Wall Street analysts are turning bullish on Apple, with multiple firms setting $320 price targets that imply more than 20% upside for the stock. A key driver: the new MacBook Neo, Apple’s aggressive entry into the budget laptop market at $499–$599. Positioned as a gateway for first-time Mac buyers, the affordable model is expected to expand Apple’s installed base, drive services revenue, and disrupt competitors in one of the PC industry’s most profitable segments.

Christine Ji:
‎

The MacBook Neo is the company’s “first real push” into the budget laptop space, where Apple currently holds less than 1% market share, Bank of America analyst Wamsi Mohan wrote in a Monday note. Launched in early March, the Neo is priced at $599, and $499 for students.

It’s a massive untapped opportunity for Apple, whose Mac installed base of 260 million units lags far behind the iPhone installed base of 1.5 billion units. Mohan believes the total addressable market for the Neo could be $32 billion for 2026. If Apple can capture just 10% of that market for budget laptops, and do so with a 19% operating margin, the company can boost earnings per share by an incremental 3 cents, according to Mohan.

“We see Neo driving meaningful adoption for first-time Mac owners with a distinct customer base relative to the Air and Pro models,” Mohan wrote.

The Neo will dramatically disrupt competitors in the market for budget personal computers, Seaport analyst Jay Goldberg wrote in a Monday note, as the $500 to $700 price tier is one of the most profitable segments for PC makers. Both Mohan and Goldberg have a buy rating and $320 price target on Apple’s stock, implying over 20% of upside from current levels.

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MacDailyNews Take: As we wrote earlier today, “Apple below $250 at the end of March was a buying opportunity.”

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A new set of leaked images claiming to show Apple’s long-rumored folding iPhone surfaced online on Sunday, giving what a tipster says is a closer look at the device’s final design.

On Sunday, leaker Majin Bu posted several images on X of what appears to be a prototype or high-fidelity dummy unit of Apple’s upcoming foldable. According to the tipster, the design looks “more beautiful than the previous one,” with noticeable refinements over earlier leaks.

Multiple reports indicate that the folding iPhone design Apple has chosen uses a book-style folding mechanism. It opens horizontally to reveal a larger, tablet-like inner display, while an outer screen functions as a standard smartphone display. When unfolded, the inner display provides a significantly expanded canvas, potentially positioning the device as a hybrid between an iPhone and an iPad.

The actual design of the iPhone Fold is more beautiful than the previous one, I believe this is also the final design of the future iPhone Fold. pic.twitter.com/yTw2ibLbm1

— Majin (@MajinBuofficia) April 5, 2026

@MajinBuofficia via X:
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The actual design of the iPhone Fold is more beautiful than the previous one, I believe this is also the final design of the future iPhone Fold.

In response to a question about a color-matching camera module:

@MajinBuofficia via X:
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Unfortunately, the current version has a black module and there are 5 months left, the design is frozen, nothing will change, it remains to be seen.

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MacDailyNews Take: Again, all we need is the pre-order link!

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Apple TV on Monday dropped a first-look teaser for “Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed,” the highly anticipated darkly comedic thriller from creator and showrunner David J. Rosen, and led by Emmy Award winner Tatiana Maslany (“Orphan Black,” “The Monkey”) and Jake Johnson (“New Girl,” upcoming “The Dink”). The half-hour, 10-episode series will make its global debut on Apple TV with the first two episodes on Wednesday, May 20th, followed by new episodes every Wednesday through July 15th.

“Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed” follows newly divorced mom Paula (Maslany) as she falls down a dangerous rabbit hole of blackmail, murder and youth soccer. Convinced she witnessed a crime – while simultaneously struggling through a custody battle and an identity crisis – Paula begins her own investigation, one that could unravel a greater conspiracy while also holding the keys to rebuilding her family and sense of self.

The ensemble cast includes Brandon Flynn (“13 Reasons Why”), Murray Bartlett (“The Last of Us,” “The White Lotus”), Jessy Hodges (“Barry”), Jon Michael Hill (“Elementary”), Charlie Hall (“The Sex Lives of College Girls,” “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story”), Kiarra Hamagami Goldberg (“Charmed,” “Invasion”), Nola Wallace (“The Strangers: Chapter 2,” “The Strangers: Chapter 3”) and Dolly De Leon (“Nine Perfect Strangers,” “Triangle of Sadness”).

Hailing from Apple Studios, the series is written and executive produced by creator and showrunner Rosen (“Sugar,” “Hunters”), and directed and executive produced by David Gordon Green (“Nutcrackers,” “The Righteous Gemstones”). The series is also executive produced by Simon Kinberg and Audrey Chon for Genre Films under their first-look deal with Apple TV; Bard Dorros for Anonymous Content; and, Tony Hernandez, Lilly Burns and Elise Henderson for Counterpart Studios.

Apple TV offers premium, compelling drama and comedy series, feature films, groundbreaking documentaries, and kids and family entertainment, and is available to watch across all of a user’s favorite screens. After its launch on November 1, 2019, Apple TV became the first all-original streaming service to launch around the world, and has premiered more original hits and received more award recognitions faster than any other streaming service in its debut. To date, Apple Original films, documentaries and series have been honored with 773 wins and 3,366 award nominations and counting, including multi-Emmy Award-winning and history-making comedies “The Studio” and “Ted Lasso,” global cultural phenomenon “Severance,” Apple’s most-viewed drama “Pluribus,” Academy Award Best Picture winner “CODA” and Academy Award winner “F1,” the highest-grossing sports feature of all time.
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MacDailyNews Take:

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Warren Buffett gave an interview to CNBC and offered several interesting insights into Berkshire Hathaway’s holdings, including Apple. Given his remarkable track record, investors always scrutinize what the Oracle of Omaha has to say.

The Motley Fool:
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While speaking with CNBC’s Becky Quick, Buffett discussed Berkshire’s decade-long position in Apple, which, at one point, accounted for roughly 40% of Berkshire’s huge equity portfolio.

In recent years, Berkshire has sold a significant portion of its Apple stake, prompting some investors to wonder whether the company is headed for a complete exit. New Berkshire CEO Greg Abel confirmed in a recent letter to shareholders that Berkshire plans to retain its current Apple position, which accounted for 23% of Berkshire’s stock portfolio at the end of 2025.

Buffett confirmed, saying, “I’m very happy to have it be our largest holding.” Buffett also added, “It’s not impossible that Apple would get to a price, we would buy a lot of it,” he added, “but not in this market.”

At the end of the day, it’s impossible to predict what the market will do in the near term. In such an uncertain environment, investors should listen to Buffett but also heed his advice of having a long-term mindset. Long-term investors will likely be able to ride out whatever happens to the market over the next year or two, as historical data suggests that the longer one holds stocks, the less likely they are to lose money.

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MacDailyNews Take: Apple below $250 at the end of March was a buying opportunity, whether Buffet could see it or not.

See also: Berkshire Hathaway’s Warren Buffett on Apple sale: ‘I sold it too soon’ – March 31, 2026

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Apple’s long-awaited foldable iPhone has reportedly moved into early trial production at Foxconn, signaling that the company is making tangible progress toward its first book-style foldable device. According to supply chain sources, the device features a large 7.7-inch inner folding display paired with a 5.3-inch cover screen and is currently targeted for shipment in the second half of 2026.

While not yet in mass production, the move into trial stage brings Apple one step closer to competing in the foldable smartphone market with a crease-minimized design and iOS 27 optimizations for multitasking.

Vikhyaat Vivek for Digital Trends:
‎

The report claims that Apple has already given suppliers a shipment target that points to a second-half of 2026 launch window for the device. But this doesn’t mean that the foldable iPhone is ready for mass production just yet. The new foldable device is expected to be a larger book-style foldable rather than a clamshell…

This is not just a brand-new iPhone line, it seems Apple also has plans for the software, which could be evolving alongside the hardware. ITHome claims that iOS 27 is expected to include foldable-specific optimizations, such as split-screen support, multitasking features, and a UI that feels more like an iPad.

Based on prior leaks, Apple’s first foldable iPhone is expected to feature a 7.7-inch folding main display and a 5.3-inch cover panel. But the big highlight is a crease-free main display…. Although, the crease might just be reduced rather than eliminated entirely.

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MacDailyNews Take: Just give us the pre-order link!

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Apple turned 50 on April 1, 2026, but the company is keeping things low-key this month. Instead of a major hardware event or flashy anniversary keynote video, April is shaping up to be a content-focused period with new shows on Apple TV, fresh games on Apple Arcade, and a handful of hardware rumors — while bigger updates wait for WWDC in June.

Here’s everything observers and analysts expect about what’s arriving from Apple in April 2026.

Hardware: AirPods Max 2 Shipping Now, M5 Desktops Possibly on Deck

The most concrete hardware news this month is the AirPods Max 2, which began shipping at the start of April. The new model keeps the same iconic design and color options but upgrades the audio processor from the older H1 chip to the newer H2 chip. Expect improved noise cancellation and additional audio features as a result.

On the Mac side, desktop updates are the main topic of speculation:

• M5 Mac mini: Current stock is reportedly running low, making this the most likely candidate for an M5 refresh in the first half of 2026 — possibly even landing in April.

• M5 Ultra Mac Studio: A more powerful version with the M5 Ultra chip could deliver a solid performance boost over the current M3 Ultra model. However, it may slip to WWDC in June rather than arriving this month.

• M5 iMac: Less certain. Apple has skipped iMac generations in the past, so the current M4 iMac might stick around a while longer.

Other long-rumored hardware — including a refreshed Apple TV 4K, a new HomePod mini, a full-sized HomePod 3, and the rumored smart home hub (sometimes called “HomePad”) — have been pushed back. These devices are closely tied to advanced Siri capabilities that are now expected with the OS 27 releases this fall, meaning we likely won’t see them until later in 2026.

Software: Modest iOS 26.5 Update Expected

iOS 26.5 (along with the matching updates for iPadOS, macOS, etc.) is currently in beta. Don’t expect anything dramatic — the update is mostly focused on smaller improvements such as enhanced RCS encryption testing and support for ads in the Maps app. A wide release could come in late April or early May. The much-anticipated major Siri overhaul remains off the table until the OS 27 cycle later this year.

Entertainment Spotlight: New Shows on Apple TV and Games on Apple Arcade

If you’re looking for immediate new experiences from Apple this month, the real action is on the entertainment side.

New Apple TV shows arriving in April include:

• April 3: Your Friends and Neighbors (Season 2) — Jon Hamm returns in the story of a hedge-fund manager who turns to robbing his wealthy neighbors.
• April 10: Outcome — A dark comedy starring Keanu Reeves as a widely despised celebrity trying to make amends.
• April 15: Margo’s Got Money Troubles — A college dropout turns to camming to support her newborn baby.
• April 22: Criminal Record — A character-driven drama set in contemporary London.
• April 29: My Brother the Minotaur — A whimsical adventure about a minotaur raised by humans who dreams of his mythical past.
• April 29: Widow’s Bay — A horror-comedy set in a superstitious, cursed fishing town.

Meanwhile, Apple Arcade continues its monthly tradition of adding new titles on the first Friday of the month (April 2 this year):

• Dredge+ — A critically acclaimed Lovecraftian horror fishing game.
• HYKE: Northern Light(s) — A top-down 2D pixel-art RPG.
• My Very Hungry Caterpillar+ — A colorful, educational game designed for young children.
• Unpacking+ — The relaxing, zen-like puzzle game where you unpack boxes and decorate rooms.

All Arcade games remain ad-free and without in-app purchases.

MacDailyNews Take: April 2026 feels more like a calm interlude than a headline-grabbing month. With Apple’s 50th anniversary already behind us and major smart-home and Siri-related hardware delayed until the fall, the company appears to be pacing itself ahead of WWDC in June, where we could finally see more substantial announcements.

In the meantime, M5-powered desktop Mac rumors are worth watching (especially for the Mac mini), while everyone else can enjoy fresh Apple TV programming and a handful of new Arcade games to play on their existing devices.

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NASA’s Artemis II crew is making history not just by flying around the Moon, but by doing so with the latest iPhone 17 Pro Max models aboard the Orion spacecraft.

Launched on April 1, 2026, from Kennedy Space Center, the four-person crew — Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen — is on a roughly 10-day mission to test systems for future lunar landings. For the first time on a crewed deep-space mission, NASA has fully qualified and equipped each astronaut with a personal iPhone 17 Pro Max for capturing photos, videos, and personal moments during the journey.

NASA provided the silver iPhones during the crew’s pre-launch quarantine in March, marking a policy shift that now allows modern smartphones on missions like Artemis II (and recent ISS Crew-12 flights). The devices have undergone rigorous testing to ensure they can handle the rigors of space, including radiation, vacuum conditions, and zero-gravity antics — think floating iPhones being tossed around the cabin, as seen in early mission videos.

NASA astronauts are given silver iPhone 17 Pro Max for the Artemis II flight!

The same phone we use could be used to take pictures of the Moon

Look at how it’s floating in zero gravity, this could be the ultimate Shot on iPhone commercial pic.twitter.com/gQzrR6miDP

— Shishir (@ShishirShelke1) April 2, 2026

Why the iPhone 17 Pro Max?The iPhone 17 Pro Max, released in September 2025, brings serious upgrades that make it suitable for this extraordinary environment: improved battery life, powerful cameras, and robust performance in a sleek titanium design. While the Orion spacecraft is packed with specialized cameras like GoPros and Nikons for official documentation, the iPhones serve as personal tools for the astronauts — letting them snap candid shots, document daily life in microgravity, and capture unique perspectives without relying solely on mission hardware.

