‘Daring Fireball’ blogger John Gruber reviews Apple’s new phones

Watch on YouTube ↗  |  September 18, 2026 at 16:56  |  3:42  |  CNBC
Speakers
John Gruber — Technology writer, Daring Fireball

Summary

John Gruber reviews Apple's new iPhone Pro/Pro Max launch, calling it an incremental upgrade while saying the delayed iPhone Duo is the more exciting product. He also discusses Apple's shift to its own cellular modem and the implications for Qualcomm. The segment is product-focused rather than a direct stock recommendation.

  • John Gruber joins CNBC to review Apple's newly released iPhone Pro and Pro Max.
  • Gruber calls the new Pro models incremental and notes normal users upgrade every 3-4 years.
  • He says the iPhone Duo is the most exciting iPhone of the year but will not launch for another month.
  • Gruber details Apple's move to its own cellular modem and away from Qualcomm in most Pro models.
  • The discussion focuses on product features, upgrade behavior, and supply-chain implications.
  • No explicit stock recommendation is made during the segment.
Ideas
John Gruber Technology writer, Daring Fireball 2:49
Apple in-house modem displaces Qualcomm content
Apple has been moving cellular modem production in-house by acquiring Intel's modem group, and now all iPhone 18 Pro models globally use Apple's own modem rather than Qualcomm's, except the U.S. 18 Pro Max. This points to reduced Qualcomm modem content in Apple's flagship iPhones.
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This CNBC video, published September 18, 2026, features John Gruber discussing QCOM. 1 trade idea extracted by AI with direction and confidence scoring.

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