Apple is preparing one of its busiest and most transformative hardware seasons in years. According to a detailed roundup published today by 9to5Mac, the company is expected to launch 15 or more new products this fall across iPhones, Macs, iPads, wearables, AirPods, and an ambitious smart home push.

The star of the show? Apple’s first-ever foldable iPhone, widely rumored to be branded as the iPhone Ultra — a premium book-style device that could finally bring Apple’s polish to the folding category.

Here’s what the latest credible leaks and analyst reports point to as of mid-May 2026:

iPhone 18 Lineup Goes Ultra-Premium (Base Model Adopts Spring Launch)

Apple is skipping the standard iPhone 18 this fall, pushing it to spring 2027. Instead, September will focus on high-end models:

• iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max — Variable aperture main camera, new color options, smaller Dynamic Island, larger batteries on the Pro Max, and more.

• iPhone Ultra (foldable) — The headline device. Expected to feature a unique wider-than-tall unfolded design, book-style fold, titanium build, crease-resistant inner display (roughly iPad mini size), A20 Pro chip, and premium pricing north of $2,000. It may launch alongside or shortly after the Pro models, though initial supply could be limited.

• iPhone Air 2 — Slimmer follow-up with A20 Pro chip; timing still flexible.

Wearables: Smarter Audio and Health Focus

• AirPods Ultra — High-end model building on Pro 3 with IR cameras for advanced AI/Visual Intelligence features and a new H3 chip. Launch looks increasingly likely for late 2026.

• Apple Watch Ultra 4 — New health sensors and design refinements.

• Apple Watch Series 12 — Standard annual update.

Macs: M5 Everywhere + a New Ultra Tier

• M5 Mac mini (base and Pro variants)

• M5 Mac Studio — Including a powerful new M5 Ultra chip

• M5 iMac — With fresh colors

• MacBook Ultra — High-end laptop rumored to include OLED display, touch support, and desktop-class performance

Desktops are expected to refresh first, followed by the premium MacBook Ultra.

iPads: OLED Finally Hits the Mini

• New iPad mini — Long-awaited OLED display and faster chip

• Base iPad — A18 processor for full Apple Intelligence compatibility

Smart Home: Apple’s Biggest Push Yet

Waiting on a more capable Siri, Apple is reportedly readying a full ecosystem refresh:

• New Apple TV 4K (A17 Pro, possible camera, Apple Intelligence)

• HomePad / HomePod Touch — 7-inch touchscreen smart display with magnetic mounting

• HomePod 3 and HomePod mini 2 — Upgraded audio and chips

• First-party Apple Security Camera and Video Doorbell (with potential Face ID integration)

This could mark Apple’s most serious smart home expansion in years.

Bonus: Apple Glasses Tease Possible

While consumer shipping isn’t expected until 2027, Apple may unveil its AI-powered smart glasses in 2026 (iPhone-paired, cameras, Siri-centric) using the same pre-launch strategy as previous major products.

Why This Fall Feels Different

Apple is doubling down on ultra-premium positioning, deeper AI integration, and new categories (foldables and expanded home). The iPhone Ultra alone has the potential to reshape expectations around what a flagship phone can be — especially as competitors have normalized foldables.

MacDailyNews Take: Of course, these are all rumors based on supply chain leaks, analyst reports (Ming-Chi Kuo, Mark Gurman, etc.), and dummy models. Apple’s plans can and do shift. But the volume and consistency of reports suggest an action-packed September–October period ahead!

Beloved interns, please Tap That Keg! Prost, everyone!

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In Nasdaq trading today, shares of Apple Inc. (AAPL) rose 2.02 to $300.23 to hit a new all-time closing high. Apple today also set a new all-time intraday high of $303.20.

Apple’s 52-week low stands at $193.46.

Today’s trading volume for AAPL shares was 49,775,848 versus Apple’s average trading volume of 43,612,950 shares.

Apple’s PE Ratio currently stands at 36.35.

Apple currently has a market value of $4.410 trillion, making it the world’s third-most valuable company.

The top five U.S. publicly-traded companies, based on market value:

1. NVIDIA (NVDA) – $5.457 T
2. Alphabet (GOOGL) – $4.807 T
3. Apple (AAPL) – $4.410 T
4. Microsoft (MSFT) – $3.134 T
5. Amazon (AMZN) – $2.830 T

Selected companies’ current market values:

• Taiwan Semi (TSM): $2.098 T
• Tesla (TSLA): $1.593 T
• Meta Platforms (META): $1.559 T
• Walmart (WMT): $1.048 T
• Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A): $1.041 T
• Advanced Micro Devices (AMD): $691.538 B
• Intel (INTC): $544.467 B
• Cisco (CSCO): $456.331 B
• Netflix (NFLX): $365.182 B
• SoftBank (SFTBF): $205.161 B
• Adobe (ADBE): $99.164 B
• Spotify (SPOT): $89.926 B
• Dell (DELL): $157.417 B
• Sony (SONY): $132.666 B
• IBM (IBM): $206.192 B
• Disney (DIS): $178.427 B
• Nokia (NOK): $77.749 B
• Hewlett-Packard (HPQ): $19.259 B
• SiriusXM (SIRI): $8.641 B
• BlackBerry (BB): $3.622 B
• Sonos (SONO): $1.784 B
• Liquidmetal (LQMT): $133.006 M
• RealNetworks (RNWK) was delisted from U.S. exchanges on December 21, 2022 and is no longer publicly traded.

Apple all-time high (AAPL) via NASDAQ here.

MacDailyNews Take: Phsychologial hurdle cleared!

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Apple TV’s new “Widow’s Bay” series is set in a quaint island town 40 miles off the coast of New England. But something lurks beneath the surface. Mayor Tom Loftis (Matthew 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. “Widow’s Bay” blends genuine horror with character-driven comedy.

Alison Herman for Variety:
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Though the plot has an overarching story, there’s an almost anthological feel to “Widow’s Bay,” which riffs on a different sub-branch of horror with each subsequent half-hour. There’s a slasher riff, á la “Halloween”; a haunted hotel, á la “The Shining”; even a flashback to the settlement’s Puritan-era origins, á la “The Witch.” That last one is helmed by “X” director Ti West, who joins “Severance” director Sam Donovan and “Friendship” auteur Andrew DeYoung in a stacked behind-the-camera lineup led by executive producer Hiro Murai, late of “Atlanta” and “Barry.” It takes a group of such experience to handle the series’ delicate balancing act, which sustains both heart-pounding suspense and wry humor for impressively long stretches of time…

In lieu of a detailed mythology or elaborately constructed mystery box, the scares on “Widow’s Bay” are grounded in the characters’ different anxieties: Tom’s desire to control the risks facing his increasingly independent son; Patricia’s loneliness and need to fit in; Wick’s regret over past sins and paths not taken; Evan wanting to impress a girl. (The teens in “Widow’s Bay” are oblivious enough to do their genre forebears proud.) When I contemplate a clearly forecast Season 2, it’s not the quest to end the curse that interests me — it’s the prospect of spotlights on smaller players like salty old-timer Rosemary (Dale Dickey) or Tom’s sweet deputy Dale (Jeff Hiller). Widow’s Bay may not make the best tourist destination, but I’d happily make a return trip.