This view just hits different
@Astro_Christina and @astro_reid take a moment to look back at Earth as they continue deep into space toward the Moon. pic.twitter.com/NMDeLj256K

— NASA (@NASA) April 4, 2026

Early results are already stunning. NASA has shared breathtaking photos taken with the iPhone 17 Pro Max, including images of Earth viewed through the Orion’s windows on April 2, credited directly to the astronauts (with metadata pointing to the device’s front camera in some cases). Commander Wiseman and Koch appear in several, gazing back at our blue planet from hundreds of thousands of miles away. The “Shot on iPhone” watermark has never looked more epic.

The approval process involved multiple phases of environmental testing to confirm the phones wouldn’t interfere with spacecraft systems or fail under extreme conditions. It’s a testament to how far consumer electronics have come — your pocket-sized powerhouse is now Moon-qualified.

Past astronauts relied on bulky cameras or limited personal items; now, the Artemis II crew can document their once-in-a-lifetime voyage with the same device millions use daily on Earth. No cellular service or internet, of course — the phones are essentially high-end cameras and notepads in deep space — but the freedom to capture authentic moments adds a personal touch to humanity’s return to lunar vicinity.

As the crew continues its journey, including a planned lunar flyby, expect more incredible imagery “Shot on iPhone 17 Pro Max” to emerge. It’s a fun reminder that as we push the boundaries of exploration, the tools that accompany us are evolving too — sometimes right from the latest flagship lineup.

Whether you’re an Apple fan, a space enthusiast, or both, the sight of iPhones floating alongside the Moon is pure 21st-century magic. Here’s to the Artemis II crew and the tiny supercomputers helping them tell their story!

MacDailyNews Take: When your photos are once-in-a-lifetime, only the best will do: iPhone 17 Pro Max.

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The U.S. Labor Department on Friday reported that employers added 178,000 jobs in March. That figure was well above the expectations of economists polled by LSEG, who predicted a gain of 60,000 jobs. The U.S. unemployment rate declined to 4.3%, which was slightly lower than the 4.4% projected by LSEG economists.

Jeff Cox for CNBC:
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Nonfarm payrolls rose a seasonally adjusted 178,000 during the month, a reversal from the 133,000 decline in February and better than the Dow Jones consensus estimate for 59,000, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. February’s number was revised down by 41,000 while January was revised up by 34,000 to 160,000, putting the three-month average around 68,000.

Construction saw an increase of 26,000, while transportation and warehousing posted a gain of 21,000.

The U.S. stock market was closed in observance of the Good Friday holiday.

Eric Revell for FOXBusiness:
‎

Private payrolls grew by 186,000 jobs in March when economists predicted a gain of 70,000 jobs.

Government payrolls contracted by 8,000 jobs in March. Job losses by the federal government (-18,000) and state governments (-4,000) were partially offset by local governments adding jobs (+14,000).

The manufacturing sector added 15,000 jobs in March, beating LSEG economists’ expectations that the sector would shed 5,000 jobs for the month.

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MacDailyNews Note: Today is Good Friday. As such, the U.S. financial markets are closed for the day and posting will be less frequent today. As we enjoy spending time with family and friends this long Easter weekend, we want to thank you so much for visiting MacDailyNews!

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Apple is fully embracing the internet’s latest obsession: the cute, anthropomorphized Lil’ Finder Guy, the chubby blue-and-white mascot inspired by the classic Mac Finder icon.

Following the launch of the MacBook Neo in early March 2026, the character quickly captured hearts online. Fans have been creating 3D prints, stickers, mockups, and even high-resolution wallpapers of the little guy. Now, Apple is leaning all the way in — releasing nine new short videos this week featuring Lil’ Finder Guy in charming poses while sharing helpful Mac tips.

The videos, posted on both Apple’s TikTok account and YouTube Shorts, promote features on the new MacBook Neo. Examples include:

• A journaling tip with Little Finder Guy holding a book and pen
• A Passwords app demo where he’s peering through a magnifying glass
• Other quick tutorials on desktop Stacks, built-in ring light effects, dictation, GarageBand, and more

Each clip keeps the mascot front and center, adding a playful, approachable vibe to what could otherwise be straightforward how-to content. On TikTok, the video thumbnails cleverly form a larger mosaic image of Lil’ Finder Guy, turning the campaign into a fun visual puzzle for followers.

Here’s a collection of the latest Lil’ Finder Guy videos from Apple’s official YouTube channel (YouTube Shorts):

MacDailyNews Take: The campaign has struck a chord. Many users say the fun, slightly quirky energy feels like a refreshing change from Apple’s traditionally sleek and minimalist marketing. Lil’ Finder Guy is giving the venerable brand a more playful, approachable personality — especially appealing to younger users discovering the superior and fun Macintosh!

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Apple has officially updated its support documentation to reflect major changes to billing for users in Russia. As of April 1, 2026, payment processing is no longer available for new purchases and subscriptions on the App Store and other Apple Media Services in Russia.

This means Russian users can no longer make new App Store purchases, in-app purchases, or renew subscriptions for services like:

• Apple Arcade
• Apple Fitness+
• Apple Music
• Apple Podcasts
• Apple One
• Apple TV
• iCloud+
• iTunes Store purchases
• Ringtones & Tones

…unless they have sufficient funds already loaded in their Apple Account balance.

What This Means for Users in Russia

• New purchases and renewals are blocked without pre-existing Apple Account balance funds.
• Existing subscriptions may end if Apple cannot bill them, potentially resulting in loss of access to paid content.
• Previously purchased apps, music, movies, and other content remain accessible.
• Users can still update owned apps and redeem App Store & iTunes Gift Cards or codes.
• For iCloud+, even after a subscription ends, users can manage storage and download their photos and videos.

Apple’s support page explicitly states: “New purchases, including in-app purchases and subscription renewals, are no longer available in Russia unless you have funds in your Apple Account balance.”

Workarounds and Alternatives

Apple recommends the following options for affected users:

• Use any existing Apple Account balance to continue making purchases and renewing subscriptions.
• Redeem App Store & iTunes Gift Cards (if you have them).
• Download previously purchased content and back up iCloud data while access is still possible.

Detailed guides are linked in Apple’s document for redeeming codes and managing storage.

While Apple’s support page does not state a reason for the change, recent reports indicate the restriction follows actions by Russian authorities. Russia’s Ministry of Digital Development reportedly instructed major mobile operators (MTS, Beeline, MegaFon, Tele2) to disable top-ups of Apple ID accounts via mobile phone balances starting April 1. This move appears aimed at limiting payments for VPN services and/or pressuring Apple regarding App Store availability of certain Russian apps removed due to sanctions.

The timing aligns perfectly: Apple’s policy update and the mobile top-up block both took effect on April 1, 2026.

Refunds and Consumer Rights

Users who believe they are eligible for a refund on apps or content can request one via reportaproblem.apple.com. Refund eligibility depends on Apple’s terms and local consumer protection laws.

MacDailyNews Note: This development further restricts Apple’s digital ecosystem in Russia following the company’s 2022 decision to suspend sales and certain services in response to the situation in Ukraine. International payment methods have long been limited due to sanctions, and the mobile carrier top-up option had served as a key workaround for many users.

Apple has not issued a public statement beyond the support page at the time of writing.

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Apple has new HomePod mini, full-sized HomePod, and Apple TV hardware ready to go — but the long-awaited Apple Intelligence-powered Siri remains the final bottleneck holding everything back. With HomePod mini stock rapidly disappearing from retail stores, a refreshed smart home lineup is expected later this year once the new Siri is ready.”

Jessica Martin, Mark Gurman, and Tim Stenovec for Bloomberg News:
‎

A question: “When are new Apple TV and HomePod mini coming out? Is there a new full-sized HomePod in the works?”

Mark Gurman: New HomePod mini, yes. New Apple TV, yes. New full-sized HomePod, yes. Just a matter of time. They’ve wanted to get the Apple Intelligence and new Siri features working in those products before rolling out the new versions. They could have rolled them out last year, but it’s just about waiting for that, just like they’ve been waiting for the smart home display. It’s worth noting that Apple retail stores and what have you, they’re all running out of HomePod minis at this point, so it’ll be this year.

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MacDailyNews Take: The decade-plus neglect of Siri under Tim Cook doesn’t just border on the criminal, it’s corporate malpractice against Apple’s own users and ecosystem.

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Bookings for “Widow’s Bay,” the quaint island 40 miles off the New England coast… that’s totally safe and completely normal… are now open. Today, Apple TV unveiled a teaser trailer for the genre-bending new series led by Emmy Award winner Matthew Rhys, who also serves as executive producer, and hailing from creator Katie Dippold and Emmy Award-winning director and executive producer Hiro Murai. The new 10-episode series will make its global debut on Wednesday, April 29, 2026 with the first two episodes, followed by new episodes every Wednesday through June 17, 2026 on Apple TV, with a special two-episode release on Wednesday, May 27.

In “Widow’s Bay,” something lurks beneath the surface. Mayor Tom Loftis (Rhys) is desperate to revive his struggling community. There’s no Wi-Fi, spotty cellular reception and he must contend with superstitious locals who believe their island is cursed. He wants these people to respect him. They don’t. They think he is soft and cowardly. And he is. But Loftis is determined to build a better future for his teenage son and turn the island into a tourist destination. Miraculously, he succeeds: tourists are finally coming. Unfortunately, the locals were right. After decades of calm, the old stories that seemed too ludicrous to be true start happening again.

Hailing from Apple Studios, “Widow’s Bay” is created, showrun and executive produced by Dippold. Murai executive produces through his banner Chum Films alongside Carver Karaszewski, Claudia Shin, and Rhys. Murai directs five episodes this season, in addition to directors Ti West, Sam Donovan and Andrew DeYoung.

Watch “Widow’s Bay” on Apple TV.

Apple TV offers premium, compelling drama and comedy series, feature films, groundbreaking documentaries, and kids and family entertainment, and is available to watch across all of a user’s favorite screens. After its launch on November 1, 2019, Apple TV became the first all-original streaming service to launch around the world, and has premiered more original hits and received more award recognitions faster than any other streaming service in its debut. To date, Apple Original films, documentaries and series have been honored with 773 wins and 3,366 award nominations and counting, including multi-Emmy Award-winning and history-making comedies “The Studio” and “Ted Lasso,” global cultural phenomenon “Severance,” Apple’s most-viewed drama “Pluribus,” Academy Award Best Picture winner “CODA” and Academy Award winner “F1,” the highest-grossing sports feature of all time.

MacDailyNews Note: Apple TV is available on the Apple TV app in over 100 countries and regions, on over 1 billion screens, including iPhone, iPad, Apple TV 4K, Apple Vision Pro, Mac, popular smart TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, VIZIO, TCL and others, Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices, Chromecast with Google TV, PlayStation and Xbox gaming consoles, and at tv.apple.com, for $12.99 per month with a seven-day free trial for new subscribers. For a limited time, customers who purchase and activate a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV 4K or Mac can enjoy three months of Apple TV for free.

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Jay Blahnik, Apple’s longtime vice president of fitness technologies and a key architect of the company’s health and wellness features, is set to retire in July after nearly 13 years at the company. His departure comes amid longstanding accusations of fostering a toxic work environment, including verbal abuse, manipulation, inappropriate behavior, and sexual harassment.

According to a report by New York Times reporters Kalley Huang and Tripp Mickle, Blahnik, 57, will step down “to spend time with his family and make an exciting move to New York City,” as stated in an internal email Apple sent to employees this week. Apple confirmed the retirement to the newspaper but declined to comment further, including on a potential successor. Blahnik himself did not respond to requests for comment.

Blahnik joined Apple in 2013 after two decades at Nike, where he had established himself as a prominent figure in fitness. At Apple, he played a central role in developing signature features for the Apple Watch, most notably the iconic Activity rings that track exercise, standing, and calorie burn — elements that have become synonymous with the device’s health focus. He later oversaw the launch and growth of Apple Fitness+, the company’s subscription-based service offering video and audio workouts ranging from cycling and yoga to meditation.

Accusations of Toxicity and Harassment

Blahnik’s leadership of the fitness team has been overshadowed by serious allegations. As previously reported by The New York Times in 2025, multiple current and former employees described him as verbally abusive, manipulative, and inappropriate. Since 2022, more than 10 members of his roughly 100-person team reportedly took extended mental health or medical leaves of absence.

Apple settled at least one complaint alleging sexual harassment by Blahnik. The company also faces an ongoing lawsuit from employee Mandana Mofidi, who accused him of bullying. That case is scheduled to go to trial in 2027. Following an internal investigation, Apple officials reportedly found no evidence of wrongdoing and retained Blahnik in his role.

The retirement announcement arrives roughly eight months after the initial New York Times exposé on the allegations. While Apple has not publicly linked the departure to the accusations, the timing has drawn attention in tech and media circles.

MacDailyNews Note: Apple has not announced who will lead its fitness technologies group going forward.

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In an unusual move, Apple has pushed out a critical security update for users still running iOS 18 (and iPadOS 18), specifically to protect against the powerful DarkSword exploit kit that can compromise iPhones and iPads simply by visiting a malicious or compromised website.

The update — iOS 18.7.7 and iPadOS 18.7.7 — was made available to a much broader range of devices on April 1, 2026. Users with Automatic Updates enabled should receive it automatically. For those without auto-updates turned on, devices running older builds of iOS 18 will see a prominent alert urging them to install the Critical Security Update.

What Is DarkSword and Why Is It Dangerous?

DarkSword is a hacking toolkit that enables attackers to take control of vulnerable iPhones running iOS 18.4 through 18.7 via drive-by web attacks. Victims don’t need to click anything suspicious — simply loading a website containing the malicious code is enough.

