Member newsletter · October 2026

A new chapter at Apple — and a busy month at the Pi.

WWDC has come and gone, Siri is finally getting a brain, and Apple is about to change CEOs for the first time in 15 years. Closer to home, we’ve a General Meeting on the 27th and a fresh Pi Recommends — this month with videos you can watch right here. Grab a coffee.

This page adapts the supplied newsletter draft. Its June meeting and news references are retained as earlier coverage.

What’s going on at Apple

At WWDC 2026 Apple previewed Siri AI — a rebuilt, far more conversational assistant that’s aware of what’s on your screen and can act across your apps. It arrives with iOS 27, macOS “Golden Gate,” a tunable Liquid Glass look and genuinely big speed gains — apps launch up to 30% faster, even on iPhones as old as the 11. Developer betas are out now; public betas land this summer, with the full release this autumn.

The big one: after 15 years, Tim Cook hands the reins to hardware chief John Ternus on 1 September, moving to executive chairman himself. A new era begins just as Apple bets its next decade on AI — and, reportedly, readies its first foldable iPhone this autumn.

Community news

A warm welcome to our newest members who joined us over the spring — and a heartfelt thank-you to the volunteers who make every meeting, video and email digest happen. Fancy lending a hand? Whether it’s greeting at Clubhouse Saturday, sharing a five-minute tip, or helping with AV, we’d love to hear from you.

What’s on at the Pi

From the June 2026 draft · Sat 27 June · 10:00–12:30

Defending the Vulnerable: Senior Fraud & Scams Awareness

With Edna Reid. A timely look at how to spot and stop the scams targeting older adults. All welcome — check the Pi calendar for the venue and the Zoom link.

Also running this month: Clubhouse Saturday (hands-on troubleshooting and tutorials) · Thursday Learners (member demos and friendly Q&A) · SIGs — Photos, Code Talk & Artificial Intelligence · RUMP Saturdays (open-agenda sessions). Dates shift occasionally, so always check the member calendar — and note that Pi activities follow local school-district closures in bad weather.

This month the Pi recommends

Watch · Read · Listen · Download

Watch

The story of Apple Fifth AvenueThe glass cube that became New York’s most photographed landmark — opened by Steve Jobs in 2006, reimagined by Foster + Partners, and still the only 24-hour Apple store.Watch on YouTube ↗

Apple’s AI big bet — the WWDC keynote in 25 minutesThe whole keynote, condensed: Siri AI, Apple Intelligence, Golden Gate and more. The moment Apple ties its future to Gemini-powered Siri — what analysts are calling a “prove-it” moment.Watch on YouTube ↗

Apple explains its new photo tools — Full Stack CreatorTyler Stalman sits down with Apple’s camera team to walk through Spatial Reframing, Extend and the upgraded Clean Up — plus the privacy guardrails and AI watermarking behind them.Watch on YouTube ↗

Read

UK to ban social media for under-16s. Announced 15 June (Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, X — but not WhatsApp or Signal), and expected in force spring 2027. A meaty debate on childhood, privacy and how age checks would even work. Read more ↗
Steve Jobs in Exile — the untold story of NeXT. The wilderness years between Apple and Apple. NeXT flopped commercially, but its software became the very foundation of Mac OS X — the origin story hiding inside every Mac you own. Buy here ↗
“I Am Not a Robot” — Joanna Stern
The NYT-bestselling tech columnist spent a year letting AI do (almost) everything — drive her, coach her, even play therapist and companion. Funny, alarming, and refreshingly free of jargon. Our AI SIG will have plenty to chew on. Buy on Amazon ↗

Listen to

David Senra — Ed Catmull (Pixar). A rare sit-down with the man who animated one of the first 3D renders ever — his own left hand — and worked alongside Steve Jobs longer than anyone. Sixty years of stories. Listen at davidsenra.com ↗
Intentional AI — David Sparks & Chris Bailey. A brand-new show on practical, tactical ways to use AI to actually get work done — no doom, no hype. New episodes every two weeks. Listen at relay.fm ↗

Download

Loupe · iOS, free
See exactly what any app can quietly read to fingerprint you — locale, battery, even which apps you have installed. Nothing leaves your iPhone. App Store ↗
Parachute Backup · Mac
iCloud is sync, not backup. Parachute copies your iCloud Photos & Drive to your own drive or NAS, then re-offloads files so it never fills your Mac. parachuteapps.com ↗
Workbench · Mac & iOS
From former Apple staff — control your Mac from your iPhone or iPad, a polished remote desktop built for the AI era. Perfect for checking in on a long task back home. App Store ↗

Missed the last meeting? Don’t worry.

Members can catch up on recordings and How-To videos in the Presentations area on groups.io — and carry on the conversation there too. It’s the fastest help you’ll find anywhere.

Explore the meeting archive →

Deep dive

Pick one thread and pull it: try Apple’s new Photos tools on a holiday snap, install Loupe and bring your reaction to the AI SIG, or read the NeXT story beside the Catmull chat — two halves of how a company in exile came home. Bring your findings to the 27th; the best discussions start with someone who tried it first.

In this issue

Apple news Community The Pi Pi recommends

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