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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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Apple has launched major discounts on its flagship iPhones in China ahead of the annual 618 shopping festival, signaling that competition in the country’s premium handset market is heating up as leading domestic and overseas brands vie for replacement demand.

Starting on Friday, Apple cut prices for its iPhone 17 Pro series by 1,000 yuan ($138), according to prices displayed on major Chinese e-commerce platforms.

JD.com, one of China’s largest online retailers, showed on its Apple product self-operated flagship store that, after direct discounts and trade-in subsidies, some iPhone 17 Pro models could be purchased for as low as 6,999 yuan — the lowest level since the series launched.

Ma Tong for Global Times:
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The standard iPhone 17, Apple’s latest base-model flagship phone, also received its first notable price cut since release, with some versions priced at 4,499 yuan after multiple subsidies and trade-in offers.

Taobao, Alibaba’s e-commerce platform, showed on its official Apple Store flagship shop that the iPhone 17 Pro series would be offered with a direct 1,000-yuan discount from the same day.

A store employee at an Apple outlet in Beijing confirmed to the Global Times on Friday that the latest discounts could be combined with trade-in subsidies and platform promotions, with some models reaching their lowest prices since launch.

“Some customers do wait for the May discount season, especially with 618 shopping festival approaching. For those planning to upgrade, this is a relatively good buying window,” the employee said.

News of Apple’s price cuts quickly shot to the top of Sina Weibo’s trending list on Friday, carrying the platform’s “explosive” tag. In one highly liked comment, a user said the discount stood out at a time when many consumer electronics products are becoming more expensive.

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MacDailyNews Take: This news seems to have added more juice to Apple’s stock price, too.

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Apple’s Q1 2026 iPhone sales volume in the U.S. was up 1.3% YoY, outperforming the country’s overall smartphone market, which declined 5.7% YoY, according to Counterpoint’s U.S. Monthly Smartphone Channel Share Tracker. Apple’s share of U.S. smartphone sales at the Big 3 carriers (Verizon, A&T, and T-Mobile) hit a whopping 75%.

Apple’s share of volume grew by 4% YoY, as Android device sales declined 14.4% YoY. Apple’s success was driven by the iPhone 17 series, which experienced carryover demand from supply limitations in Q4 2025 due to global demand for the latest iPhone lineup. Besides, the base iPhone 17 model saw higher demand than expected, causing Apple to recalibrate its production mix.

Apple iPhone’s Share of Smartphone Sales at Big 3 US Carriers, Q1 2025 vs Q1 2026

Amid lower overall sales in the low end, especially in the sub-$100 price band, prepaid channel marketing spend is consolidating around Motorola and Samsung. Other players in lower price bands, like TCL and HMD, have put off model refreshes or exited the market or are having a tough time keeping up with the marketing power of Motorola and Samsung. As a result, Motorola and Samsung grew their market share in most prepaid and national retail channels in Q1. Cricket (Samsung +6% points; Motorola +6%points) and Metro (Samsung +2% points; Motorola +7% points) were two channels with significant shifts YoY.

Consolidation in the low end is expected to continue in the U.S. as rising memory costs impact smaller players like Maxwest, Orbic and Blu, as well as white-label devices. Shrinking margins may force a reduction in portfolio diversity in lower price bands and further push lower-income consumers towards Samsung and Motorola options.

Meanwhile, Apple has maintained its pricing strategy, keeping the iPhone 17e pricing consistent YoY while increasing the entry-level storage to 256GB, even as peers introduce price hikes. With this strategy, Apple hopes to draw more users into its iOS ecosystem, while placing service revenue growth over hardware profitability in the U.S. and elsewhere. This will lead to faster revenue growth through 2027. For OEMs with smaller hardware margins, it will be tough to keep pace with Apple’s consistent pricing and marketing spend at the US carriers. Through Q1 2026, Apple outpaced Samsung in Counterpoint’s average Smartphone Promotional Index scores across devices priced $600 and above in US postpaid channels. Apple increased its promotional power in this segment YoY in Q1, as did Motorola and Google, while Samsung declined. If Apple can avoid significant price increases and continue to outpace its peers in promotional dollars, it will be tough for Android OEMs to keep up in the year ahead.

MacDailyNews Take: Markets eventually reward innovators who execute.

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The U.S. Department of Justice is seeking personal data on potentially hundreds of thousands of drivers who downloaded EZ Lynk’s Auto Agent app, escalating a years-long legal battle over vehicle emissions controls. Subpoenas issued to Apple, Google, Amazon, and Walmart request names, addresses, phone numbers, and purchase histories tied to the app and its accompanying hardware.

Background on the Case

The DOJ first sued EZ Lynk in 2021, accusing the Cayman Islands-based company of violating the Clean Air Act by marketing and selling “defeat devices.” These tools allegedly allow users to bypass factory emissions controls on diesel vehicles, primarily through the EZ Lynk Auto Agent app paired with an onboard diagnostic (OBD) hardware dongle.

EZ Lynk strongly denies the allegations, emphasizing that its products serve legitimate purposes: monitoring vehicle performance, applying software updates, and enabling legitimate modifications and diagnostics. The company argues that any emissions-related use is not its primary purpose and falls under user responsibility.

Scope of the Subpoenas

According to a joint court filing earlier this month, the DOJ subpoenaed Apple and Google in March and April 2026 for download and account data on anyone who installed the Auto Agent app. Additional requests went to Amazon and Walmart for buyer information on the physical EZ Lynk hardware. Estimates suggest the total could exceed 100,000 users, Gizmodo reports.

The government says it needs this information to identify and interview witnesses who can testify about how the tools were actually used. It has already submitted forum posts and social media evidence showing some users employing the system to disable emissions controls.

Privacy Concerns and Pushback

EZ Lynk’s lawyers call the requests “overreach,” arguing they go far beyond what’s necessary for the case and raise serious Fourth Amendment issues. “Investigating this claim does not require identifying each person who has used the product,” they wrote. Apple and Google are reportedly preparing to challenge the subpoenas.

Privacy advocates echo these concerns. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) have criticized the broad demand for personally identifiable information, noting that most users never read terms of service and may face unintended legal exposure simply for downloading a tool marketed for car diagnostics and tuning.

Car enthusiasts and right-to-repair advocates view the case as part of a broader tension: drivers’ desire to modify their vehicles versus federal environmental regulations. As one expert noted, “People want to modify their cars and always will.”

What Happens Next

The case has already survived an attempt by EZ Lynk to invoke Section 230 immunity (typically used to shield tech platforms from liability for user actions). A judge rejected that defense in 2025, allowing the litigation to continue.

This episode highlights growing government interest in app store data to pursue enforcement actions. Similar but smaller-scale requests have occurred before, such as a 2019 demand for data on users of a gun-scope app. The current scale (potentially 10 times larger)makes it particularly notable.