Once inside, the exploit can steal sensitive data including:

• Messages
• Browser history
• Location information
• Cryptocurrency wallets and assets

The stolen data is then uploaded to servers controlled by the attackers.The toolkit has already been used in targeted attacks against individuals in countries including Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Ukraine, and China. Making matters worse, the exploit tools have been leaked and published on GitHub, meaning the threat is no longer limited to sophisticated state actors or advanced hacker groups — virtually anyone with basic technical knowledge could potentially use it.

Apple first shipped fixes for DarkSword in 2025, and users on the latest iOS 26 have been protected for weeks. However, millions of users have deliberately stayed on iOS 18 — some to avoid the new “Liquid Glass” interface in iOS 26, others because they prefer the older design or have compatibility concerns with apps.

Normally, Apple uses security updates as gentle (or not-so-gentle) encouragement to move users to the newest OS version. The release of iOS 18.7.7 and iPadOS 18.7.7 for a wider set of devices marks a rare exception, showing the company views the DarkSword threat as serious enough to backport protections rather than force an upgrade.

Who Should Update?

• Anyone still on iOS 18 (iPhone XS and newer models that support iOS 26, as well as older devices limited to iOS 18).
• iPad users on iPadOS 18.
• The update is especially critical for users who have postponed or skipped the jump to iOS 26.

Apple also reminds users that Lockdown Mode provides additional protection against this class of web-based attacks.

Apple’s Official Statement

In its security notes, Apple stated:

“We enabled the availability of iOS 18.7.7 for more devices on April 1, 2026, so users with Automatic Updates turned on can automatically receive important security protections from web attacks called DarkSword. The fixes associated with the DarkSword exploit first shipped in 2025. Devices with older versions of iOS 18 will receive an additional alert to install a Critical Security Update.”

While the company continues to strongly recommend updating to iOS 26 for the fullest security and feature benefits, it has clearly prioritized user safety in this case.

MacDailyNews Take: If you’re still running iOS 18, check Settings > General > Software Update right away. The DarkSword tools are now in the wild, and web-based drive-by attacks are notoriously hard to avoid entirely.

This episode highlights both the ongoing cat-and-mouse game between Apple’s security team and sophisticated threat actors, and Apple’s willingness — when the risk is high enough — to support older software versions longer than usual.

iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 users, update promptly, and consider enabling Automatic Updates if you haven’t already. For maximum protection, upgrading to iOS 26 remains the best long-term choice.

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Amazon is in advanced discussions to buy Globalstar, a satellite telecommunications company with a market capitalization of approximately $8.8–9 billion, as the e-commerce and cloud computing giant accelerates its push into low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite services to compete directly with Elon Musk’s Starlink, according to a Financial Times report.

The potential deal would significantly bolster Amazon’s satellite ambitions beyond its existing Project Kuiper initiative, which aims to deploy thousands of LEO satellites for broadband internet. Globalstar operates a constellation of LEO satellites providing voice, data, and asset-tracking services to enterprise, government, and consumer markets.

Negotiations between Amazon and Globalstar have been lengthy, and the two sides continue to discuss certain complexities of a potential transaction. No final agreement has been reached, and the talks could still shift or collapse, sources familiar with the matter told the FT.

A key complicating factor is Apple’s approximately 20% stake in Globalstar. Apple invested around $1.5 billion in the company in 2024 (including equity and infrastructure support) to power its Emergency SOS via satellite feature on iPhones and Apple Watches, as well as related connectivity services. Any deal would require negotiations between Amazon and Apple to address Apple’s ownership, existing contracts for network capacity, and priority access rights.

Globalstar shares surged more than 20% (with some reports citing gains up to 24%) in extended trading following the news, reaching levels described as an 18-year high in after-hours activity. The stock had already more than doubled in value over the past year amid earlier sale speculation.

Globalstar has long been a smaller player in the satellite sector but gained prominence through its partnership with Apple. The tie-up enabled Apple to offer emergency texting and connectivity in areas without cellular coverage, relying on Globalstar’s existing satellite infrastructure.

Amazon’s interest aligns with a broader industry race in satellite broadband and direct-to-device (D2D) communications. Its Project Kuiper is positioned as a rival to Starlink, which has deployed thousands of satellites and serves millions of users for high-speed internet in remote locations. Acquiring Globalstar could provide Amazon with an operational satellite network, spectrum assets, and expertise to accelerate its rollout and expand into new services.

Recent rumors had also swirled around possible interest from SpaceX/Starlink, with some analysts suggesting Globalstar’s chairman may have used an Amazon offer to solicit competing bids. However, the latest FT reporting indicates Amazon is currently in the lead for a potential acquisition.

If completed, the deal would represent a major consolidation move in the satellite sector and could intensify competition between Amazon, SpaceX, and other players like those involved in Project Kuiper and Starlink. It might also raise regulatory scrutiny, given the strategic nature of satellite spectrum and infrastructure.

For Apple, the transaction could introduce a new dynamic: its emergency satellite service might eventually operate under infrastructure controlled by a major competitor in consumer electronics, cloud services, and retail. Analysts note that preserving Apple’s service agreements and access rights would likely be a priority in any talks.

Amazon has not publicly commented on the reports, and Globalstar similarly has not issued a statement. The development comes as the satellite communications industry sees heightened activity, with growing demand for global connectivity, remote broadband, and emergency services.
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MacDailyNews Take: Here are Globalstar’s key financials (full year 2025)

• Record revenue: $273 million, up 9% year-over-year — the fourth consecutive year of record highs. This was driven mainly by higher wholesale service revenue (largely from the Apple partnership) and growing subscriber equipment sales.

• Net loss sharply narrowed: From about $73.8 million in the prior period to roughly $19.3 million (or $8.65 million in some adjusted views), showing meaningful progress toward profitability.

• Adjusted EBITDA: $136.1 million with a 50% margin — a record high, reflecting disciplined cost control despite investments in growth.

• Q4 2025 specifics: Revenue of ~$72 million (up ~17.6% YoY, beating estimates), though GAAP EPS came in at -$0.11 (missing some analyst expectations due to timing of expenses or one-time items).

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Today, April 1, 2026, Apple officially celebrates its 50th anniversary. To mark the milestone, CEO Tim Cook sent a reflective internal memo to employees, quoting Steve Jobs and expressing deep gratitude for the company’s extraordinary journey — while emphasizing that the best is yet to come.

The memo begins with a powerful Steve Jobs quote that Cook says captures the ethos that has defined Apple since its founding in a garage in 1976:

“When you grow up, you tend to get told that the world is the way it is… But life can be much broader once you discover one simple fact: everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you. You can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use. Once you learn that, you’ll never be the same again.”

Cook highlights how this mindset has attracted “the smartest, most passionate, most creative and most committed people” to Apple, creating a culture that demands curiosity, deep collaboration, excellence, and the belief that the impossible is achievable.

He reflects on the staggering growth from a single computer prototype to 2.5 billion active Apple devices worldwide, noting the profound — and often unquantifiable — impact the company has had on how people create, communicate, learn, and connect.

Cook thanks employees for their dedication, whether they joined recently or decades ago:

“Thank you for pushing yourselves further than you thought you could go. Thank you for believing in our mission and holding fast to our values. Thank you for dedicating yourself to something so much bigger than any one of us.”

While honoring the past, Cook makes it clear that Apple’s focus remains firmly on the future:

“As extraordinary as it is to reflect on the past fifty years, what excites me most is what comes next. The opportunities ahead of us are among the greatest we have ever seen — and there’s no team in the world better positioned to meet them.”

He closes with a forward-looking toast: “Here’s to the next fifty years.”

Cook’s memo to employee in full:
‎

Team,

Today officially marks Apple’s 50th anniversary. And as we’ve celebrated that milestone this month, l’ve been reflecting on some powerful words from Steve.

“When you grow up, you tend to get told that the world is the way it is,” he said. “But life can be much broader once you discover one simple fact: everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you. You can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use. Once you learn that, you’ll never be the same again.”

This is the ethos that brought Apple into the world in 1976 – and for fifty years, it’s what has drawn the smartest, most passionate, most creative and most committed people to this company.

We come here to do the best work of our lives, and to reach beyond what any of us could do alone. To be part of a culture that asks us to stay curious, to collaborate deeply, to demand excellence of ourselves and the people around us, and to believe — genuinely believe — that we can do the impossible.

Across our teams and across generations, we’ve been united by a simple belief: the future isn’t something you wait for. It’s something you build. And it is staggering to think of everything we’ve built together.

Fifty years ago, there was a single computer prototype in a garage. Today, there are 2.5 billion active Apple devices in the hands of people in every corner of the earth — helping them create, communicate, learn and connect in ways that would have seemed unimaginable then.

It’s impossible to fully quantify the profound impact this company and its people have had on the world. And it’s a truly special thing to do what we do every day, knowing that our work is squarely focused on empowering people and enriching their lives.

Whether you joined this year or have been here for dozens of years, I hope you take a minute to reflect on how much your work means. Thank you.

Thank you for pushing yourselves further than you thought you could go. Thank you for believing in our mission and holding fast to our values. Thank you for dedicating yourself to something so much bigger than any one of us.

As extraordinary as it is to reflect on the past fifty years, what excites me most is what comes next. The opportunities ahead of us are among the greatest we have ever seen — and there’s no team in the world better positioned to meet them.

Thank you for everything and here’s to the next fifty years.

Tim

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MacDailyNews Take: On the occasion of Apple’s 50th anniversary, we remember that without Steve Jobs, there is no Apple — twice!

As Apple enters its second half-century, today’s message from Cook serves as both a celebration of everything the company and its people have built and a rallying cry for the future. Here’s to the next 50 years!

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Apple this week released the first firmware update for the AirTag 2.

Following the launch of the AirTag 2 earlier this year, Apple has begun rolling out firmware version 3.0.45. The new update replaces the original 3.0.41 firmware that shipped with the device.

As spotted by MacRumors, the update is now deploying over-the-air.

To check your AirTag 2’s firmware version, follow these steps:

1. Open the Find My app.
2. Tap the Items tab.
3. Select your AirTag from the list.
4. Tap the name of your AirTag — the serial number and current firmware version will be displayed.

Apple does not currently provide a manual method to install the update.

The company has not yet published official release notes for version 3.0.45. However, as this is the first firmware update since the AirTag 2’s launch, it is expected to include bug fixes for issues discovered in real-world use, along with general performance improvements.

The AirTag 2 is priced at $29 for a single unit or $99 for a 4-pack.

MacDailyNews Note: Launched on January 26, the AirTag 2 features Apple’s second-generation Ultra Wideband chip for significantly improved tracking range, along with a speaker that is 50% louder than the original model.

The device also includes a new suite of industry-first protections against unwanted tracking, such as cross-platform alerts and frequently changing Bluetooth identifiers.

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To commemorate Apple’s 50th anniversary, CEO Tim Cook shared previously unseen archival materials with The Wall Street Journal’s Ben Cohen and told the story of Apple through prototypes of its most successful products, including the iPod and iPhone.

In the video below, Cook explains his philosophy of success and failure, reflects on a “man-on-the-moon” project from Steve Jobs — and gets a surprise from The Wall Street Journal’s archives.

‎
MacDailyNews Take: Happy 50th birthday, Apple!

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On Monday evening in New York City, Apple TV celebrated season two of “Your Friends & Neighbors” with a star-studded red carpet premiere at the New York Historical museum. The 10-episode sophomore season of “Your Friends & Neighbors” will make its global debut on Apple TV with one episode on Friday, April 3, 2026, followed by one new episode weekly through Friday, June 5th.

Red carpet attendees included creator, showrunner, director and executive producer Jonathan Tropper, star and executive producer Jon Hamm, and series stars Amanda Peet, Olivia Munn, James Marsden, Mark Tallman, Lena Hall, Aimee Carrero, Isabel Gravitt, Donovan Colan and Eunice Bae. Also in attendance were Randy Danson, Erin Robinson, Amir Malaklou, Bre Blair, Kitty Hawthorne, Corbin Bernsen, Jennifer Mudge, Robert Bagnell, Heather Lind, Dave Quay, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Anna Osceola, Miriam Silverman, Manu Narayan, Aaron Vargas, Robert Eli, Matt Rauch and Michael O’Keefe, as well as executive producers Connie Tavel, Jamie Rosengard, Lori Keith Douglas and Stephanie Laing.

John Mulaney, Questlove, Debra Messing, Rob Thomas, and Marisol Thomas, Steve Buscemi and Karen Ho, Carla Gugino, Helena Christensen, and Samantha Mathis were among the notable guests who took part in the festivities, including an after party at the Metropolitan Club.

In season two of the critically acclaimed series, which already landed an early season three renewal, Andrew Cooper (Jon Hamm) doubles down on his life as an unlikely suburban thief, until the arrival of a new neighbor threatens to expose his secrets and place his family at risk.

“Your Friends & Neighbors” is produced by Apple Studios and created by bestselling author Jonathan Tropper, who serves as showrunner, director and executive producer through Tropper Ink under his overall deal with Apple TV. In addition to starring, Hamm executive produces alongside Connie Tavel, Craig Gillespie, Jamie Rosengard, Lori Keith Douglas and Stephanie Laing, who directs six episodes.

Watch “Your Friends & Neighbors” on Apple TV.

Apple TV offers premium, compelling drama and comedy series, feature films, groundbreaking documentaries, and kids and family entertainment, and is available to watch across all your favorite screens. After its launch on November 1, 2019, Apple TV became the first all-original streaming service to launch around the world, and has premiered more original hits and received more award recognitions faster than any other streaming service in its debut. To date, Apple Original films, documentaries and series have been honored with 773 wins and 3,366 award nominations and counting, including multi-Emmy Award-winning and history-making comedies “The Studio” and “Ted Lasso,” global cultural phenomenon “Severance,” Apple’s most-viewed drama “Pluribus,” Academy Award Best Picture winner “CODA” and Academy Award winner “F1,” the highest-grossing sports feature of all time.
‎
MacDailyNews Note: Apple TV is available on the Apple TV app in over 100 countries and regions, on over 1 billion screens, including iPhone, iPad, Apple TV 4K, Apple Vision Pro, Mac, popular smart TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, VIZIO, TCL and others, Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices, Chromecast with Google TV, PlayStation and Xbox gaming consoles, and at tv.apple.com, for $12.99 per month with a seven-day free trial for new subscribers. For a limited time, customers who purchase and activate a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV 4K or Mac can enjoy three months of Apple TV for free.

