The daily business briefing: September 8, 2016
Apple unveils iPhone 7, a Senate committee investigates EpiPen pricing, and more


1. Apple unveils water-resistant iPhone 7
Apple unveiled the latest updates to its popular iPhone on Wednesday at its annual product launch event. The new versions of the smartphone, the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, come with 32GB, 128GB, or 256GB of storage, and start at $647 for the iPhone 7 and $769 for the iPhone 7 Plus. Both are water-resistant and have no headphone jack, but come with Lightning-connected earbuds. Apple also will push wireless headphones, sold separately for $159. Apple also boosted the differences between the two versions, giving the larger Plus a new, dual-lens 12MP camera that improves its zooming ability.
2. Senate committee investigating EpiPen price hike
The Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations announced Wednesday that it is opening an inquiry into the pharmaceutical company Mylan's pricing of the EpiPen. The potentially life-saving auto-injectors for people suffering severe allergic reactions now costs about $600 for a two-pack, up from about $100 when Mylan acquired EpiPen in 2007. The company, responding to a backlash, last month announced that it would offer a cheaper, generic version of the EpiPen.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
3. HPE spinning off non-core software business
Hewlett Packard Enterprise is merging its non-core software assets with Britain's Micro Focus International in a deal valued at $8.8 billion, the companies announced Wednesday. The spin off further trims down HPE, which was formed in the breakup of computer and printer maker Hewlett Packard last fall. HPE's chief executive, Meg Whitman, has been shifting to focus on key areas, including networking, storage, and technology services. She said the latest move marks "another important step in achieving the vision of creating a faster-growing, higher-margin, stronger cash flow company."
4. Liberty Media buying Formula One Racing
Communications company Liberty Media on Wednesday said it would buy Formula One Racing for $4.4 billion. Liberty already holds stakes in the Atlanta Braves baseball team and the Sirius XM satellite radio service. The company is the world's largest international TV and broadband operation, and the deal is expected to expose new audiences in the U.S. to the European-dominated Formula One races.
5. Nintendo's stock soars on news Super Mario Run coming to Apple app store
Nintendo shares jumped by as much as 16 percent on Thursday in Japan after the video-game maker announced that its Super Mario Run game would be making its debut in Apple's app store this year. U.S.-listed Nintendo shares surged by nearly 29 percent on Wednesday after Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto announced the news at Apple's annual product launch event. Nintendo is expected to announce pricing later. The app is a "freemium" game like Nintendo's other huge hit, Pokémon Go.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.
-
Scientists want to fight malaria by poisoning mosquitoes with human blood
Under the radar Drugging the bugs
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Crossword: March 31, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sudoku medium: March 31, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weapons
The Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
By Abby Wilson Published
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarray
In the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?
The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Why Serbian protesters set off smoke bombs in parliament
THE EXPLAINER Ongoing anti-corruption protests erupted into full view this week as Serbian protesters threw the country's legislature into chaos
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Who is the Hat Man? 'Shadow people' and sleep paralysis
In Depth 'Sleep demons' have plagued our dreams throughout the centuries, but the explanation could be medical
By The Week Staff Published
-
Why Assad fell so fast
The Explainer The newly liberated Syria is in an incredibly precarious position, but it's too soon to succumb to defeatist gloom
By The Week UK Published
-
Romania's election rerun
The Explainer Shock result of presidential election has been annulled following allegations of Russian interference
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Russia's shadow war in Europe
Talking Point Steering clear of open conflict, Moscow is slowly ratcheting up the pressure on Nato rivals to see what it can get away with.
By The Week UK Published