Apple, Google, and the other companies have not publicly commented. The DOJ also declined to elaborate beyond its court filings. The outcome of any challenges to the subpoenas could set important precedents for digital privacy in regulatory enforcement cases. For car owners using tuning tools, the message is clear: governments are increasingly willing to trace app downloads straight back to individual users.

MacDailyNews Take: The DOJ is overreaching as this would sweep up people who simply used the app to read their vehicle’s trouble codes or for other mundane reasons.

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In a detailed new analysis shared on X, longtime Apple supply-chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has provided the clearest picture yet of Apple’s expanding partnership with Intel Foundry. Far from a limited trial, Apple has simultaneously launched low-end/legacy processors for iPhone, iPad, and Mac on Intel’s 18A-P process (using Foveros packaging), with wafer allocation that closely mirrors its overall device sales mix — about 80% iPhone.

According to Kuo, Apple’s wafer plans for Intel’s 18A-P technology follow a deliberate multi-year lifecycle:

• Small-scale testing in 2026
• Ramp in 2027
• Continued growth in 2028
• Expected decline in 2029

Ming-Chi Kuo via X:
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Apple has kicked off low-end/legacy iPhone, iPad, and Mac processors at Intel on the 18A-P series (using Foveros packaging).

Apple’s wafer plans at Intel reflect the technology lifecycle of the 18A-P series: small-scale testing in 2026, ramp in 2027, continued growth in 2028, and decline in 2029.

This schedule gives Apple time to validate yields, optimize designs, and fine-tune collaboration processes across its full product lineup rather than simply placing a low-risk experimental order.

Kuo emphasizes that Apple is systematically cultivating Intel as a long-term key supplier. The move comes as Apple recognizes the growing revenue gap at TSMC between AI/HPC work and consumer devices like iPhones. By developing a strong alternative foundry relationship while it still holds significant bargaining power with TSMC, Apple is reducing single-source risk and strengthening its negotiating position for the future. Apple also continues to actively evaluate Intel’s other advanced-node technologies beyond 18A-P.

For Intel, the partnership represents a rare, high-quality “foundry training” opportunity. Apple’s orders span multiple product lines, are large enough in scale, and require the kind of dynamic design and production adjustments that will help Intel rebuild its advanced-node capabilities. While TSMC is still projected to retain well over 90% of Apple’s advanced-node supply even if Intel’s early shipments go smoothly, the strategic value of winning Apple as a customer goes far beyond near-term revenue.

Kuo notes that Intel’s mass-production timeline and shipment volumes remain unclear, and assemblers have not yet received shipment schedules. Intel’s internal 2027 yield target is to stabilize at 50–60% or higher. Sentiment inside Intel toward the Apple business is described as mixed, but the opportunity is unmistakable: Apple is one of the very few customers offering Intel both scale and the demanding standards needed to prove its foundry can compete at the highest level.

From Apple’s perspective, the timing makes perfect sense. Discussions with Intel began well before TSMC’s advanced-node capacity became critically tight, reflecting a long-term hedging strategy rather than a reactive scramble. As TSMC’s capacity increasingly tilts toward AI customers, Apple is proactively securing options — options that could become increasingly valuable in the years ahead.
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MacDailyNews Take: The key in Kuo’s report: “[I]t is only natural that Apple would turn to Intel to strengthen its bargaining position.” It’s all about leverage. The better Intel can do, the better it is for Apple in its negotiations with TSMC.

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Apple stock continues to hit new record highs, extending this year’s impressive rebound. Evercore ISI sees the momentum continuing for some time, and it’s about more than just iPhone sales. Analyst Amit Daryanani raised his price target for Apple to $365 from $330 on Thursday, implying roughly 22% upside from today.

Angela Palumbo for Barron’s:
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Daryanani’s increased bullishness on Apple stock is based on confidence that the company can grow earnings and free cash flow at a steady pace, he wrote in a research note. Even if iPhone sales moderate, he says customers will likely prioritize purchasing higher-end, more expensive iPhone models. This could include the highly anticipated foldable iPhone.

The analyst is also confident that Apple will continue to grow its services segment, which includes the App Store and other subscription services and is the company’s highest margin piece of the business. That, along with selling higher-priced iPhones, could help Apple’s overall margins as memory cost headwinds remain, he said.

“We now expect AAPL to preview the strategy at WWDC and release a more personalized Siri with iOS 27 in the fall,” alongside the September iPhone event, Daryanani wrote.

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MacDailyNews Take: It’s certainly about more than just the iPhone with Apple’s Services revenue reaching a record $30.976 billion in fiscal Q2 2026 (ended March 28, 2026), up 16% year-over-year.

This high-margin segment delivered a gross margin of 76.7%, far exceeding the company’s overall gross margin of 49.3%.

For perspective, that single-quarter Services figure nearly matches Starbucks’ full fiscal 2025 revenue of $37.2 billion and PayPal’s full-year 2025 revenue of $33.2 billion, while representing a substantial portion of companies like Uber ($52 billion full-year 2025) or Netflix ($45.2 billion full-year 2025) — highlighting the tremendous scale and profitability of Apple’s recurring Services business.

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Apple TV on Wednesday announced a season two renewal for “Margo’s Got Money Troubles,” the critically acclaimed comedy starring and executive produced by Academy Award, Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award nominee Elle Fanning; Golden Globe Award winner, and Academy Award and Emmy Award nominee Michelle Pfeiffer; and Academy, Golden Globe and Emmy Award winner Nicole Kidman. Hailing from multi-Emmy Award winner David E. Kelley and led by a star-studded ensemble cast that also includes Emmy Award winner Nick Offerman and Thaddea Graham, the season finale of “Margo’s Got Money Troubles” will debut globally on Wednesday, May 20, 2026 on Apple TV.

Since its global debut, the “must-watch” series has been hailed as “one of the best shows of the year,” quickly achieving a Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics have praised the “warm, funny and emotionally precise” comedy as “brilliantly written,” highlighting the “immaculate performances” from its “powerhouse cast.”

“Embarking on the adventure of bringing Margo to the screen has been one of the greatest joys of my life,” said executive producer and star, Elle Fanning, in a statement. “When I first read Rufi’s stunning story, it felt wholly original and most importantly human, and then with David’s writing, along with our epic cast of heart-wrenching performances, it truly felt like we had something special. Having the opportunity to bring more of Margo’s troubles, creativity, fearless spirit and authenticity to audiences with a second season makes me incredibly happy and excited. I can promise everyone they’re in for a wild, messy and beautiful ride.”

“‘Margo’s Got Money Troubles’ was an irresistible proposition to me from day one,” said creator, executive producer and writer David E. Kelley, in a statement. “I fell in love with Rufi’s world and unpredictable characters, and it’s been rewarding to see audiences embrace this series. We can’t wait to continue this story with our partners at Apple and A24.”