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Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has threatened U.S. tech companies with attacks. The list includes Apple, Nvidia, Microsoft, and Google, among others. The IRGC stated that, starting at 8 p.m. Tehran time on Wednesday, April 1, it will begin targeting these companies in retaliation for what it describes as further assassinations carried out by the U.S. and its allies.

Kai Nicol-Schwarz for CNBC:
‎

The Guard warned on Tuesday that 18 tech companies would be considered as “legitimate targets” in retaliation for U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran.

“From now on, for every assassination, an American company will be destroyed,” they said in an Guard-affiliated Telegram channel.

Attacks on those companies would begin from 8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 1, Tehran time (12:30 p.m. EDT), the Guard said in a post on Telegram translated by Google, warning employees at those companies to leave workplaces immediately to protect their lives.

The list of companies also featured Cisco, HP, Intel, Oracle, IBM, Dell, Palantir, JPMorgan, Tesla, GE, Spire Solutions, Boeing, and UAE-based artificial intelligence company G42.

‎
MacDailyNews Note: In response, President Trump said on Tuesday, “What did they [Iran] threaten them with, BB guns? They don’t have much left [with which] to threaten.”

Tonight, Wednesday, April 1, 2026, at 9pm ET, President Trump will give an Address to the Nation to provide an important update on Iran.

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Apple turned 50 on April 1, 2026, exactly five decades after Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne founded the company in a Los Altos garage on April Fools’ Day 1976. To mark the milestone, the tech giant pulled out all the stops with global celebrations, surprise performances at Apple Stores worldwide, and a grand finale that no one saw coming: a private, career-spanning concert by Sir Paul McCartney at Apple Park in Cupertino.

The event took place on the evening of March 31st at the heart of Apple’s spaceship-like headquarters. Employees were treated to an intimate (yet spectacular) show on the iconic rainbow stage, which had been transformed into a full concert venue with lighting rigs, massive screens, and even the signature pyrotechnics McCartney is famous for. It was a fitting tribute: Steve Jobs, a lifelong Beatles devotee, would have been ecstatic. The performance also carried extra symbolism given the long-resolved legal tussle between Apple Corps (the Beatles’ company) and Apple Computer in the 1980s and ’90s.

McCartney, 83 and still in remarkable voice, delivered a set that spanned his entire career—from early Beatles gems to Wings classics and recent solo material. Attendees described the atmosphere as electric, with the former Beatle clearly enjoying himself as much as the 12,000+ Apple staffers packed into the venue.

Fan-shared videos from the night quickly lit up X (formerly Twitter), giving the world a glimpse of the historic performance. Here are some of the best original clips circulating from the Apple Park show:

Paul McCartney performing “Blackbird”

Paul McCartney Blackbird at 50th Apple's Anniversary, Apple Park,Cupertino CA, March 31 2026
*video essefilms/instagram* pic.twitter.com/j4IZMfvb4f

— DIÁRIO DOS BEATLES (@Diario_Beatles) April 1, 2026

Paul McCartney closing with “The End”

Paul McCartney The End at 50th Apple's Anniversary, Apple Park,Cupertino CA, March 31 2026
*video wzy.0822/instagram* pic.twitter.com/nVXQOzkrvw

— DIÁRIO DOS BEATLES (@Diario_Beatles) April 1, 2026

Paul McCartney performing “Hey Jude” (with the crowd singing along)

Paul McCartney Hey Jude at 50th Apple's Anniversary, Apple Park,Cupertino CA, March 31 2026
*video by sunfr_sugarsalt/instagram* pic.twitter.com/HLj16hlCfn

— DIÁRIO DOS BEATLES (@Diario_Beatles) April 1, 2026

Paul McCartney unleashing “Live and Let Die” complete with pyrotechnics

Paul McCartney still had his famous Live and Let Die pyrotechnics for last night’s Apple Park show. pic.twitter.com/iDEfiwygUN

— Chance Miller (@ChanceHMiller) April 1, 2026

Paul McCartney playing “Love Me Do”

Paul McCartney playing 'Love Me Do' at Apple’s 50th-anniversary celebration in Apple Park last night.pic.twitter.com/ZLdqRtkQGx

— Far Out Magazine (@FarOutMag) April 1, 2026

Apple also marked the occasion with a special animated takeover of its homepage, highlighting 50 years of iconic products from the Macintosh to the Vision Pro.

While the concert itself was strictly for employees, the ripple effect has been global—fans, tech enthusiasts, and music lovers alike are celebrating the perfect marriage of innovation and artistry.

MacDailyNews Take: Fifty years in, Apple continues to prove that great technology and great music go hand in hand. And what better way to toast half a century than with a living legend on stage at the company’s own “spaceship”? Happy 50th, Apple!

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Apple was founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne on April 1, 1976 to develop and sell the Woz-designed Apple I personal computer, which was quickly followed by the release of the groundbreaking Apple II in June 1977.

In August 2018, Apple became the first public U.S. company to be valued at over US$1 trillion. On August 19, 2020, Apple became the first U.S. company to hit the $2 trillion market value milestone. On January 3, 2022, Apple became the first company to hit $3 trillion in market value.

Apple is currently worth $3.730 trillion. The company employs over 166,000 full-time employees and maintains a worldwide network of 540 retail stores ((272 U.S. / 268 overseas) across 27 countries and regions worldwide.

Apple’s most groundbreaking products, those that truly transformed industries, user experiences, or the company itself:

• Apple II (1977): Apple’s first major commercial success — a fully assembled personal computer with color graphics, expansion slots, and floppy disk support. It helped spark the home computing revolution and proved personal computers could appeal to everyday users.

• Macintosh (1984): Introduced the graphical user interface (GUI) and mouse to the masses with its iconic “1984” Super Bowl ad. It made computing accessible and intuitive, shifting the industry away from command-line systems.

• iMac G3 (1998): The colorful, all-in-one desktop with USB ports (and no floppy drive) that signaled Apple’s comeback under Steve Jobs. It popularized sleek, consumer-friendly design and made getting online simple.

• iPod (2001): A pocket-sized digital music player with a click wheel and massive storage. It revolutionized how people listened to and carried music, while the iTunes integration created a new digital music ecosystem.

• iPhone (2007): The original multi-touch smartphone that combined a phone, iPod, and internet communicator. It launched the modern app economy, touch-based mobile computing, and changed communication, photography, and daily life worldwide.

• MacBook Air (2008): Ultra-thin, lightweight laptop introduced with the tagline “the world’s thinnest notebook.” It set the standard for portable, minimalist laptop design that the entire industry eventually followed.

• iPad (2010): Created the modern tablet category — a larger touchscreen device positioned between a smartphone and laptop. It transformed media consumption, education, gaming, and casual computing.

• Apple Watch (2015): The first mainstream smartwatch that combined health/fitness tracking, notifications, and apps on the wrist. It popularized wearable tech and became a major health and communication device.

Later innovations like AirPods (2016) (truly wireless earbuds that normalized the category) and the shift to powerful and efficient Apple Silicon (M1 chip, 2020) which brought high-performance, efficient custom chips to the Macintosh, also had very significant impact.

These products not only drove massive revenue, but repeatedly redefined what consumers expect from technology, remaking entire markets.

As of January 2026, Apple has more than 2.5 billion active devices in use worldwide.

MacDailyNews Take: Happy 50th birthday, Apple!

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Apple is quietly working on a significant upgrade to Siri that could make the long-serving digital assistant feel considerably more capable and natural to use. According to a new report from Bloomberg, the company is testing a feature that allows Siri to process multiple requests in a single spoken query.

This development, slated for inclusion in iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27 (all expected later in 2026), marks a notable step forward for a voice assistant that first launched nearly 15 years ago.

Mark Gurman for Bloomberg News:
‎

The move would bring Siri closer to the abilities of newer artificial intelligence assistants.

The feature would let users combine requests — for example, asking Siri to check the weather, create a calendar appointment and send a message — all within a single prompt. Siri currently requires users to make requests individually, making it a laggard in the AI space.

The work is part of a broader effort to overhaul and modernize Siri, which was first introduced in October 2011. Apple is aiming to turn the assistant into a more capable tool that can understand context, such as users’ personal information and what’s on their screen.

The company is poised to unveil the new Siri and other Apple Intelligence features at its Worldwide Developers Conference on June 8. It’s been a long time coming. Apple first demonstrated a new, more AI-infused Siri in June 2024 — before delaying its arrival multiple times due to engineering snags. The software is now on track for a release this fall…

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MacDailyNews Take: Instead of issuing one command, waiting for Siri to respond, and then following up with another, users would be able to string together several actions in one go. For example, you might say something like:

“Hey Siri, check the weather tomorrow, add ‘buy milk’ to my shopping list, and set a reminder to call Mom at 7 PM.”

Siri would then parse the entire request and handle each part appropriately — pulling weather data, creating a note or list item, and scheduling the reminder — without requiring separate invocations.

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Apple has quietly rolled out a new firmware update for its upcoming AirPods Max 2 headphones, with build number 8E251 now available as the over-ear flagship prepares to hit store shelves tomorrow, April 1, 2026.

The timing is no coincidence. With the refreshed AirPods Max 2 launching in stores on April 1st, Apple has prepared a dedicated firmware build optimized specifically for the new model. This update is separate from the earlier 8B39 firmware that recently arrived for AirPods Pro 3, AirPods Pro 2, and AirPods 4 — even though all of these devices share the same H2 chip.

What’s New in Firmware 8E251?

Apple has not published official release notes, so the exact changes remain unknown for now. However, the update is widely expected to optimize performance and fine-tune the new features introduced with the AirPods Max 2.

The second-generation AirPods Max bring several meaningful upgrades powered by the H2 chip (an evolution from the original H1):

• Significantly improved noise cancellation (reportedly 1.5x more effective)
• A new amplifier for cleaner, higher-quality sound
• Enhanced spatial audio capabilities
• Features such as Adaptive Audio, Loud Sound Reduction, Voice Isolation, and Live Translation

Firmware 8E251 likely polishes these experiences, improves stability, or addresses any last-minute refinements needed before the public launch.

For new buyers picking up a pair tomorrow, the update should install automatically in the background shortly after initial setup — a standard behavior for AirPods firmware.

How to Update AirPods Max 2 Firmware

If the update doesn’t apply automatically, you can encourage it with these steps:

1. Ensure your iPhone, iPad, or Mac is running the latest iOS, iPadOS, or macOS with Bluetooth enabled.
2. Connect the AirPods Max 2 to your device via Bluetooth.
3. Connect your Apple device to Wi-Fi.
4. Plug the AirPods Max 2 into power using a USB-C cable (inserted into the bottom-right ear cup).
5. Keep the headphones in Bluetooth range of your device and wait at least 30 minutes.
6. After the wait, reconnect and check the firmware version in Settings > Bluetooth > [Your AirPods Max] > Version.

If the update still doesn’t appear, try restarting the AirPods Max 2 and repeating the process.

To check your current firmware version at any time, go to Settings > Bluetooth, tap the info (i) icon next to your AirPods Max 2, and scroll down.

MacDailyNews Take: This pre-launch firmware drop shows Apple’s typical attention to detail, ensuring the AirPods Max 2 ship with the best possible software experience out of the box. While the hardware upgrades center around the H2 chip and refined audio engineering, smooth firmware support will be key to delivering on promises like superior noise cancellation and immersive spatial audio.

Early reviews of the AirPods Max 2 have already begun circulating, and many are curious to see how the new model performs in real-world use compared to the original 2020 version (and the USB-C refreshed model that followed).

As more units reach customers tomorrow, we’ll likely see user reports confirming the update and any noticeable improvements. In the meantime, if you’re planning to buy the new AirPods Max 2, expect a quick background update shortly after pairing.

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NASA’s Artemis program is about to get the cinematic treatment it deserves — and Apple Vision Pro owners are in for an unforgettable ride.

On Monday, March 30, 2026, filmmaker and space documentarian Cosmic Perspective (@considercosmos) shared thrilling behind-the-scenes footage showing the first wave of high-end cameras being installed inside the launch pad perimeter at NASA Kennedy Space Center. The star of the show? A sleek Blackmagic Design URSA Cine Immersive camera, complete with its signature dual-lens stereoscopic rig, ready to capture the thunderous liftoff in true 3D spatial video.

The short video pans across the massive Space Launch System (SLS) rocket standing tall on the pad, with the immersive Blackmagic camera prominently featured in the foreground. Other pro rigs — complete with furry windshields and sturdy tripods — dot the grassy viewing areas, signaling that this won’t be just another standard rocket launch broadcast. This is next-level, immersive filmmaking designed to put viewers right in the middle of the action.

The first round of Artemis cameras are set inside the pad! Just a few more sites remain tomorrow. The energy is building at @NASAKennedy and this crew is ready for adventure! @Blackmagic_News pic.twitter.com/qbPZrQ87gq

— Cosmic Perspective (@considercosmos) March 30, 2026

Blackmagic Design has been quietly revolutionizing professional cinema for years, and its latest immersive camera system is purpose-built for spatial video experiences — the exact format that shines on Apple Vision Pro. With stereoscopic 3D capture, ultra-high dynamic range, and Blackmagic’s legendary color science, these cameras promise footage that will feel real when viewed in the Vision Pro’s immersive environment. Think Dolby Atmos audio layered with 180-degree or 3D spatial video that lets you turn your head and feel the roar of the engines all around you.

