Apple’s new iPhone 16e arrived on my doorstep at a critical time in our personal tech world. Prices are higher, consumer demand is lower, and all the “incremental improvements” companies are pushing to get us to dole out the equivalent of a mortgage payment for the next new thing are,

The iPhone 16e settles it: Apple is no longer a luxury company. The original Mac icon artist is selling a set of adorable silver and gold keycaps. Oppo’s new folding phone transforms into a teeny-tiny MacBook.

Apple delivered its latest budget handset, the $599 iPhone 16e, without pomp. There was no big event in person, nor was there one online. No journalists