“Ever since David’s sharp adaptation of Rufi’s novel debuted, audiences have wanted to spend more time with these riveting characters and the brilliant cast behind them, led by Elle, Michelle, Nick and Thaddea,” said Matt Cherniss, Apple TV’s head of programming, in a statement. “We’re excited to watch Margo and the entire family continue to defy the odds in season two, in the way only they can, with humor, determination and creativity.”

“Margo’s Got Money Troubles” is a bold, heartwarming and comedic family drama following recent college dropout and aspiring writer, Margo (Fanning), the daughter of an ex-Hooters waitress (Pfeiffer) and ex-pro wrestler (Offerman), as she’s forced to make her way with a new baby, a mounting pile of bills and a dwindling amount of ways to pay them. The series also stars Academy Award winner Marcia Gay Harden, Academy Award nominee and Emmy Award winner Greg Kinnear, Michael Angarano, Rico Nasty, and Lindsey Normington.

“Margo’s Got Money Troubles” is produced for Apple TV by A24. Kelley serves as showrunner, writer and executive producer, and Eva Anderson will serve as co-showrunner on season two. The series is executive produced by Elle Fanning, Dakota Fanning and Brittany Kahan Ward for Lewellen Pictures; Kidman and Per Saari of Blossom Films; and Matthew Tinker for David E. Kelley Productions. Pfeiffer, author Thorpe, Anderson and Boo Killebrew also executive produce. BAFTA and Emmy Award winner Dearbhla Walsh directs the pilot and serves as an executive producer. Additional directors for season one include Kate Herron and Alice Seabright.

The seventh, penultimate episode of “Margo’s Got Money Troubles” premiered Wednesday on Apple TV. In this week’s new episode, “Lariat Takedown,” Margo goes head-to-head with Mark. Jinx and Susie have a rough day.

The series marks the most recent collaboration between Kelley and Apple TV, following the Emmy Award-nominated, global hit drama, “Presumed Innocent,” which is now in production on its second season.

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 825 wins and 3,542 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 nominee “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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In a notable upgrade, investment firm Evercore ISI has increased its price target on Apple to $365 from $330 while maintaining its Outperform (Buy) rating. The move reflects growing analyst confidence in Apple’s ability to deliver sustained growth through its ecosystem, services, and emerging AI initiatives.

The adjustment comes as Apple continues to navigate a dynamic tech landscape, with strong fundamentals in iPhone services, wearables, and enterprise adoption. Evercore’s higher target suggests the firm sees significant upside potential — roughly 18% above the current consensus — driven by Apple’s resilient revenue streams and long-term innovation pipeline.

Evercore lead analyst Amit Daryanani views Apple as notably well-positioned amid the industry-wide memory supply crunch and rising costs (DRAM/NAND), thanks to its sophisticated supply chain, long-term agreements incremental insourcing, and strong demand planning.

According to data from FactSet, Apple currently carries an average analyst rating of Overweight across Wall Street, with a mean price target of $310.12. Evercore’s new $365 target stands notably above this consensus, positioning the firm as one of the more optimistic voices on the stock.

Why the Upgrade Matters

• Valuation Signal: The $35 increase in the price target underscores Evercore’s belief that Apple’s current valuation does not fully reflect its growth prospects, particularly in high-margin services and potential AI monetization.

• Market Context: Apple shares have shown resilience amid broader market volatility, supported by record services revenue and steady hardware demand. Analysts remain broadly positive, though price targets vary based on differing views on AI integration timelines and competitive pressures.

• Investor Takeaway: This upgrade adds to a generally constructive tone from institutional research desks. While the consensus target sits lower at $310, several firms have recently nudged targets higher, indicating improving sentiment around Apple’s strategic direction.
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MacDailyNews Take: Smart money continues to pile on as iPhone demand looks solid and memory cost headwinds prove minimal. Wall Street’s smartest analysts keep seeing the upside in Cupertino while the stock trades at levels that still look like a gift for long-term holders.

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In a development that could send shockwaves through the tech industry, Apple’s stopgap partnership with OpenAI has reportedly become significantly strained, Bloomberg News reports according to sources familiar with the matter. The two-year-old collaboration, which brought ChatGPT integration to Apple Intelligence features across iPhones, iPads, and Macs, is now at risk of escalating into a legal confrontation.

OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, has reportedly not reaped the level of benefits it anticipated from the deal. As a result, its lawyers are actively working with an outside legal firm to explore a range of options that could be pursued in the near term. These deliberations remain private, but the potential for formal action looms.

The partnership was initially hailed as a major win for both sides when it was announced in 2024. Apple’s Eddy Cue played a key role in hammering out the agreement with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, positioning ChatGPT as a foundational element of Apple’s AI strategy. For Apple, which blatantly missed the generative AI revolution under now-outgoing CEO Tim Cook, it provided immediate access to cutting-edge generative AI capabilities without having to build everything in-house. For OpenAI, it promised massive exposure to hundreds of millions of Apple users worldwide.

However, the reality appears to have fallen short of expectations for OpenAI. Recent shifts in Apple’s AI approach — including deeper integration with Google’s Gemini models — have reportedly diluted the prominence of OpenAI’s technology in Apple Intelligence. This diversification has left OpenAI feeling sidelined, especially as Apple continues to emphasize optionality, privacy, and internal development.

Compounding the tension is OpenAI’s separate push into AI hardware, including its high-profile collaboration with former Apple design chief Jony Ive. This venture into consumer devices (potentially wearables or dedicated AI companions) may create perceived conflicts with Apple’s own ecosystem ambitions.

What This Means for Users and the Industry

For everyday Apple users, the immediate impact may be minimal — ChatGPT features are still available in Apple Intelligence — but any legal escalation could disrupt future updates or integrations. Broader implications include:

• Accelerated AI Competition: Apple’s multi-partner strategy (OpenAI + Google and potentially others) underscores its commitment to not being overly dependent on any single AI provider.

• Challenges for OpenAI: Losing significant traction on the world’s most valuable consumer platform could force OpenAI to double down on direct consumer products, enterprise deals, or its own hardware plays.

• Legal and Regulatory Scrutiny: A public fight between these two giants would likely draw antitrust attention, especially given ongoing lawsuits involving Apple, OpenAI, and other players like Elon Musk’s xAI.

Apple has a long history of strategic partnerships that evolve or end as its priorities shift (think Intel to Apple Silicon).
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MacDailyNews Take: OpenAI’s disappointment is self-inflicted. It bet big on Apple as a distribution rocket ship and now faces the reality that Apple doesn’t bet the farm on unreliable, closed-source technology prone to bias and errors. Meanwhile, OpenAI is off chasing its own hardware dreams with Jony Ive — good luck competing directly against the company that perfected consumer electronics.

This fraying relationship should serve as a cautionary tale. The AI gold rush is full of players promising the moon while delivering inconsistent, ideologically slanted, and sometimes outright fictional results. Apple’s measured approach — integrating the best tools where they make sense while building its own foundational capabilities — continues to prove why it remains the most valuable company on the planet.