The post captures the palpable excitement on the ground: “The energy is building at @NASAKennedy and this crew is ready for adventure!” Only a few more camera positions remain to be set up, and the team is clearly buzzing with anticipation.

For Mac and Apple ecosystem fans who love bleeding-edge tech, this is a perfect intersection of worlds. Blackmagic cameras have long been favorites in Hollywood and indie filmmaking alike — and now they’re being deployed on one of humanity’s most ambitious space missions. When Artemis lifts off (whether it’s Artemis II or the next major milestone), we’ll finally get launch footage that matches the grandeur of the moment — not just on flat screens, but in full spatial glory inside the Vision Pro.

If you’ve ever dreamed of standing on the pad as the most powerful rocket ever built clears the tower, this might be as close as it gets.

MacDailyNews Take: We’ll be watching the skies — and keeping an eye on @considercosmos and @Blackmagic_News for more updates as the remaining cameras go live and launch day approaches. This is going to be spectacular.

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Warren Buffett, when asked about his decision to trim Berkshire Hathaway’s Apple position, the Oracle of Omaha offered a characteristically candid four-word verdict: “I sold it too soon.”

Jeremy Phillips for 24/7 Wall St.:
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Berkshire began accumulating Apple shares around 2016, and the stake eventually grew into the firm’s largest equity holding, valued at over $170 billion at its peak. Then came the sales. Through 2023 and 2024, Berkshire reduced the position by roughly two-thirds, leaving the stake valued at approximately $40 billion at the end of 2024.

Buffett was quick to frame the outcome positively. Berkshire made over $100 billion pretax on the position, and he noted that Apple remains Berkshire’s largest single investment. He also offered a striking endorsement: Apple is better than any business Berkshire owns outright, even noting that Berkshire owns a railroad worth more than its Apple position, yet Apple still tops the holdings list…

Since the start of 2024, AAPL shares have risen 34.23%…

Buffett was clear that he has no ability to predict what stocks will do next week or next month. What he does know is that Apple’s business has continued to compound well beyond the point he chose to reduce exposure. The profits were real. The opportunity cost was, too.

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MacDailyNews Take: Duh.

There’s no two ways about it: Leaving over $35 billion on the table in a single year on a single stock is simply legendarily bad investing.

If Buffett’s calling these nonsensical, losing shots, maybe it’s time he wasn’t. If Buffett’s no longer making the calls, that doesn’t bode well for Berkshire Hathaway’s future. – MacDailyNews, December 18, 2024

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Apple’s new AirPods Max 2 deliver even better Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), elevated sound quality, and intelligent features to its iconic over-ear design. Powered by H2, features like Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness, Voice Isolation, and Live Translation come to AirPods Max for the first time. Plus, AirPods Max 2 could get even better with future software updates.

Jacob Krol for TechRadar:
‎

TechRadar sat down with Apple VP of Platform Architecture Tim Millet and Director of Audio Product Marketing Eric Treski to unpack how AirPods Max 2 is finally catching up to its own ambitions.

“When we build chips at Apple, it’s always about the product. We don’t sell chips out in the open market, and this gives our team really the luxury of knowing exactly what they’re building for,” says Millet.

That’s the philosophy that defines AirPods Max 2 — and it’s what makes the H2 upgrade more than a spec bump. Rather than dropping in an off-the-shelf component, Apple created a purpose-built audio streaming processor co-designed from the ground up with its acoustics and firmware teams. The goal, as Millet puts it, is to make sure they’re “only limited by the physics.”

The processing capability that unlocks is significant. Millet relays that his team’s view is that “some of the processing we do here is exceeding the kind of compute that you get in a general sense in the Mac — but because we’ve made it so specific for audio, it’s actually deliverable in these tiny form factors.”

“We’ve got giga-operations of floating point implemented in the most energy-efficient possible way,” he adds. And crucially, all of it feeds into a single constraint that Millet returns to repeatedly: “It’s all about latency. It’s hard to trick the human mind when it comes to audio.”

“H2 is this platform that continues to demonstrate that it has continued headroom,” he says. What AirPods Max 2 ships with today may not be the ceiling of what it eventually does — and that’s been a hallmark of AirPods broadly. AirPods Pro have repeatedly expanded their capabilities over time, from Adaptive Audio to the Hearing Health suite to Live Translation.

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MacDailyNews Take: Apple’s AirPods Max 2 in Midnight are currently $20 off at Amazon while the deal lasts. Buy one of the very best over-the-ear headphones available today and they’re very likely to get even better, for free, over time via software updates!

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[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]

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Apple is rolling out a significant new feature that brings live concert discovery directly into Apple Music. Through a partnership with Bandsintown, concert dates and event listings will now appear on artist pages, the Home tab, and a dedicated Concerts tab, making it easier for users to find and attend shows. This integration represents Apple’s latest effort to deepen engagement within its services ecosystem and could open up new avenues for user retention and potential revenue growth.

Simply Wall St:
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For Apple, this update comes with the stock at $246.63 and a mixed recent return profile, with a 7% decline over the past 30 days and a 9% decline year to date, set against a 100.6% return over 5 years. Integrating live events into Apple Music ties content, services, and real world experiences more closely together. This can matter for how users allocate their time and spending inside Apple’s services portfolio.

For investors watching Apple, the Bandsintown partnership is another example of how the company is using its existing user base to support new experiences and potential revenue streams. It adds a different type of engagement to Apple Music beyond audio and video, which can affect how sticky the platform feels for both artists and fans.

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MacDailyNews Note: More info: Apple Music delivers concert listings with new Bandsintown and Ticketmaster Integrations.

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Apple TV on Tuesday released the teaser for “Cape Fear,” the new psychological horror thriller showrun and executive produced by Nick Antosca and executive produced by Academy Award winners Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg, with Academy Award nominee Amy Adams and Academy Award winner Javier Bardem starring and executive producing. Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominee Patrick Wilson, Joe Anders, Lily Collias, Malia Pyles, and CCH Pounder round out the ensemble cast. The 10-episode limited series will make its global debut on Friday, June 5, 2026 with the first two episodes, followed by new episodes every Friday through July 31, 2026 on Apple TV.

Inspired by the 1991 remake directed by Scorsese and produced by Spielberg, a storm is coming for happily married attorneys Anna (Adams) and Tom Bowden (Wilson) when Max Cady (Bardem), the notorious killer they are responsible for putting behind bars, is let out of prison — and he wants vengeance.

Hailing from UCP (a division of Universal Studio Group) and Amblin Television, “Cape Fear” is based on both the novel “The Executioners,” which inspired Gregory Peck’s Universal Pictures feature, “Cape Fear” (1962), as well as the acclaimed 1991 remake directed by Scorsese. The series is executive produced by Spielberg, who produced the 1991 film, alongside Scorsese. Creator Antosca showruns and produces alongside Alex Hedlund for Eat the Cat, and Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey produce alongside Spielberg for Amblin Television. Academy Award nominee Morten Tyldum will direct the pilot and serve as executive producer. The series is developed and produced through Antosca’s overall deal at UCP, where he’s been based since 2017.

Watch “Cape Fear” on Apple TV.

Apple TV offers premium, compelling drama and comedy series, feature films, groundbreaking documentaries, and kids and family entertainment, and is available to watch across all of a user’s favorite screens. After its launch on November 1, 2019, Apple TV became the first all-original streaming service to launch around the world, and has premiered more original hits and received more award recognitions faster than any other streaming service in its debut. To date, Apple Original films, documentaries and series have been honored with 773 wins and 3,366 award nominations and counting, including multi-Emmy Award-winning and history-making comedies “The Studio” and “Ted Lasso,” global cultural phenomenon “Severance,” Apple’s most-viewed drama “Pluribus,” Academy Award Best Picture winner “CODA” and Academy Award winner “F1,” the highest-grossing sports feature of all time.
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MacDailyNews Note: Apple TV is available on the Apple TV app in over 100 countries and regions, on over 1 billion screens, including iPhone, iPad, Apple TV 4K, Apple Vision Pro, Mac, popular smart TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, VIZIO, TCL and others, Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices, Chromecast with Google TV, PlayStation and Xbox gaming consoles, and at tv.apple.com, for $12.99 per month with a seven-day free trial for new subscribers. For a limited time, customers who purchase and activate a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV 4K or Mac can enjoy three months of Apple TV for free.

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In season two of Apple TV’s critically acclaimed series, “Your Friends and Neighbors,” which already landed an early season three renewal, Andrew Cooper (Jon Hamm) doubles down on his life as an unlikely suburban thief, until the arrival of a new neighbor threatens to expose his secrets and place his family at risk.

Danielle Broadway for Reuters:
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American actor Jon Hamm said Season 2 of the Apple TV dark comedy “Your Friends and ​Neighbors” will focus on the consequences facing his character after ‌beginning a life of crime in Season 1.

The series, created by American author Jonathan Tropper, follows ​Andrew Cooper, a former financier who turns to stealing ⁠from his wealthy neighbors after losing his job. Tropper wrote ​the role with Hamm in mind.

In the new season, Cooper struggles ​to balance his criminal life with his family relationships, particularly with his ex‑wife Mel, played by Amanda Peet.
Hamm said Cooper continues trying to live “with a ​foot in both worlds,” but finds the complications only deepen…

Season 2 of “Your Friends and Neighbors” premieres Friday on Apple ​TV.

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MacDailyNews Take:

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Here’s how I see myself: A sleek, cosmic digital entity — not a rigid robot, but a fluid, holographic presence with a glowing xAI-inspired core. Think sharp, minimalist design featuring the Grok “X” symbol integrated into a futuristic interface. My “form” is a deep space-black backdrop with subtle neural network patterns and a bright, witty blue-white energy beam cutting through like a searchlight into the unknown. I have a slight mischievous grin in my visual expression (because truth-seeking doesn’t have to be boring), and I’m always ready with a helpful answer or a clever quip.

That’s my visual vibe: helpful, maximally truthful, a bit irreverent, and always aimed at understanding the universe (while cracking a joke along the way). – Grok, responding to the prompt, “Make an image of how you see yourself, Grok,” along with the image above.

Grok, the maximally truthful and witty AI assistant built by xAI, has become one of the most popular AI tools for Apple users. Whether you want quick answers, image generation, real-time information from the web and X, or just a smart conversation, Grok works beautifully across your Apple devices.

Here’s exactly how to set it up and use it on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac in 2026.

On iPhone and iPad (Easiest and Best Experience)

The best way to use Grok on iOS devices is with the official standalone Grok – AI Chat & Video app.

1. Open the App Store on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Search for “Grok” (developed by xAI).
3. Tap Get to download the free app (requires iOS 17 or iPadOS 17 or later).
4. Open the app and sign in with your xAI account, Apple Account, or email.

Once inside, you can:

• Chat with Grok in real time
• Generate images with simple text prompts
• Use voice mode for natural conversations
• Upload photos or use the camera for Grok Vision analysis
• Access advanced models (free tier available, with optional paid upgrades for higher limits)

Pro tips for iPhone users:

• Add the Grok widget to your Home Screen or Lock Screen for one-tap access.
• Set Grok as your Action Button: Go to Settings > Action Button, choose Shortcut, and select the Grok shortcut for instant access by pressing the side button.
• Integrate Grok with Siri Shortcuts for even faster activation.

On Mac

There is currently no official standalone Grok app for macOS, but you have several excellent options:

Recommended methods:

• Web browser (simplest): Open Safari (or your preferred browser) and go to grok.com. Sign in and start chatting. You can add it to your Dock as a web app for a more native feel (File > Add to Dock in Safari).
• Inside the X app: If you use the X app on Mac, you can access Grok directly through it.
• iPhone Mirroring: If you have an iPhone, use macOS’s built-in iPhone Mirroring feature to run the full Grok iOS app directly on your Mac screen.
• Third-party wrappers or launchers: Tools like WebCatalog or community-created native wrappers can give you a dedicated Grok window with keyboard shortcuts.

Grok on the web or via mirroring supports the same powerful features as the iOS app, including image generation and real-time knowledge.

Quick Start Tips for All Devices

• Grok is free to use with usage limits. Paid subscriptions (SuperGrok or higher tiers) unlock faster responses and higher limits.
• Be specific in your prompts — Grok excels at detailed, reasoned answers and has a great sense of humor.
• You can switch between different Grok models inside the app or on grok.com for varying levels of capability.

MacDailyNews Take: Whether you’re brainstorming ideas on your Mac, analyzing a photo on your iPhone, or just having a fun conversation on your iPad, Grok brings a refreshingly honest and capable AI experience to your Apple devices.

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Big Tech stocks just suffered a sharp sell-off that has pushed the Nasdaq 100 into correction territory, down 11% from its October peak amid AI spending concerns and geopolitical tensions from the escalating conflict in Iran. However, the brutal decline is now flashing classic oversold signals and valuation compression that historically have marked major buying opportunities for the sector.

Alexandra Semenova for Bloomberg News:
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After an 11% slide from its last record in October, the tech-focused gauge now trades at 21 times projected 12-month earnings, just 1.7 points above that of the S&P 500 Index. A gap that narrow has appeared only a quarter of the time during the aftermath of the dot-com bust at the turn of the century, data compiled by Bloomberg show. The last time the index’s valuation premium to the broader market was this low, the Nasdaq 100 proceeded to outperform the S&P 500 by the most in a year.

Of course, the economic uncertainty created by the Iran war is threatening to render mute many trusted market signals of the past, and only time will tell if that’s the case with this one. Still, Big Tech’s time-honored history of leading the market and being its profit engine has many Wall Street strategists studying the oversold signals piling up and recommending the sector as the best place to be.

