Weekly Tech Wrap: Apple iOS 26.0.1, YouTube Premium Lite, OpenAI’s Sora 2 Released, Comet AI Browser Now Free

This week saw multiple tech releases: YouTube’s lower-price Premium Lite membership in India, Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet 4.5, OpenAI’s Sora 2 AI model, and Apple’s iOS 26.0.1 update. While WhatsApp announced new features, Perplexity made its Comet AI browser free. In the hardware segment, Amazon’s event saw the launch of new Echo lineup, Fire TV range, 4K camera Ring, and the new Kindle Scribe.

Here's your weekly tech wrap:

A report by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman indicated that Apple is working on an internal “ChatGPT-like app to help test and prepare” for the launch of a future iteration of Siri. The app allows users to “manage multiple conversations across different topics” and can “save and reference past chats, follow up on earlier queries and support extended back-and-forth exchanges,” Gurman wrote.

YouTube launched its Premium Lite membership in India, giving users a cheaper option to watch ad-free videos. The majority of content in a number of categories can be seen without advertisements with this new subscription, which costs Rs 89 per month.

Anthropic released its latest AI model — Claude Sonnet 4.5  — saying it “is the best coding model in the world.” Anthropic claims that Claude 4.5 is more proficient in computer use and has enhanced financial and scientific reasoning skills, scoring about 60% on an operating system skills benchmark, compared to about 40% for previous models.

Apple released the iOS 26.0.1 update for iPhones, which addresses various security issues and bugs. The update fixes issues related to camera, WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, VoiceOver, app icons, and other iOS 26 bugs.

A number of new features were announced by WhatsApp this week. These include the ability to use AI to create call backdrops, create new chat themes using Meta AI, and send and receive Live Photos on iOS and Motion Photos on Android. Other features include enhanced group search capabilities, new sticker packs, and the ability to scan documents on Android devices.

OpenAI released Sora 2, its latest video generation model that creates more realistic visuals and improved audio, speech, and sound effects. “Sora 2 can do things that are exceptionally difficult … Olympic gymnastics routines, backflips on a paddleboard that accurately model the dynamics of buoyancy and rigidity, and triple axels while a cat holds on for dear life,” the company said.

At its annual event, Amazon unveiled new Echo devices integrated with Alexa+: updated Echo Dot Max, Echo Studio, Echo Show 8, and Echo Show 11. It also released new Fire TV models, Ring with 4K cameras, and a new Kindle Scribe lineup.

Perplexity made its agentic AI browser, Comet, free to the public after first making it available to subscribers who had to pay $200 per month. With capabilities like web searches, email creation, tab management, online shopping, and more, Comet aims to rival Google Chrome and other traditional browsers.