ICYMI: the week’s 7 biggest tech stories from Apple’s M4 Mac teaser to Alien Romulus releasing on VHS in 2024
Things are getting spooky round TechRadar way as we kicked off our Halloween Week event, but that hasn’t scared off these major announcements from the world of tech.
In fact far from it. After all, this was the week in which Apple teased its M4 Macs, the superb Severance returned to our screens (sort of) and Alien Romulus announced a VHS releases. Yes, really.
Read on for details of all of these stories and more as we recap the week’s biggest news, and be sure to check back next week for details on those M4 Macs once they’ve been officially revealed.
And when you’re done, why not read our guide to the seven new movies and TV shows to stream this weekend?
7. Alien Romulus got a release date for Blu Ray… and VHS
Here’s a 2024 story you weren’t expecting: Alien Romulus is coming to VHS.
This isn’t just some gimmick prop with a download code, either, with the Alien: Romulus tape being described as a “fully-functional VHS” which will launch in December with a 4:3 aspect ratio, and a vintage-style protective sleeve.
There are a few major questions to be answered – such as how much it’ll cost and how many will be made – but if you’ve been craving that vintage horror movie experience then it’s time to dust off your old VHS player (or buy one on eBay) and look out for Alien Romulus’ VHS tape when it releases.
6. Samsung released a new foldable
Samsung this week gave us the new Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition – well, those of us that live in South Korea. It comes with a handful of upgrades like a 200MP main camera, but will cost you: 2,789,600 won to be precise (or roughly $2,000 / £1,550 / AU$3,000).
The base model already comes in at the fairly steep $1,899.99 / £1,799 / AU$2,749, so fans were hoping Samsung might instead launch a cheaper Galaxy Z Fold Fan Edition (Or FE) to match the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE and its other more affordable phones.
This was shot down by Samsung itself, however, when it announced it has “no plans” to launch a cheap Galaxy Z Fold phone, even though it definitely should.
5. Garmin’s all-new beta update arrived for Forerunners
Owners of recent Garmin Forerunner watches – specifically the Forerunner 965, Forerunner 265, Forerunner 165, Forerunner 955, and the Forerunner 255 – are getting new features as part of Garmin’s public beta program. The headline new abilities are around swimming (with “improvements to support pool swim workout with pace alerts and critical swim speed” and “improvements to the pool swim rest screen and alert tones”) as well as an all-new meditation functionality.
Although you have to be signed up to the public beta in order to take advantage of it, Garmin rolling these features out as part of public beta means it’s coming to everyone else’s Forerunners in the near future. As well as top running watches, these changes make the Forerunners excellent swimming watches. Ideal for triathletes and all-rounders.
4. Things got spooky as TechRadar’s Halloween Week began
TechRadar’s Halloween Week is running between now and October 31, and there’s plenty of great stuff to sink your teeth into. Whether you want the latest horror movie recommendations, soundbars for an immersive experience, or animated seasonal movies for the squeamish, it’s all here. Over the next few days you’ll be seeing articles from our Streaming, Gaming, Homes and AI channels, with our experts dishing out top tips to help you have the best Halloween yet.
Some of these recommendations were covered in our latest podcast episode too, so make sure you check that out for even more thoughts about the spookiest time of year.
3. Apple geared up for Apple Intelligence’s launch
Apple Intelligence launches next week and we can’t wait to get our hands on Apple’s AI-powered features for iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
Expect iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1 to launch in just a few days alongside a huge AirPods Pro 2 hearing aid upgrade. The first wave of Apple Intelligence features will introduce the world to “AI for the rest of us” as Apple calls it, and will bring Writing Tools, photo editing via Clean Up, Notification summaries, and a Siri redesign.
We’ve been using the iOS 18.1 beta for a couple of months now and can’t wait to see what the public perception of Apple AI is when it officially arrives. If you’re waiting for image generation tools such as Genmoji and Image Playground, though, you’ll need to be patient – they won’t be with us until iOS 18.2 later this year. Let’s hope iOS 18.1 has enough meat on its bones to keep you occupied until then.
2. Severance Season 2 got its first trailer
It’s been an agonizing wait, but we’ve finally been treated to the first official footage for Severance season 2. Just 24 hours after Apple invited us all to a big Severance-themed meeting, the tech giant revealed the inaugural teaser for Severance season 2. Suffice it to say, the Apple TV Plus sci-fi thriller series’ sophomore season looks like it’ll be just as weird, wacky, and wild as its predecessor was. Roll on January 17, 2025, we say, which is when the highly rated show will make its long-awaited return.
1. Apple told us to ‘Mac’ our calendars
We’ve been expecting Apple to launch M4 Macs this month, and right at the buzzer Apple is seemingly ready to do just that. In a teaser, Greg Joswiak – Apple’s SVP of Marketing – has all but confirmed that new Macs are incoming, with a social media post instructing us to “Mac your calendars!” as Apple has an “exciting week of announcements” to make starting on Monday.
We’re expecting this means new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros, a redesigned Mac mini, and an update to the iMac, all with M4 Apple silicon. The glowing apple image Joswiak shared reminds us of the look of Siri with Apple Intelligence, so we can seemingly also look forward to the long awaited iOS 18.1 update and mac OS Sequoia 15.1 with that feature to come next week, too.
Beyond this, new Magic accessories (the keyboard, and mouse) are likely to arrive, and perhaps we’ll get an update or two for some more Apple TV shows. Check back next week to see everything that was announced.
Things are getting spooky round TechRadar way as we kicked off our Halloween Week event, but that hasn’t scared off these major announcements from the world of tech. In fact far from it. After all, this was the week in which Apple teased its M4 Macs, the superb Severance returned…