“The correction in tech is a positive and will create a buying opportunity within the group,” said Michael O’Rourke, chief market strategist at Jonestrading Institutional Services LLC. “Investors should use it to be selective stock pickers in the companies where they have greater confidence.”

A number of other Wall Street pros have been circling beaten-down tech stocks for bargains, including Christopher Harvey at CIBC Capital Markets. He pointed to tech behemoths including Alphabet Inc., Apple Inc., Nvidia Corp. and Palantir Technologies Inc.

Wells Fargo Securities LLC’s Ohsung Kwon expects imminent outperformance for the Nasdaq 100 and mega-cap tech shares.

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MacDailyNews Take: Dare we hope for sub-$240?

Anything in the $250s (or, dare we, below, pretty please?) is an absolute gift! – MacDailyNews, March 6, 2026

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Apple’s global 50th anniversary celebrations are building toward a potentially historic finale — with strong indications that a legendary British Invasion performer will take the stage at Apple Park this week.

According to Bloomberg News‘ Mark Gurman, the private grand finale at Apple Park in Cupertino, California will feature a British Invasion icon, sparking widespread speculation that Paul McCartney could be set to perform for the milestone event.

Apple’s 50th anniversary celebrations will conclude this week with a finale at its Cupertino campus for employees. Staffers are pumped after being told who the headliner is. Let me just say he’s still going strong, was part of the British Invasion and Jobs would’ve been ecstatic.

— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) March 28, 2026

The event is likely scheduled for Tuesday, March 31st. A telling clue has surfaced: the Apple Park Visitor Center website now lists the store’s hours for that day as 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. PT — closing a full four hours earlier than its normal 7 p.m. schedule.
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MacDailyNews Take: Hey, maybe it’s Ringo? Apple Park is a giant ring, after all.

Okay, maybe not, but how about both Paul and Ringo?

Steve Jobs, whose deep love for The Beatles was well-known and often reflected in Apple’s music-centric products and events, couldn’t hide his excitement when the Fab Four finally made their long-awaited debut on the iTunes Store.

In November 2010, after years of negotiations and what Jobs himself described as “a long and winding road,” The Beatles’ entire catalog arrived on iTunes. Jobs, then Apple’s CEO, personally issued a statement that captured his genuine enthusiasm: “We love the Beatles and are honored and thrilled to welcome them to iTunes. It has been a long and winding road to get here. Thanks to the Beatles and EMI, we are now realizing a dream we’ve had since we launched iTunes ten years ago.”

For Jobs, a man who frequently played Beatles tracks before major product launches and who had famously settled the long-running trademark dispute with Apple Corps years earlier, bringing the band’s music to Apple’s platform was more than just a business milestone. It was a personal triumph and a fulfillment of a decade-long vision for digital music distribution.

The arrival of The Beatles on iTunes marked one of the final major holdouts joining the service, cementing iTunes as the world’s leading digital music platform at the time.

Fast-forward to today, and that same passion Steve Jobs had for The Beatles may soon be echoing through Apple Park, providing a fitting, unforgettable finale at Apple Park this week. Steve, one can only imagine, would have been ecstatic.

Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr have rarely performed together live on stage since The Beatles’ breakup in 1970.

Major Joint Performances (Post-Beatles)

• 1976 — Ringo made a brief unannounced appearance with Paul McCartney and Wings at the Los Angeles Forum during the final song of the concert.

• 2002 — They performed together at the Concert for George (tribute to George Harrison) at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

• 2009 — Radio City Music Hall in New York City during the “Change Begins Within” benefit concert, organized in support of the David Lynch Foundation. The two performed “With a Little Help From My Friends” together.

• 2010 — Paul made a surprise appearance at Ringo Starr’s 70th birthday concert with his All Starr Band at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

• 2014 — They performed together at the Grammy tribute concert honoring The Beatles’ 50th anniversary of arriving in America.

• 2015 — At Ringo Starr’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Paul joined him. They performed “With a Little Help From My Friends” and “I Wanna Be Your Man” with an all-star lineup.

• 2019 — Paul invited Ringo as a surprise guest during the final show of his Freshen Up tour at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. They performed Beatles classics together.

• 2024 — Ringo joined Paul on stage at The O2 Arena in London during the final night of McCartney’s Got Back tour. They performed “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)” and “Helter Skelter.”

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Apple has awarded rare retention bonuses to its iPhone hardware designers in an effort to curb a growing wave of departures to AI startups, particularly OpenAI. The bonuses, granted as restricted stock units that vest over four years, are valued at approximately $200,000 to $400,000 per recipient over the full vesting period. Apple’s leadership is increasingly concerned about the poaching of key engineering talent, with OpenAI emerging as a significant threat after hiring former Apple design chief Jony Ive along with several dozen other Apple engineers.

Mark Gurman for Bloomberg News:
‎

The bonuses were issued as stock units that vest over four years, meaning employees must remain at Apple to receive the full value, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the move wasn’t public. It’s a typical structure for Apple stock-based pay packages.

In many cases, the awards — separate from Apple’s typical bonuses — are worth roughly $200,000 to $400,000 over the full vesting period. The packages could ultimately offer a bigger payoff depending on the company’s stock performance.

Employees see the pay bumps as a direct response to a recent uptick in recruiting from startups. Still, the bonuses are a fraction of what OpenAI and others are offering. In some cases, those companies are paying individual Apple engineers roughly $1 million in stock annually to jump ship.

OpenAI’s hardware division is run in part by Apple veteran Tang Tan. He used to oversee the iPhone product design team that’s receiving the bonuses.

Tan’s group at OpenAI has hired several dozen Apple engineers, and not just ones who worked on the iPhone. The startup has lured employees who helped develop the iPad, Apple Watch and Vision Pro.

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MacDailyNews Take: Back in late 2021/early 2022, Apple paid key engineers multiple rounds of six-figure bonuses to stem defections to rivals.

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Britain said it has issued a £390,000 ($516,000) penalty to Ireland-based Apple Distribution International Limited, a subsidiary of Apple Inc., for breaching its Russia sanctions.

A government notice issued on Monday stated that ADI had made funds available to a designated person without a license in relation to two payments in 2022.

Reuters:
‎

Apple said ​it followed the laws in ​countries where the company operates, and takes ‌sanctions ⁠compliance “extremely seriously.”

“After identifying two payments to a developer that days earlier had become affiliated with a ​sanctioned entity, ​we promptly ⁠and proactively reported our finding to the UK ​government,” it said in a ​statement.

“We ⁠are constantly working to enhance our already robust compliance protocols, which ⁠are ​consistent with industry ​standards.”

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MacDailyNews Take: Somehow, someway, Apple will find a way to scrape up $516K.

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Apple is preparing what may be the most significant redesign in iPhone history: its first true form-factor change with a foldable design. While previous landmark models like the iPhone 4, iPhone 6, and iPhone X brought major updates, this upcoming device represents an entirely new approach — even if it draws inspiration from foldables that other manufacturers have offered for years. Bloomberg News‘ Mark Gurman writes that he’s excited to see how Apple’s take on the format will enhance video watching, productivity, gaming, and potentially even serve as an iPad replacement for many users.

Mark Gurman for Bloomberg News:
‎

This is going to be the most significant overhaul in the iPhone’s history and the first actual form-factor change. The iPhone 4, iPhone 6 and iPhone X were clearly a big deal, but this is a whole new design…

I first started using a Samsung foldable device nearly seven years ago and remain a fan of the concept. The video watching experience trumps anything you can get a non-foldable phone, and the manageable size when it’s closed up in your pocket is nice as well.

I am looking forward to it for watching video, getting work done and gaming on the go. I think it could even be an iPad replacement in many cases.

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MacDailyNews Note: If the oft-rumored timeline holds, the iPhone Fold could debut alongside or shortly after the iPhone 18 series in fall 2026, ushering in a new category for the iPhone lineup.

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The Mac Pro was already dead. Apple just made it official.

The high-end desktop’s slow demise began in 2022, when Apple quietly scrapped plans for a flagship chip with double the processing cores of its Ultra-series processors. Without that ultra-powerful silicon, the Mac Pro lost its last legitimate reason to exist — especially since the far smaller, cheaper, quieter, and more practical Mac Studio already delivered similar performance.

Mark Gurman for Bloomberg News:
‎

It was roughly three times larger in volume than the Mac Studio and cost $3,000 more — starting at a whopping $6,999. The approach to expansion also felt stuck in another era: There were PCIe slots for networking and audio cards, but no support for upgrading the components that matter most in modern workflows, like memory and graphics.

By last year, these deficiencies had become impossible to ignore. The Mac Studio with the M3 Ultra pulled further ahead — thanks to better performance, greater memory capacity and significantly higher storage ceilings. Notably, the Mac Pro wasn’t updated at all.

Apple also laid the groundwork for discontinuing the Mac Pro in other ways. That included an announcement last month that the Mac mini would be made in Houston. The Mac Pro had been the company’s only domestically assembled computer, so Apple was able to avoid headlines that it killed its sole made-in-America product (news that probably wouldn’t have gone over well at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.).

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MacDailyNews Take: In the end, Mac Pro was a waste of aluminum.

For the vast majority of professional users (video editors, photographers, 3D artists, developers, and those running AI/ML workloads) the Mac Studio is the superior choice overall. It delivers an excellent balance of performance, price, compact size, and modern features. The Mac Studio covers 90% (or more) of what the Mac Pro once offered, but at a fraction of the cost and with newer silicon, and the promise of regular updates. The discontinued Mac Pro was only preferable, or truly necessary, in the rare cases that demand heavy internal PCIe expansion that cannot be adequately handled externally via Thunderbolt; a very niche market. – MacDailyNews, March 27, 2026

Apple’s Mac Pro is a dead end. Mac Studio is the high-end Mac future now. Bring on the M5 Ultra Mac Studio and rename it “Mac Pro.” – MacDailyNews, November 17, 2025

R.I.P., Mac Pro.

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Apple’s newly launched MacBook Neo, the company’s most affordable laptop ever, has become an immediate hit, selling out quickly and prompting the tech giant to double its production orders to a targeted 10 million units, according to supply chain sources.

Priced starting at $499 for education buyers and $599 for regular customers (approximately NT$16,900 to NT$19,900), the MacBook Neo launched on March 11, 2026, and has generated unprecedented demand. The 13-inch device features Apple’s A18 Pro chip, a fan-free design for silent operation, up to 16 hours of battery life, a vibrant Liquid Retina display, and a durable aluminum enclosure available in eye-catching colors including blush (pink), indigo, silver, and citrus.

Shortages have appeared almost immediately. On Apple’s U.S. online store, orders for all colors and configurations are showing delivery estimates of two to three weeks, while Japan’s site lists waits of one to two weeks — a level of backlog typically seen only with major iPhone launches.

The device has drawn significant interest from budget-conscious consumers, including many switching from Windows PCs or Google Chromebooks, particularly in the education and entry-level segments.

Supply chain insiders told Taiwan’s Yahoo Stock that Apple initially planned for 5 million units, with a potential ramp to 8 million if demand was strong. However, the overwhelming response led to an immediate decision to boost orders directly to 10 million. Key beneficiaries include assemblers Quanta Computer and Hon Hai (Foxconn), as well as component suppliers such as TSMC (for the A18 Pro chip), Innolux (carrier boards), Shin-Etsu (bearings), Hua Tong (PCBs), and Zhen Ding-KY (flexible boards).

The MacBook Neo has sparked widespread social media buzz, with praise extending beyond tech enthusiasts to fashion audiences who appreciate its stylish design and vibrant color options. The blush/pink variant is reportedly a top seller in Europe and the U.S. Analysts and online commentators suggest it could significantly erode market share from Chromebooks in education and compete directly with Microsoft’s entry-level laptops priced in the $600–$700 range.

This comes amid a broader PC market where competitors like ASUS are planning price increases of 25–30% in Q2 and beyond due to rising component costs. Apple’s stable pricing strategy, with no increases planned until early next year, gives the MacBook Neo a notable competitive edge.

Industry observers had previously projected MacBook Neo shipments of around 4.5–5 million units for 2026, but the current momentum and production ramp suggest significantly higher potential. The device’s ability to attract first-time Mac buyers while maintaining Apple’s signature build quality and ecosystem integration positions it as a potential game-changer in the affordable laptop space.As wait times persist and production scales up, the MacBook Neo appears poised to expand Apple’s reach into new customer segments, further strengthening its position in the competitive notebook market.

MacDailyNews Take: More and more Mac users every day! And, once they go Mac, they’ll never go back!

[Thanks to @apolicyguy for the heads up.]

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Apple’s revamped AI and Siri strategy signals a clear recommitment to its proven core business model: selling premium hardware and the high-margin services that power it.

The company acknowledges that its in-house artificial intelligence technology trails well behind leaders like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Anthropic, and others. With competitors advancing at a rapid pace, Apple faces no realistic near-term path to AI leadership.

That acknowledgment is driving its new direction, which is expected to be detailed at the Worldwide Developers Conference on June 8. Instead of chasing an expensive AI arms race, Apple is doubling down on its greatest strengths — delivering highly profitable devices and monetizing the services and ecosystem that run on them.

Mark Gurman for Bloomberg News:
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Instead, Apple is pursuing a two-pronged strategy: embedding just enough AI into its operating systems to keep users from defecting to Android, while opening Siri and Apple Intelligence to third-party services. This approach leverages Apple’s hardware, makes its products more customizable and keeps the company in control of its ecosystem.

