where Forza Horizon 6 is widely expected to be announced. The Xbox teaser for the Tokyo Game Show includes an urban neon aesthetic street scene. that looks like it would be ideal for a new Forza game set in Japan, end quote.

The journal says that OpenAI's executives fear mounting political scrutiny in California could stymie their for-profit transformation plans and have discussed leaving the state as a last resort.

Some of California's biggest philanthropies, nonprofits, and labor groups are joining forces to push back on the startup's high-stakes restructuring plan. Because OpenAI is controlled by a nonprofit, they are asking the state's attorney general to ensure the new company it creates doesn't violate the state's The regulators have a legal responsibility to protect their state's charities.

have the power to sue OpenAI for potentially breaking non-profit law or require the company to pay a settlement as a condition for the restructure. OpenAI executives didn't expect such intense public blowback to the restructuring plan when they first announced it late last year.

According to people familiar with the matter, the outcome of the California Attorney General's investigation has been a particular concern in recent months, the people said. OpenAI has discussed potentially relocating out of California as a last-ditch option if the state's Attorney General complicates the restructuring, the people said. Such a move would be difficult given that its AI researchers are heavily concentrated in San Francisco.

OpenAI recently hired advisors with close ties to California Governor Gavin Newsom, including former Senator Lafonza Butler to build support for the plan in Sacramento. The startup spent the summer hosting listening sessions with civil society groups across the state. and pledged to spend $500 million to support nonprofit and community organizations.

In May, OpenAI delivered a major concession to its opponents by announcing that the nonprofit would remain in control of the proposed new company, abandoning an earlier effort to separate the two entirely. It was a major setback for Sam Altman and his investors, but...

executives privately said the decision was necessary to dent opposition to the conversion. But political scrutiny is growing. On Friday, the California and Delaware Attorneys General wrote to OpenAI with concerns about its commitments to safety in light of reports of recent suicides. from people who had prolonged interactions with ChatGPT, including a Connecticut murder-suicide last month that was the subject of a Wall Street Journal article.

Part of the discussions between OpenAI and the California Attorney General are centered on ensuring the nonprofit has robust and independent control over the new company. The office's regulators see the suicides as a sign OpenAI has given priority to ChatGPT usage and revenue over its mission of creating AI for the public benefit, according to a person familiar with its work, end quote. One of the last remote work bastions in tech is crumbling, quoting The Verge.

It's official. Microsoft is asking employees to return to the office three days per week. Amy Coleman, executive vice president and Microsoft's chief people officer, revealed the news to Microsoft employees in a memo obtained by The Verge this morning. We've looked at how our team... work best, and the data is clear. When people work together in person more often, they thrive, says Coleman. With that in mind, we're updating our flexible work expectations to three days a week in the office."

Microsoft will apparently phase in this plan. Puget Sound will go first in late February, then other US sites, then international. Initially, it targets employees living within... 50 miles of Redmond who, like anyone within 50 miles of a Microsoft office, are expected to be on site three days a week by late February 2026. Customer-facing roles, account management, consulting, field marketing are exempt, and employees can apply for exceptions by September 19th.

including if they lack local collaborators or face unusually complex commutes. Some businesses may require more than three days. Employees have called the policy, quote, stealth layoffs after around 15,000 cuts. Microsoft says it's about better serving customers.

And finally today, in a September 5th filing in the US v Google AdTech trial, Google said, quote, the open web is already in rapid decline, which would be in direct contradiction to Google's recent public statements about the open web, quoting Search Engine Roundtable.

Google's CEO Sundar Pichai said in May that web publishing is not dying. Nick Fox, VP of Search at Google, said in May that the web is thriving. But in a court document filed by Google on late Friday, Google's lawyers wrote, quote, end quote. And quoting The Verge.

Google submitted the filing ahead of another trial that will determine how it will address its monopoly in the advertising technology business. The US Department of Justice recommends that Google break up its advertising business, but the company argues in the filing that this isn't ideal because it would only accelerate. the decline of the open web.

That statement sharply contrasts Google's recent narrative about the health of search on the web. Google has a clear incentive to make itself appear weaker or less monopolistic in the courtroom, but its admission reflects a reality many publishers are going through. Several digital publishers and independent website owners have reported experiencing a decline in traffic following changes to Google's search algorithm and the rise of AI chatbots.

As ever, getting this out to you as soon as humanly possible. Talk to you tomorrow. That's the sound of the fully electric Audi Q6 e-tron and the quiet confidence of ultra smooth handling. The elevated interior reminds you this is more than an EV. This is electric performance redefined.