Tech news roundup for October 26, 2026 leads with Instagram’s living-room expansion finally reaching Apple TV, alongside fresh reporting on Apple’s rumored touchscreen MacBook Pro redesign.

This tech news roundup also covers xAI’s Grok showing off the first footage from its AI-generated series ‘Odyssey’ and a new economist report questioning whether AI is paying off for most companies, plus a new study on why psychedelics seem to hit women harder than men.

The TLDR

• Tech & Apps: Instagram’s TV App Finally Lands on Apple TV
• AI Tools: Grok Releases First Footage From AI-Generated Series ‘Odyssey’
• Science & Space: Study: Women Report More Intense Psychedelic Effects Than Men

Tech & Apps

Instagram’s TV App Finally Lands on Apple TV

Instagram keeps pushing into the living room, and the latest stop is Apple TV. The Verge reports that the Instagram for TV app — which began as a Reels and live-stream test in December 2025 and picked up more features in June — is now available on Apple TV, a launch also confirmed by MacRumors. If you’ve been weighing a streaming bundle versus cable setup, it’s one more app now competing for your living-room screen time.

iFixit’s iPhone Duo Teardown Reveals a 5/10 Repairability Score

iFixit tore down Apple’s foldable iPhone Duo and gave it a 5 out of 10 repairability score, according to The Verge. That’s not a high mark, but it’s described as one of the better scores iFixit has handed a foldable phone. The teardown also offered clues about how Apple hides the screen’s fold crease and manages the hinge mechanism.

Touchscreen OLED MacBook Pro Rumored to Launch This Week

Apple is reportedly preparing to unveil its first touchscreen MacBook Pro this week, according to 9to5Mac, citing Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman and other industry leaks rather than an official Apple announcement. The redesign is said to bring an OLED touch display, a lighter build, and new M5 Pro and M5 Max chip options, reversing Apple’s long-standing avoidance of touchscreens on laptops. 9to5Mac notes the new models are expected to carry a notable price premium over current MacBook Pros, though exact pricing hasn’t been confirmed.

Will the New MacBook Pro Get 5G Cellular? Still Unconfirmed

A separate 9to5Mac report asks whether the redesigned MacBook Pro will also add 5G cellular support — and stresses this remains an unconfirmed rumor, not a done deal. The report points to Bloomberg’s earlier claim that Apple has tested cellular-equipped MacBooks using the same modem found in the iPhone 18 Pro, but notes there’s been no fresh leak confirming or ruling it out. An answer may arrive at Apple’s reported October 28 event, if that launch timing holds.

AI Tools

Grok Releases First Footage From AI-Generated Series ‘Odyssey’

xAI’s Grok released the first seven minutes of its AI-generated series ‘Odyssey,’ created with Wonder Studios and director Dev Walker, about three months after Elon Musk first announced the project, per TechCrunch. TechCrunch’s review was mixed, calling some shots surprisingly convincing but saying the footage “lacks any sense of artistry, inspiration, or human interest.” If you’re curious how AI tools hold up for everyday tasks, we’ve also tried using ChatGPT to turn leftovers into dinner.

Apollo Economist: AI Has Delivered ‘Zero Financial Payoff’ for Most Companies

Not every AI story is rosy. Apollo Global Management’s chief economist, Torsten Slok, argues AI has delivered “zero financial payoff to corporate America outside of tech,” according to TechCrunch. His analysis looked at the S&P 500 minus seven major tech giants and found profit margins and revenue per worker essentially flat despite heavy AI investment. Slok’s take: AI can crunch numbers, but business results still hinge on judgment and trust the technology hasn’t replicated.

Science & Space

Study: Women Report More Intense Psychedelic Effects Than Men

A new preprint from Maastricht University researchers, led by Natasha Mason, finds that women report experiencing psychedelics more intensely than men, per ScienceAlert. Combining two trials covering 72 participants and 94 dosing sessions with psilocybin, 2C-B, and LSD, women reported feeling more strongly affected and experienced greater drops in alertness and thinking control, with the gap most pronounced for psilocybin. Blood tests showed no difference in drug levels between men and women, so researchers suspect hormonal factors may play a role, though Mason cautions the study is small and not yet peer-reviewed.

Explore more: streaming bundle versus cable, using ChatGPT to turn leftovers into dinner.

Tech News FAQs

Is the Instagram app for Apple TV available now?

Yes — according to The Verge and MacRumors, Instagram’s TV-focused app, which began testing on other platforms in December 2025, has now expanded to Apple TV.

Is the touchscreen MacBook Pro officially confirmed?

Not yet. 9to5Mac’s reporting is based on leaks and Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman rather than an official Apple announcement, though a launch is rumored for this week.

Will the new MacBook Pro support cellular data?

It’s unconfirmed. 9to5Mac notes Apple has reportedly tested cellular-equipped MacBooks before, but there’s no fresh leak confirming or denying it for this redesign.

What repairability score did the iPhone Duo get?

iFixit gave Apple’s foldable iPhone Duo a 5 out of 10 repairability score, one of the better marks it has given a foldable phone, per The Verge.

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The post Tech News Roundup: 7 Essential Stories for October 26, 2026 — Instagram Reels Hit Apple TV, Apple’s Touchscreen MacBook Pro Rumored appeared first on GTWebs.