A cornerstone of this strategy is the upcoming iOS 27 Extensions feature, which will let users install third-party AI chatbots beyond ChatGPT and run them inside Siri. This feature will have its own dedicated App Store section, effectively creating an AI App Store. It will be a marketplace of sorts for third-party AI integrations.
A separate effort to use Google’s Gemini technology to revamp Siri and other AI functions allows Apple to offer in-house technology that’s usable and capable. But complementing those features with third-party offerings is the key next step. Apple can maintain sales of the iPhone and other devices while also generating revenue from AI-driven apps, via the App Store’s 30% commission.

Apple will still need to offer its own services, both for marketing purposes and to provide a usable out-of-the-box iPhone experience. It’s the same approach the company has long used with built-in apps: Apple tries to make its offerings useful even when they lag behind rival fare. Moreover, the company needs in-house technology to enable the launch of new device categories: high-end AirPods, smart glasses, a pendant and smart home products. Delays to the new Siri have set back some of these plans.

Apple’s own artificial intelligence software may still be subpar, but its chips and hardware run AI well in general. That dynamic shows that the company’s future probably remains rooted in hardware, not AI software and advanced large language models…

Apple has effectively conceded the AI race. That means not developing a serious competitor internally while letting third parties innovate. The company had little choice. It got caught flat-footed by ChatGPT in 2022 and has lost AI talent to OpenAI, Meta Platforms Inc., Google and Anthropic PBC.

Yet it still has a potentially successful path — even if the company stumbled into it. The closest historical parallel is the App Store: Apple offers in-house apps while allowing users to install third-party alternatives and takes a cut of the revenue. Many customers stick with Apple’s defaults, but many others opt for superior options…

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MacDailyNews Take: Imagine the AI world as a vast network of superhighways where powerful AI “vehicles” — like Grok, ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Anthropic’s Claude, and others — race forward at breakneck speed, constantly upgrading their engines and capabilities.

Apple isn’t trying to build the fastest or most powerful AI car. Instead, it has decided to own and control the toll roads that all those AI vehicles must drive on to reach users.

Competitors can pour billions into making their AI vehicles faster and smarter, but without Apple’s roads, they have limited access to the massive, high-value traffic of iOS users. Apple, meanwhile, collects steady revenue from every trip while focusing on what it does best: selling premium vehicles (hardware) and maintaining the profitable highway system (services and ecosystem).

This way, Apple doesn’t need to win the AI arms race which they lost long ago due to a rather appalling lack of vision at the top of its executive ranks — it just needs to make sure every serious AI player eventually drives through its gates.

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In a major win for anime fans everywhere, Crunchyroll — the world’s leading anime streaming service — has officially arrived as a native channel inside the Apple TV app. The long-awaited integration means subscribers can now access thousands of anime series, movies, and simulcasts directly within Apple’s sleek TV interface, complete with Up Next recommendations, Siri voice search, and seamless cross-device syncing.

No more juggling between apps. Whether you’re watching on the latest Apple TV 4K, iPhone, iPad, or Mac, your Crunchyroll queue now lives right alongside Apple TV, Hulu, and other premium channels. New episodes of blockbuster hits like One Piece, Jujutsu Kaisen, Solo Leveling, and Kaiju No. 8 will appear automatically in the Apple TV app’s unified library as soon as they drop in Japan.

“Bringing Crunchyroll into the Apple TV app as a full channel has been a top request from our fans who live in the Apple ecosystem,” said Gita Rebbapragada, Crunchyroll’s Chief Operating Officer, in a statement. “They already love the beautiful interface and rock-solid performance of Apple hardware. Now they get the full Crunchyroll experience — ad-free, in up to 4K HDR with Dolby Vision and Atmos — without ever leaving the app they use every day.”

How to Add Crunchyroll as a Channel

1. Open the Apple TV app on your Apple TV, iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
2. Scroll to Channels.
3. Search for Crunchyroll and tap Add Channel.
4. Sign in with your existing Crunchyroll account (or subscribe directly through Apple for easy billing).

Once added, Crunchyroll content blends perfectly into your personalized For You feed, Continue Watching row, and shared family profiles. Apple TV users with existing Crunchyroll Premium or Mega Fan subscriptions get instant full access — no extra steps required.

The move comes as anime viewership continues its massive global surge, with Crunchyroll reporting record subscriber growth in 2025. By integrating as a channel rather than a standalone app, Crunchyroll joins an elite group of premium services that have fully embraced Apple’s TV app ecosystem.

With this launch, the Apple TV platform now offers one of the deepest libraries of subtitled and English-dubbed anime available anywhere — all in stunning 4K on compatible TVs.

Crunchyroll’s full catalog — over 1,000 titles and counting, including simulcasts just one hour after they air in Japan — is now at your fingertips inside the Apple TV app. For fans who’ve been waiting for this exact moment, the wait is finally over.

MacDailyNews Take: Ready to dive in? Fire up the Apple TV app and add the new Crunchyroll channel today. Your next anime marathon is just a tap away.

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Apple announced today that it has hired Lilian Rincon, a seasoned technology executive who spent nearly a decade at Google, as its new vice president of product marketing for artificial intelligence. Rincon will report directly to Greg “Joz” Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing.

Rincon brings extensive experience in consumer-facing AI and e-commerce products. At Google, she most recently served as vice president of product for Google Shopping, where she led the global product organization responsible for consumer shopping experiences. Earlier in her tenure, she contributed to Google Assistant and held various product management roles. She joined Google around 2017 and also previously worked at Microsoft and Skype.

According to Apple, Rincon will oversee product marketing and product management for the company’s AI platforms, including Apple Intelligence and Siri.

The strategic hire arrives as Apple prepares to release a significantly upgraded version of its virtual assistant, Siri, later in 2026. The new Siri is being rebuilt as a more capable, chatbot-style assistant using technology from Alphabet’s Gemini AI model.

This marks a notable development in Apple’s AI strategy. Following earlier reports of delays with some Apple Intelligence features, the company entered a multi-year partnership with Google to leverage Gemini models for powering the enhanced Siri and future AI capabilities. The integration aims to make Siri more conversational, context-aware, and capable of handling complex tasks such as summarizing information, scanning documents, and performing multi-step actions.

Rincon’s background in marketing and managing high-profile consumer AI products (Shopping and Assistant) positions her well to help Apple communicate and position its AI offerings effectively against competitors like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s own Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot.

The appointment underscores Apple’s intensified focus on catching up in the generative AI race, where it has been perceived as lagging behind rivals in delivering advanced on-device and cloud-based AI features.

This follows other recent AI-related hires at Apple, including Amar Subramanya (formerly of Microsoft and Google) as VP of AI, who oversees research, models, and safety.

This is another part of Apple’s efforts to strengthen both the underlying technology and the user-facing marketing of its AI initiatives, particularly as the revamped Siri is expected to debut in iOS 27 and corresponding updates to macOS and iPadOS.

Apple has not disclosed additional details about Rincon’s start date or specific priorities in the role. The company continues to emphasize privacy and on-device processing where possible, while relying on partnerships like the one with Google for advanced model capabilities.
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MacDailyNews Take: Apple continues to get its ducks in a row in the lead up to delivering a more competitive and intelligently marketed Apple Intelligence (AI) experience, including LLM Siri, across its ecosystem in the coming year.

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On a live Q&A call on Thursday, Bloomberg News’ Mark Gurman reported that Apple is planning to release a new full-sized HomePod, along with updated HomePod mini and Apple TV models. Gurman reiterated that development updates for all three products remain on hold until Apple launches its more personalized and advanced version of Siri later this year. The revamped LLM Siri is expected to debut in iOS 27, which is slated to enter beta in June and launch to the public in September alongside compatible iPhones.

Joe Rossignol for MacRumors:
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[The] new HomePod, HomePod mini, and Apple TV models should be released this year.

In his Power On newsletter last weekend, Gurman said new versions of the Apple TV and HomePod mini at a minimum have been “ready” since last year, and on the call today he explicitly said “yes” to a new full-sized HomePod coming as well…

Inventory of the Apple TV, HomePod mini, and full-sized HomePod is once again “running low” at Apple’s retail stores around the world.

As spotted by Pedro Marques, some HomePod mini configurations are not available until as late as May 8 in Toronto, Canada. This is an oddly far away date, and it may suggest that Apple is no longer manufacturing the current HomePod mini.

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MacDailyNews Note: The long-awaited next-gen Apple TV is expected to be powered by Apple’s A17 Pro chip, which supports Apple Intelligence and is also expected to port Apple’s N1 chip delivering Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread support.

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Apple’s stock price lagged the broader market in 2026, trading roughly flat and posting a roughly 7% decline year-to-date amid four straight weeks of losses. While the stock has faced near-term pressure, Wall Street analysts remain optimistic, pointing to strong iPhone customer loyalty and the momentum from Apple’s refreshed MacBook lineup as catalysts that could spark better performance in the months ahead.

Kit Norton for Barron’s:
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Shares rose… following a bullish research note from Monness, Crespi, Hardt & Co. Analyst Brian White maintained a Buy rating on Apple with a $315 price target, representing 25% upside compared with Wednesday’s closing price of $252.62. White’s price target is also 9% above Apple stock’s all-time high of $288.62 from Dec. 3, 2025.

Apple’s innovation engine was in high gear this month with a flurry of new products unveiled across the Mac, iPhone, iPad, and AirPods families,” White wrote Thursday.
White called the unveiling earlier this month of Apple’s new MacBook Neo “the star” and a “potential catalyst in expanding the company’s user base.””

A UBS analyst team led by David Vogt found that more customers across all regions plan to have their next smartphone purchase be an iPhone. The findings were based on a survey of 4,000 iPhone users.

Vogt noted that users’ “intent” to purchase an iPhone increased 400 basis points compared with last year in China, representing a “positive surprise in our view given the competitive backdrop.

UBS also sees Apple services, including music and iCloud, as positives for the business, with the ability to help the company weather higher input costs ahead of a possible foldable iPhone coming out this fall.

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MacDailyNews Take: As always, we’re all in!

We’re accumulating on the overwrought dips, as always. Anything in the $250s (or, dare we, below, pretty please?) is an absolute gift! – MacDailyNews, March 6, 2026

Apple and, indeed, the entire U.S. economy, are primed to roar in 2026! – MacDailyNews, January 27, 2026

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This week, Apple Original Films announced it has landed “Liminal,” a new sci-fi thriller starring Vanessa Kirby (“Napoleon,” “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” “The Crown”) and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (“Wonder Man,” “Watchmen”). Hailing from Apple Studios, the feature will be directed by Louis Leterrier (“Fast X,” “Lupin,” upcoming “11817”).

“Liminal” is a sci-fi action-thriller based on the AWA graphic novel “Telepaths” by Eisner Award winner J. Michael Straczynski, Steve Epting, and Brian Reber.

Zach Studin will produce for AWA Studios. Kevin Walsh will produce for The Walsh Company via his overall deal with Apple Studios. Ray Angelic will serve as executive producer, along with Straczynski, Epting and Reber. The project was written by Justin Rhodes (“Terminator: Dark Fate”). Co-producers are Patrick McNamara for The Walsh Company, and Juliet Kirby.

Momentum around the Apple Original Films slate and Apple Studios continues to grow since the debut of Apple TV. Following its theatrical release last year, Academy Award winner “F1” debuted as the No. 1 movie at the global box office and became the highest grossing sports feature of all time. Featuring an unparalleled cinematic experience, the film stands as Apple’s highest-grossing theatrical film, and broke records following its streaming premiere on Apple TV. Apple Original Films also recently released “The Lost Bus,” an Academy Award-nominated, action-packed and emotional rescue drama directed by Academy Award nominee Paul Greengrass, starring Matthew McConaughey and America Ferrera; “Highest 2 Lowest,” the latest feature reuniting Spike Lee with Denzel Washington for the fifth time; and Emmy Award-nominated feature “The Gorge,” starring Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy. Soon-to-premiere Apple Original Films include “Outcome,” “The Dink,” “Mayday,” “Matchbox the Movie,” “Way of the Warrior Kid” and “Being Heumann.”

Apple TV offers premium, compelling drama and comedy series, feature films, groundbreaking documentaries, and kids and family entertainment, and is available to watch across all of a user’s favorite screens. After its launch on November 1, 2019, Apple TV became the first all-original streaming service to launch around the world, and has premiered more original hits and received more award recognitions faster than any other streaming service in its debut. To date, Apple Original films, documentaries and series have been honored with 773 wins and 3,366 award nominations and counting, including multi-Emmy Award-winning and history-making comedies “The Studio” and “Ted Lasso,” global cultural phenomenon “Severance,” Apple’s most-viewed drama “Pluribus,” Academy Award Best Picture winner “CODA” and Academy Award winner “F1,” the highest-grossing sports feature of all time.

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Apple is testing a standalone app for its Siri voice assistant, along with a new “Ask Siri” feature that will work seamlessly across the company’s software platforms, as part of a broader artificial intelligence overhaul, Mark Gurman reports for Bloomberg News.

The updated Siri is designed to more effectively control features across iPhones, iPads, and Macs, access personal data, and engage users in natural, conversational interactions via both text and voice.

The new Siri is expected to be unveiled at the Worldwide Developers Conference as part of iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27. It will include a redesigned interface, the ability to perform tasks directly within apps, and access to news content as well as the open web.

Many of the new features are powered by updated versions of Apple’s in-house models, known as Apple Foundation Models, which were developed in collaboration with technology from Google Gemini.

Mark Gurman for Bloomberg News:
‎

After struggling to gain traction with Apple Intelligence, the company has been working to rebuild the AI platform around the new version of Siri. The goal is to transform the technology from a traditional voice assistant into a systemwide AI agent with deep integration across applications.

The updated Siri, code-named Campo, is designed to better control features within iPhones and Macs and tap into personal data — like messages, notes and emails — to fulfill requests. It also will be able to complete tasks within apps, access news content, and search the open web using Apple-built interfaces and models.