We expect Apple will continue to offer ChatGPT as an option for users who want it, but the days of it being front-and-center in Apple Intelligence appear numbered. Smart move.

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In a striking example of how advanced AI is reshaping cybersecurity, researchers using techniques inspired by Anthropic’s unreleased Mythos AI model have uncovered significant software issues in Apple’s macOS — one of the most hardened desktop operating systems in the world.

According to a Wall Street Journal report, security researchers at Calif, a Palo Alto-based firm, made the discoveries while testing an early version of Anthropic’s Mythos (also known as Claude Mythos Preview) in April. They developed software that chains together two bugs and multiple advanced techniques to corrupt the Mac’s memory, ultimately gaining access to restricted parts of the system.

This breakthrough comes amid Anthropic’s broader Project Glasswing initiative, which provides select partners — including Apple — with access to the powerful Mythos model. The goal is to proactively hunt for and patch zero-day vulnerabilities before malicious actors can exploit them in an era of increasingly capable AI tools.

Why This Matters for Apple and the Industry

• macOS Under the Microscope: Apple has long prided itself on the robust security of its desktop OS. Finding new ways to bypass its state-of-the-art protections underscores the relentless evolution of both defensive and offensive capabilities in cybersecurity.

• AI as a Bug Hunter: Mythos has reportedly identified thousands of high-severity vulnerabilities across major operating systems and browsers. While not all are publicly detailed, the Calif team’s work demonstrates how AI can accelerate discovery of sophisticated exploit chains that might otherwise go unnoticed.

• Responsible Disclosure: Through Project Glasswing, companies like Apple can use these tools internally to strengthen their products ahead of wider AI proliferation, potentially averting major security incidents.

Apple has a strong track record of quickly addressing reported vulnerabilities through its security updates. This latest revelation is likely already informing patches that will benefit millions of Mac users.T

he Bigger Picture

Anthropic’s decision to withhold Mythos from general release while sharing it with trusted partners like Apple, Google, Microsoft, and others reflects growing concerns about AI-powered offensive cyber tools. As these models grow more capable, the race between attackers and defenders is accelerating dramatically.

MacDailyNews Take: For Apple investors and users, this story is ultimately positive: it shows the company is actively collaborating at the cutting edge of AI-driven security research to keep macOS secure in an increasingly hostile digital landscape. Anything that makes macOS (and all of Apple’s other OSes) even more secure is a Good Thing.

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Foxconn, the Taiwanese electronics manufacturing giant best known as Apple’s primary contract manufacturer for iPhones and other devices, has confirmed a cyberattack on its North American operations. The incident, claimed by the Nitrogen ransomware group, has raised concerns about potential exposure of sensitive technical data from Apple and other tech giants.

On Monday, May 12, 2026, Nitrogen listed Foxconn on its dark web leak site, asserting that it had stolen approximately 8 terabytes of data — more than 11 million files. The group claims the haul includes confidential instructions, project documentation, schematics, and technical drawings tied to high-profile customers including Apple, Intel, Google, Dell, Nvidia, and AMD.

Foxconn acknowledged the breach the following day, stating that some North American factories were impacted but that its cybersecurity team had responded swiftly. “The affected factories are currently resuming normal production,” a company spokesperson said. The company did not confirm any data theft or specify which facilities were hit, though reports point to disruptions at sites in Wisconsin (Mount Pleasant) and Texas (Houston).

Details of the Attack and Its Impact

Workers at the Wisconsin plant reported a network outage beginning around May 1st, with Wi-Fi going down, computers ordered shut off, and manual timesheets required. Production was disrupted for about a week, but operations appear to be recovering without broader global supply chain interruptions reported so far.

Nitrogen, a double-extortion ransomware operation that emerged around 2023 (with ties to earlier groups like Conti and ALPHV/BlackCat), encrypts victim data and threatens to publish it unless a ransom is paid. Experts have noted a potential flaw in the group’s decryptor tool, which could make paying ineffective even if Foxconn were inclined to do so.

Should Apple Users Be Concerned?

Analysts who examined samples of the leaked data suggest limited immediate risk to unreleased Apple products. The Wisconsin facility primarily produces televisions and data servers rather than iPhones or Macs, and the exposed files appear more focused on Foxconn’s internal electrical engineering, temperature sensors, board layouts, and topology docs for other clients like Google and Intel.

Apple is renowned for its strict compartmentalization of sensitive design information — suppliers typically receive only what they need for their specific manufacturing role. Still, the breach highlights ongoing vulnerabilities in the extended Apple supply chain. This isn’t Foxconn’s first rodeo: the company was previously hit by LockBit (2022 and 2024) and DoppelPaymer (2020). Recent attacks on other Apple assemblers like Luxshare further underscore the pattern.

Broader Implications

The attack serves as a stark reminder that even massive, sophisticated companies aren’t immune to ransomware. For Apple, it spotlights supply chain risk management in an era of increasingly aggressive cyber threats. While no major Apple product delays or leaks have been linked to this incident yet, the potential for intellectual property exposure or future exploitation (especially data center topologies) remains a concern for the industry.

MacDailyNews Take: Apple has not publicly commented on the Foxconn breach as of this writing. The situation is still developing, with Nitrogen likely to continue pressuring Foxconn with threats of leaking more data if demands aren’t met.

Stay tuned for updates as more details emerge about the scope of the stolen files and any long-term fallout for Foxconn and its partners. In the meantime, this event reinforces why robust cybersecurity across the entire manufacturing ecosystem is more critical than ever.

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Apple’s groundbreaking new software design language, Liquid Glass, introduced with iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26, watchOS 26, and tvOS 26, has swept the prestigious 2026 Art Directors Club (ADC) Annual Awards, securing four honors including a prestigious Gold Cube.

The wins underscore the innovative craftsmanship behind one of Apple’s most significant design evolutions in years.

A Sweeping Victory for Apple’s Design Team

According to the official ADC Awards results, Liquid Glass earned the following accolades in the Brand-Side / In-House category:

• Gold Cube — Interactive / UX / UI (45 points)
• Silver Cube — Experiential Design / Digital Experiences (21 points)
• Bronze Cube — Experiential Design / Consumer Experience (9 points)
• Bronze Cube — Innovation (9 points)

All credits go to the Apple Design Team in Cupertino, highlighting the in-house creative excellence that defines Apple’s approach to product design.

Unveiled at WWDC 2025, Liquid Glass is a new translucent material that brings glass-like optical properties — reflection, refraction, and dynamic fluidity — to Apple’s software interfaces. It unifies the design language across iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26, watchOS 26, and tvOS 26 while preserving each platform’s unique character.

Key characteristics include:

• Real-time environmental reflections and refractions
• Dynamic transformation that shifts focus to content
• Expressive, fluid interactions for controls, navigation, icons, widgets, and more

This isn’t just a visual refresh — it represents a fundamental rethinking of how software feels and behaves, creating interfaces that are both instantly familiar and delightfully alive.

The ADC Awards, run by The One Club for Creativity, represent over a century of recognizing the world’s finest work in design, advertising, and digital experiences. Winning multiple Cubes — especially a Gold in the highly competitive Interactive / UX / UI category — validates Liquid Glass as a benchmark in modern interface design.

With Liquid Glass, Apple has once again raised the bar for what software interfaces can be. The design’s seamless blend of beauty, functionality, and technical sophistication has already sparked widespread discussion and imitation attempts across the tech world.

MacDailyNews Take: Congratulations to the Apple Design Team on these awards. While not perfect, especially on macOS, Liquid Glass isn’t just winning awards — it’s redefining the everyday experience for hundreds of millions of users worldwide.

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Taiwan’s Foxconn, the world’s largest contract electronics maker and Apple’s top iPhone assembler, reported on Thursday a 19% rise in first-quarter profit from a year earlier, beating expectations thanks to strong global demand for AI products.

The company’s net profit for January-March came in at T$49.92 billion ($1.58 billion), above a consensus estimate of T$48.88 billion. Foxconn is also Nvidia’s biggest server maker.

Wen-Yee Lee for Reuters:
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In an earnings ​release, it stuck to its previous forecast of “strong” growth for revenue this year and said it also ​saw strong demand for AI servers.

“AI remains the ⁠most important growth driver this year,” rotating CEO Michael Chiang said on an earnings call. He added that major ​cloud service providers have recently raised capital expenditure plans for this year. “AI is not a short-term theme, but a structural ​transformation of the industry.”

Foxconn said it expects AI server rack shipments to more than double for the full year…

Most of ⁠the iPhones Foxconn makes for Apple are assembled in China, but it now produces the bulk of those sold in the United States in India. The company is also building factories ​in Mexico and Texas to make AI servers for Nvidia.

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MacDailyNews Take: Of course, Foxconn also serves as Apple’s key manufacturing partner for Apple’s custom AI servers specifically for Apple Intelligence’s cloud-based features via Private Cloud Compute (PCC).

Key Details on PCC

• Purpose and Privacy Focus: PCC handles more complex Apple Intelligence tasks (e.g., those needing larger foundation models) that go beyond on-device processing. It uses custom Apple silicon servers (initially based on M-series chips like modified M2 Ultras, now moving toward M5 and dedicated AI server chips) in Apple’s data centers. The design ensures:

• User data is never stored — it’s processed ephemerally (stateless) and deleted after the request.

• Even Apple cannot access the data.

• Servers include hardware-level security (Secure Enclave, Secure Boot, tamper switches) and a hardened OS derived from iOS/macOS for verifiable transparency and a minimal attack surface.

• Deployment: Apple has been shipping U.S.-made advanced servers from a new Houston factory since late 2025 (part of its large U.S. manufacturing/investment push). These are installed in Apple’s existing data centers. Production is ramping up, with plans for more advanced custom AI server chips entering mass production in late 2026 and new data centers coming online in 2027.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping warmly welcomed a delegation of U.S. CEOs on Thursday, the first day of President Trump’s visit to China.

The business leaders attended the arrival ceremony and joined part of the bilateral meeting at the Great Hall of the People, where Trump introduced them to Xi one by one, according to Chinese state-owned media.

Ben Werschkul for Yahoo Finance:
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Xi reportedly responded to US desires to do more business in China by saying the companies could be “deeply involved in China’s reform and opening up” and that “China’s door will only open wider.”

The outreach received a positive reaction from the CEOs with Tesla’s Elon Musk, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, and Apple’s Tim Cook all spotted by reporters leaving in good spirits.

“It was awesome,” Musk said when asked how his talks with Xi went.

“I will be asking President Xi, a Leader of extraordinary distinction, to ‘open up’ China so that these brilliant people can work their magic,” Trump posted to social media en route to China.

Elon Musk told reporters after the meeting that it had been “wonderful” and said “many good things” had been achieved, with Nvidia’s Huang adding that “Mr. Xi and President Trump were incredible.”

Tim Cook simply gave a peace sign and a thumbs-up.

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MacDailyNews Note: The Dow is back up over 50,000 on the news.

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After nearly a decade at Apple TV, Morgan Wandell is departing as Head of International Development, Deadline reports. He will remain focused on the growing international television market with the launch of his own production company, Kismet.

Nellie Andreeva for Deadline:
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Based in Los Angeles, Kismet will be developing and producing premium scripted series aimed at the global marketplace by finding and nurturing projects and voices that can travel through high-end culturally rooted storytelling.

Wandell joined Apple in October 2017, ahead of the launch of Apple TV, to build its international slate. During his time there, he oversaw tentpole Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, which has spawned an upcoming spin-off starring Wyatt Russell, the International Emmy-winning espionage thriller Tehran and comedy Acapulco, Masters of the Air from Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, Alfonso Cuarón’s Disclaimer, and The New Look.

Following Wandell’s departure, Matt Cherniss, Apple TV’s Head of Programming and Domestic Development, will take over the Monarch franchise and other series that were under Wandell’s purview, adding them to his portfolio that includes such hits as Ted Lasso, Severance, The Studio, and Pluribus.

Jay Hunt, Apple TV’s Creative Director, Europe, will expand her role to oversee international and local-language originals. She is in charge of British staples Slow Horses and Hijack, among others.

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MacDailyNews Take: Good luck, Mr. Wandell. Perhaps Apple TV will include some Kismet productions in the future.

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In Nasdaq trading today, shares of Apple Inc. (AAPL) rose $4.07 to $298.87 to hit a new all-time closing high. Apple today also set a new all-time intraday high of $300.92.

Apple’s 52-week low stands at $193.46.

Today’s trading volume for AAPL shares was 45,300,552 versus Apple’s average trading volume of 43,599,940 shares.

Apple’s PE Ratio currently stands at 36.23.

Apple currently has a market value of $4.390 trillion, making it the world’s third-most valuable company.

The top five U.S. publicly-traded companies, based on market value:

1. NVIDIA (NVDA) – $5.524T
2. Alphabet (GOOGL) – $4.693T
3. Apple (AAPL) – $4.390T
4. Microsoft (MSFT) – $3.010T
5. Amazon (AMZN) – $2.906T

Selected companies’ current market values:

• Taiwan Semi (TSM): $2.073T
• Tesla (TSLA): $1.668T
• Meta Platforms (META): $1.531T
• Walmart (WMT): $1.048T
• Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A): $1.047T
• Advanced Micro Devices (AMD): $726.433B
• Intel (INTC): $604.578B
• Cisco (CSCO): $402.376B
• Netflix (NFLX): $369.119B
• SoftBank (SFTBF): $208.062B
• IBM (IBM): $201.784B
• Disney (DIS): $182.16B
• Dell (DELL): $155.356B
• Sony (SONY): $134.674B
• Adobe (ADBE): $97.343B
• Spotify (SPOT): $88.637B
• Nokia (NOK): $82.147B
• Hewlett-Packard (HPQ): $19.526B
• SiriusXM (SIRI): $8.873B
• BlackBerry (BB): $3.572B
• Sonos (SONO): $1.744B
• RealNetworks (RNWK) was delisted from U.S. exchanges on December 21, 2022 and is no longer publicly traded.