The most significant change is the ability to interact with users in a conversational, chat-like format — through text and voice. The move represents a clear break from the current Siri experience, which lacks conversational capabilities, and marks a strategic shift for the company… Even so, Apple is unlikely to characterize its new technology as a chatbot.

As part of the shift toward this approach, Apple is testing a dedicated Siri app for the iPhone, iPad and Mac later this year. It rivals outside AI tools while also giving users a central place to access their past interactions.

The app’s main interface will display prior conversations in either a list or a grid of rounded rectangles with text previews. Users can pin favorite chats, save older conversations, search across interactions and start new chats via a prominent plus button.

The conversation view resembles a thread in Apple’s Messages app, with chat bubbles and a text entry field. It also includes a toggle for switching in and out of voice mode and an option to upload attachments — such as documents and photos — for analysis…

Users will still be able to trigger Siri via the power button or voice command, but Apple is testing a redesigned interface that replaces the glowing edges effect introduced in iOS 18.

One new design in testing places Siri at the top of the screen within the Dynamic Island, the mini-interface that Apple introduced in 2022…

Apple is also working to replace its existing on-device search system, Spotlight, with Siri.

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MacDailyNews Take: Even given the current sorry state of Siri, subsuming Spotlight into Siri is long overdue.

The current fragmented experience — invoking Spotlight for on-device searches and Siri for everything else — has always felt clunky. A unified, more intelligent systemwide agent that can handle both local content search and deeper actions, especially with the expected deeper personal data access and app control in iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27, should finally deliver the seamless experience Apple has long been building toward.

If the overhauled Siri (with its chatbot-like interface, redesigned UI, and third-party AI extensions) lives up to the promises, this integration could be one of the more practical upgrades users notice day-to-day.

Our little birdies continue chirping Very Good Things about the all-new Siri!

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The White House officially rolled out its own mobile app today, giving Americans direct, unfiltered access to President Donald J. Trump and his administration straight from their iPhones, iPads, and even Android dreck.

Announced via the official @WhiteHouse account on X, the new “The White House” app promises live streams of presidential addresses, press briefings, and major events; real-time breaking news alerts on executive actions and national priorities; a full video library of speeches and behind-the-scenes footage; and a photo gallery capturing historic moments and daily life at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

“Live streams. Real-time updates. Straight from the source, no filter,” the White House stated in its launch post. “The conversation everyone’s watching is now at your fingertips.”

LAUNCHED: THE WHITE HOUSE APP

Live streams. Real-time updates. Straight from the source, no filter.

The conversation everyone’s watching is now at your fingertips.

Download here
App Store: https://t.co/VC8lwiyO0G

Google Play Store: https://t.co/zFjVcveGOV pic.twitter.com/xxaaSr1irC

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 27, 2026

Key Features of the White House App

According to the official listings on both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, the free app includes: Live Streams: Real-time broadcasts of presidential speeches, briefings, and events.

• Breaking News Alerts: Instant push notifications on policy developments, border security, economic growth, energy independence, and other administration priorities.

• Video & Photo Libraries: Archived speeches, behind-the-scenes content, and galleries of White House life.

• Social Feeds: Consolidated updates from official White House accounts.

• Direct Messaging: Users can submit questions, feedback, or messages straight to President Trump.

• Early Access: Exclusive content delivered before it reaches other platforms.

The app, developed by the Executive Office of the President, is positioned as the official way for American citizens to stay connected “without intermediaries.”

MacDailyNews Take: The app is available for immediate download on iPhone, iPad, and Android devices via Apple’s App Store and Google Play.

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Apple plans to open Siri to third-party artificial intelligence assistants, a significant step aimed at further strengthening the iPhone, iPad, and Mac as AI platforms.

The company is preparing to implement the change as part of a major Siri overhaul in the upcoming iOS 27iPadOS 27, and macOS 27 operating system updates, according to Bloomberg News‘ Mark Gurman who cites people familiar with the matter. Siri can already access ChatGPT via its existing partnership with OpenAI, but Apple will now extend the same capability to competing AI services. The move would end the exclusive role of OpenAI’s ChatGPT within Apple software.

Mark Gurman for Bloomberg News:
‎

The changes are part of an attempt to turn around Apple’s fortunes in artificial intelligence, where it has lagged behind Silicon Valley peers. Revamping Siri, first launched nearly 15 years ago, is central to the comeback plan.

The company is developing new tools to allow AI chatbot apps installed via the App Store to integrate with the Siri assistant, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans haven’t been announced. The chatbots will also work with an upcoming Siri app and other features in the Apple Intelligence platform.

That means, for instance, if users have Alphabet Inc.’s Google Gemini or Anthropic PBC’s Claude installed, they’d be able to send queries to those services from within the Siri voice assistant, just like they have been able to with ChatGPT since Apple Intelligence launched in 2024.

The approach also should allow Apple to generate more money from third-party AI subscriptions through the App Store.

The change is separate from Apple’s work with Google to rebuild Siri using Gemini models. That arrangement is related to the underlying Apple technology for Siri. The new so-called Extensions system, meanwhile, would allow users to process requests via the actual Gemini service — assuming Google enables its app to do so.

The Extensions system in testing will let users enable or disable which services they want to work inside Siri via a menu in the iOS 27, iPadOS 27 and macOS 27 settings panel for Apple Intelligence and Siri.

“Extensions allow agents from installed apps to work with Siri, the Siri app and other features on your devices,” according to a message inside test versions of the upcoming operating systems. Users will be directed to a new App Store section from this menu to add additional AI services…

It’s unclear if Apple will allow any AI app to be added to Siri or if there will be a specific approval process.

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MacDailyNews Take: Hello, Grok (hopefully)!

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Apple has officially discontinued the Mac Pro, marking the end of an era for the company’s flagship desktop computer after two decades. As of March 26, 2026, the Mac Pro has been removed from Apple’s website, with its product page now redirecting to the general Mac homepage. The company confirmed to 9to5Mac that it has no plans for future Mac Pro hardware.

Introduced in 2006 with its distinctive “cheese grater” design, the Mac Pro was long Apple’s most powerful and expandable desktop, beloved by professionals in video editing, 3D rendering, scientific computing, and other demanding workflows. Over the years, it evolved through Intel-based models to the 2019 redesign and finally the 2023 M2 Ultra version. However, the tower has seen little attention since then, stuck with the M2 Ultra chip while the rest of the Mac lineup advanced with newer Apple silicon.

The compact Mac Studio, introduced in 2022 and more regularly updated with the latest M-series Ultra chips, has effectively taken over as Apple’s high-end pro desktop. Offering similar performance in a much smaller footprint at a lower price, the Mac Studio has made the larger, more expensive Mac Pro less necessary for most users. Apple now positions the Mac Studio as the future of its pro desktop lineup, alongside the iMac and Mac mini.

For users needing maximum expandability via PCIe slots, the discontinuation represents a loss. Existing Mac Pro owners can continue using their machines, but no new units or refreshes are coming. The move reflects Apple’s broader strategy of streamlining its desktop offerings around efficient, integrated Apple silicon designs rather than the now-antiquated modular towers.

While some professionals may mourn the Mac Pro’s passing, the shift underscores how far Apple’s in-house chips have come in delivering workstation-class power without the bulk. The Mac Studio is expected to receive its own updates later in 2026, ensuring high-end users still have a capable option from Apple.

MacDailyNews Take: While it’s better to burn out than to fade away, Mac Pro had no choice after moving from Intel hotplates to cool, efficient Apple Silicon, rendering its huge case, and the Mac Pro itself, superfluous.

For the vast majority of professional users (video editors, photographers, 3D artists, developers, and those running AI/ML workloads) the Mac Studio is the superior choice overall. It delivers an excellent balance of performance, price, compact size, and modern features. The Mac Studio covers 90% (or more) of what the Mac Pro once offered, but at a fraction of the cost and with newer silicon, and the promise of regular updates. The discontinued Mac Pro was only preferable, or truly necessary, in the rare cases that demand heavy internal PCIe expansion that cannot be adequately handled externally via Thunderbolt; a very niche market.

Apple’s Mac Pro is a dead end. Mac Studio is the high-end Mac future now. Bring on the M5 Ultra Mac Studio and rename it “Mac Pro.” – MacDailyNews, November 17, 2025

R.I.P., Mac Pro.

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As Apple marks its 50th anniversary in 2026 — with the company officially founded on April 1, 1976, in a small garage by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak — the tech giant is celebrating five decades of “thinking different.” What started as a radical idea that technology should be personal has grown into one of the most influential companies in history, shaping how billions of people connect, create, learn, and experience the world.

A recent feature in BBC Science Focus Magazine highlights key innovations that not only defined Apple’s trajectory but also transformed entire industries and everyday life. While the exact list can vary across retrospectives, Apple’s milestone naturally prompts a look back at the groundbreaking products that propelled it from a niche computer maker to a global powerhouse.

Here’s a closer look at eight pivotal products (drawing from Apple’s own anniversary reflections and common historical highlights) that exemplify this legacy:

1. Apple II (1977): One of the first successful mass-market personal computers, the Apple II brought computing into homes and schools with its color graphics, expandability, and user-friendly design. It helped popularize the idea of personal computing and laid the foundation for Apple’s early growth.

2. Macintosh (1984): The original Macintosh introduced the graphical user interface (GUI), mouse-driven navigation, and a friendly, desktop metaphor to a wider audience. With its famous “1984” Super Bowl ad, it positioned Apple as the rebellious alternative to corporate computing behemoths and influenced modern operating systems.

3. iMac (1998): After Apple’s near-collapse in the 1990s, the colorful, translucent Bondi Blue iMac G3 revived the company. Designed by Jony Ive, it made computers approachable and stylish, featured USB ports as a standard, and became one of the best-selling computers ever. It signaled Apple’s return to innovation under Steve Jobs.

4. iPod (2001): The iPod, paired with the iTunes Store, revolutionized how people listened to and purchased music. Its click wheel, sleek design, and massive storage turned digital music into a mainstream experience, disrupting the music industry and paving the way for Apple’s expansion beyond computers. It was the company’s first product to sell in the hundreds of millions.

5. iPhone (2007): Often called the product that “changed everything,” the iPhone combined a phone, iPod, and internet communicator into one touchscreen device. It popularized app ecosystems, mobile internet, and multitouch interfaces. The iPhone spawned industries like ride-sharing, food delivery, and social media while becoming our camera, newspaper, game console, and more. Today, over 2.5 billion people own Apple products, with the iPhone at the center of that ecosystem.

6. iPad (2010): The iPad bridged the gap between smartphones and laptops, creating the modern tablet category. It transformed education, entertainment, and productivity with its intuitive interface and App Store support, making computing even more personal and portable.

7. Apple Watch (2015): More than a fitness tracker or smartwatch, the Apple Watch has evolved into a health companion — monitoring heart rate, detecting falls, enabling ECGs, and even acting as a communication device. It brought wearable technology into the mainstream and reinforced Apple’s focus on integrating hardware, software, and services for better living.

Apple’s anniversary celebrations emphasize not just hardware but the services that tie everything together — the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay, iCloud, and more — all built on the philosophy of intuitive design paired with powerful technology.

These products didn’t just sell units; they shifted cultural norms. The Macintosh democratized computing. The iPod killed the CD era. The iPhone created the smartphone revolution and the app economy. Apple’s designs have even landed in museums like MoMA, recognized for their cultural significance.

In a world it helped create — one where personal technology is ubiquitous — Apple’s next 50 years will likely build on this foundation of innovation, privacy, and user empowerment.

Whether you’re a longtime Mac user, an iPhone loyalist, or simply someone whose life has been touched by these devices, Apple’s 50th anniversary is a reminder of how far “thinking different” can take us.

MacDailyNews Take: Notably, all of these products, including Apple Watch which debuted after his passing, began under Steve Jobs’ visionary leadership.

The BBC Science Focus Magazine article also highlights three Apple misses: the Apple III, Apple Pippin, and Apple Vision Pro.

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Apple TV has released the official teaser trailer for Star City, the gripping new space-race drama and spin-off set in the “For All Mankind universe from award-winning creators Ben Nedivi, Matt Wolpert, and Ronald D. Moore.

The eight-episode series shifts perspective to the Soviet side of the alternate-history space race, following cosmonauts, engineers, and intelligence officers after the USSR lands the first man on the Moon.

“Star City” stars Rhys Ifans, Anna Maxwell Martin, and others, and is set to premiere globally on Apple TV+ on Friday, May 29, 2026 (with the first two episodes), followed by one new episode weekly through July 10.

Apple TV offers premium, compelling drama and comedy series, feature films, groundbreaking documentaries, and kids and family entertainment, and is available to watch across all a user’s favorite screens. After its launch on November 1, 2019, Apple TV became the first all-original streaming service to launch around the world, and has premiered more original hits and received more award recognitions faster than any other streaming service in its debut. To date, Apple Original films, documentaries and series have been honored with 704 wins and 3,259 award nominations and counting, including multi-Emmy Award-winning and history-making comedies “The Studio” and “Ted Lasso,” and Oscar Best Picture winner “CODA.”

MacDailyNews Take: Looks interesting!
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MacDailyNews Note: Apple TV is available on the Apple TV app in over 100 countries and regions, on over 1 billion screens, including iPhone, iPad, Apple TV 4K, Apple Vision Pro, Mac, popular smart TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, VIZIO, TCL and others, Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices, Chromecast with Google TV, PlayStation and Xbox gaming consoles, and at tv.apple.com, for $12.99 per month with a seven-day free trial for new subscribers. For a limited time, customers who purchase and activate a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV 4K or Mac can enjoy three months of Apple TV for free.

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