Apple all-time high (AAPL) via NASDAQ here.

MacDailyNews Take: $300 has been breached! Couldn’t hold today, but it will eventually.

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In a largely party-line vote on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, the U.S. Senate confirmed Kevin Warsh as Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, succeeding Jerome Powell whose term ends Friday. The vote passed 54-45, with Pennsylvania Democrat Sen. John Fetterman joining Republicans in support — the only cross-aisle vote on the nomination.

This confirmation caps a multi-step process that began earlier in the week. On Tuesday, May 12, the Senate first confirmed Warsh to a 14-year term as a Fed Governor in a 51-45 vote, clearing the path for the separate chairmanship vote.

Who Is Kevin Warsh?

Kevin Warsh, 56, is no stranger to the Federal Reserve or high-stakes economic policy. A former member of the Fed’s Board of Governors (serving from 2006 to 2011), he was one of the youngest appointees in the institution’s history. During the 2008 financial crisis, Warsh played a key role in the Fed’s response alongside then-Chair Ben Bernanke.

Prior to his first stint at the Fed, Warsh worked at Morgan Stanley and served as Special Assistant to President George W. Bush for Economic Policy. He holds degrees from Stanford University and Harvard Law School. President Donald Trump nominated him in late January 2026 to lead the central bank, praising his experience and independence.

The Road to Confirmation

Warsh’s path wasn’t entirely smooth. His nomination faced delays amid a federal investigation into outgoing Chair Jerome Powell, which was later dropped. Senate Democrats raised concerns about potential threats to Fed independence, given Warsh’s ties to the Trump administration and Wall Street background. During his April confirmation hearing before the Senate Banking Committee, Warsh firmly stated: “I will be an independent actor if confirmed as chair of the Federal Reserve.”

The Senate Banking Committee advanced his nomination on a 13-11 party-line vote in late April, followed by procedural votes this week that moved quickly once momentum built.

What to Expect from Chair Warsh

Warsh takes the helm at a challenging time. Inflation pressures persist in parts of the economy, global uncertainties loom (including geopolitical tensions), and markets will closely watch the Fed’s next moves on interest rates.

• Policy Outlook: Warsh has historically favored a rules-based approach to monetary policy and has been critical of excessive Fed intervention. Analysts expect him to prioritize price stability while maintaining flexibility.

• Independence: The big question is how Warsh will navigate relations with the White House. His assurances of independence will be tested early.

• Markets Reaction: Stocks and bonds reacted with measured optimism to the news, viewing Warsh as a steady hand with deep market knowledge.

Historical Context

Warsh becomes the 17th Chair of the Federal Reserve. Like his predecessors, he inherits an institution that wields enormous influence over borrowing costs, employment, and financial stability worldwide.

“Too Late” Powell’s befuddled disaster of a tenure was marked with high inflation (which he famously and erroneously termed “transitory” and aggressive, rate hikes, a questionable lowering of rates just prior to a national election — setting a complex stage for the transition. Powell’s missteps on inflation timing and policy sequencing have drawn significant criticism from economists across the spectrum.

Powell’s tarnished legacy also includes presiding over massive cost overruns on the Federal Reserve’s headquarters renovation project. Originally estimated at $1.9 billion in 2019 for the historic Marriner S. Eccles Building and adjacent structures, the price tag ballooned to approximately $2.5 billion — an overrun of roughly $600 million of U.S. taxpayers’ money. Powell repeatedly defended the overruns while acknowledging “the cost overruns are what they are.”

Looking Ahead

With Powell’s term ending this week, the leadership handoff will be swift. Warsh is expected to be sworn in promptly and could chair his first FOMC meeting in the coming months.

MacDailyNews Take: Welcome to the Warsh Era! Whether Warsh can deliver stability and credibility in a polarized environment remains to be seen — but his deep experience gives him a strong foundation.

Don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out, Powell!

On interest rates, Powell was way late to hike, then didn’t go nearly high enough, and then started cutting too early. Three strikes and you ought to be out. – MacDailyNews, November 15, 2024

Now Powell is too late to cut. Four strikes and counting. – MacDailyNews, October 28, 2025

Receipts:

In July 2023, the Fed stopped raising rates too soon. – MacDailyNews, July 2, 2024

A premature rate cut by the Fed is of higher probability in an election year. – MacDailyNews, April 2, 2024

As we wrote in February 2023, “When certain quarters, including the Fed, delude themselves and others that ‘inflation is transitory’ and waste at least a year before doing a mere portion of what is necessary* (interest rate hikes), the price will be paid for being delusional and late.”

‘Tis best to get a handle on inflation, if you know how, while you still can. – MacDailyNews, May 11, 2021

Stop the misguided crusade against domestic energy production and profligate federal spending and inflation will be stopped dead in its tracks. It’s not difficult. – MacDailyNews, May 11, 2022

For new generations, sometimes tough lessons have to be retaught and learned the hard way. As we go through this, remember: It’s always darkest before the dawn. – MacDailyNews, July 14, 2022

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Apple is actively exploring ways to welcome third-party AI agents into the App Store, according to a new report from The Information. This move signals a significant evolution in how the company plans to adapt its tightly controlled ecosystem to the rising era of autonomous, agentic AI.

Internal Efforts Underway

An internal Apple team is reportedly working on redesigning aspects of the App Store to better accommodate AI agents. These sophisticated programs can act autonomously — performing tasks, making decisions, and interacting with other apps and services on behalf of users — while still complying with Apple’s long-standing App Store guidelines.

The challenge is non-trivial. Apple’s strict review policies have historically emphasized user safety, privacy, and clear boundaries for app behavior. “Agentic AI” introduces complexities: apps that don’t just respond to commands but proactively execute multi-step workflows, potentially across devices and services. Balancing innovation with control is key to Apple’s approach.

Aaron Tilley for The Information::
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Apple is exploring ways to better incorporate AI agents into its App Store so it can benefit from the tech industry’s hottest trend while ensuring that the software in its store continues to play by its rules, according to people briefed on the matter…

AI agents — which are capable of taking complex actions on behalf of users—present inherently thorny issues for Apple’s strict regulations on its app platforms, which are designed to prevent the apps from spreading malware, avoiding App Store fees and committing other misbehavior. For example, some agents can spin up smaller apps on the spot to perform a wide variety of tasks, which could be a problem if the agents do so after Apple has already approved the apps they live within.

Apple’s efforts to incorporate AI agents into the App Store aim to reconcile those inconsistencies. While details couldn’t be learned, its staffers are designing a system to adhere to its standards of privacy and security and prevent the more freewheeling behavior some users of agentic systems such as OpenClaw have experienced, where agents can go haywire and delete all of a user’s emails, according to the people briefed on the matter.

Why This Matters

This development comes as the tech industry shifts from traditional apps — where humans tap interfaces — to agent-driven experiences, where “apps talk to apps while humans supervise.” If Apple successfully opens the gates, it could transform the App Store from a marketplace of tools into a platform for intelligent workflows. Every app could potentially function more like an autonomous employee than a static utility.

Apple has already been investing heavily in its own AI capabilities through Apple Intelligence, with features that demonstrate on-device awareness and cross-app orchestration. Allowing third-party agents could accelerate this momentum, especially as competitors push boundaries in AI.

Revenue and Ecosystem Implications

This aligns with broader trends: generative AI apps already generated nearly $900 million in App Store fees for Apple in 2025, with projections exceeding $1 billion in 2026 from in-app subscriptions alone. Welcoming agents could supercharge that growth while reinforcing the App Store’s central role.

The Road Ahead

Details remain limited as the work is ongoing, but the report underscores Apple’s proactive stance. Rather than resisting the AI agent wave, the company appears intent on shaping it within its ecosystem — maintaining its hallmark privacy, security, and user experience standards.
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MacDailyNews Take: For developers and users alike, this could mark the beginning of a new chapter: one where downloading an app feels more like hiring a capable digital assistant. We’ll be watching closely for official announcements, likely tied to WWDC26 or future iOS updates.

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Apple stock climbed sharply on Wednesday, rising nearly 2% intraday to approach the $300 mark and positioning the stock for a potential record closing price. The move comes as broader tech stocks rebound from Tuesday’s selloff, driven by renewed enthusiasm in the artificial intelligence trade and strong recent performance from the Magnificent 7 group.

As of mid-afternoon trading, AAPL was up about 1.72% at roughly $299.87. The stock has now gained more than 20% since hitting March 30 lows, signaling a significant recovery and breakout that helps diversify the recent rally across big tech names.

What’s Fueling Apple’s Rise?

Several positive catalysts are converging:

• Strong Quarterly Results: Apple exceeded Wall Street expectations in its most recent earnings report, particularly on iPhone sales and performance in China. This helped reignite investor confidence after a period of relative underperformance.

• AI Trade Resurgence: While Apple has historically lagged some peers in aggressive AI investments, the broader resurgence of the AI narrative is lifting the entire sector, including AAPL. The stock’s recent breakout reduces the perception that the Magnificent 7 rally depends solely on leaders like Nvidia, Alphabet, and Amazon.

• Geopolitical and Strategic Moves: CEO Tim Cook is currently in China as part of President Trump’s delegation for a high-profile summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. This high-level engagement could signal continued efforts to strengthen Apple’s critical supply chain and market presence in the region.

Investors had previously penalized Apple shares for its comparatively measured approach to AI compared to hyperscalers. However, the combination of solid fundamentals and sector tailwinds appears to be shifting sentiment in Cupertino’s favor.

With the stock now knocking on the door of all-time highs, analysts and investors will be watching closely to see if Apple can sustain this momentum heading into the second half of the year. Key upcoming focuses include WWDC26 in June, where it’s expected Apple will relate progress on AI features across its product lineup following any further developments from Cook’s trip to China.

MacDailyNews Take: $300! Finally! After a long period of stagnation, it turned out that all we really needed was a new CEO.

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In a significant development in the ongoing battle over Big Tech regulation in Europe, Apple has strongly criticized European Union antitrust measures aimed at compelling Google to open up its Android ecosystem to competing AI services.

The tech giant echoed Google’s own concerns, warning that the proposed rules under the Digital Markets Act (DMA) could undermine user privacy, security, and device safety at a time when AI capabilities are evolving rapidly and unpredictably.

What the EU Wants

Last month, the European Commission outlined draft measures designed to help rival AI services interact more deeply with Android apps. This would allow competing AI tools to perform tasks on behalf of users — such as sending emails, ordering food, or sharing photos — directly through Google’s platform. The goal is to prevent Google from dominating the emerging AI assistant space and to promote greater competition.

Apple’s Strong Objection

In its formal submission to the EU, Apple didn’t hold back:

“The DMs (draft measures) raise urgent and serious concerns. If confirmed, they would create profound risks for user privacy, security, and safety as well as device integrity and performance.”

Apple went further, highlighting the unpredictable nature of rapidly advancing AI systems:

“Those risks are especially acute in the context of rapidly evolving AI systems whose capabilities, behaviours, and threat vectors remain unpredictable as we are now seeing time and again.”

The company also questioned the regulator’s approach, accusing the European Commission of attempting to redesign Google’s operating system with limited technical review:

“The EC is redesigning an OS (operating system). It is substituting judgments made by Google’s engineers for its own judgment based on less than three months of work… The only value that can be discerned… appears to be open and unfettered access.”

Why Apple Cares

Although the immediate measures target Google’s Android, Apple has a vested interest. The iPhone maker is itself subject to EU demands to open up its tightly controlled iOS ecosystem. Apple sees the Google case as setting a dangerous precedent for how platforms must grant third-party AI access to hardware, permissions, and user data.

Broader Implications

This isn’t just another antitrust spat. It touches on the core tension in AI regulation: how to foster competition without compromising the very safeguards that keep users’ devices secure in an era of sophisticated AI agents.

Apple and Google are aligned here, both arguing that heavy-handed regulatory intervention risks creating more problems than it solves, especially around privacy and security.

As the EU continues its aggressive push within digital markets, expect more pushback from U.S. tech giants. The outcome of this consultation could shape how AI assistants operate on billions of devices worldwide for years to come.
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MacDailyNews Take: Most of the European Union’s so-called “antitrust” measures are little more than legalized theft — extracting value from innovative American companies to prop up a declining continent strangled by bureaucratic red tape and incapable of fostering its own technological breakthroughs.

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“Unconditional” follows a mother-daughter vacation-turned-nightmare when 25-year-old Gali (Talia Lynne Ronn) is arrested for drug smuggling in Moscow. Her mother, Orna (Liraz Chamami), refuses to accept the charges — but her fight for Gali’s freedom pulls her into a deadly web of crime and corruption.

Alison Herman for Variety:
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Despite what the obligatory disclaimer before each episode may say, the Israeli thriller “Unconditional” — which aired on Keshet 12 in its country of origin last month before coming to Apple TV in the U.S. — is clearly inspired by real-life events.

When 23-year-old Gali (Talia Lynne Ronn, in her on screen debut) is abruptly detained in the Moscow airport and indicted on trumped-up drug trafficking charges, her case clearly recalls those of high-profile detainees like Brittney Griner, Evan Gershkovich and Naama Issachar, who like Gali was arrested en route from India to Tel Aviv in 2019 before receiving a personal pardon from Vladimir Putin in 2020.

But as Gali’s mother Orna (Liraz Chamami) works to liberate her only child from captivity, “Unconditional” grows increasingly unmoored from reality. That’s mostly for the better…

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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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Apple has been rumored for years to be working on a folding iPhone. In fact, the first foldable iPhone is expected to be unveiled this year.

According to a new CNET survey of U.S. smartphone owners conducted in late April/early May 2026, interest in these new form factors exists but remains far from overwhelming. Of course, this is prior to Apple’s releases and subsequent marketing effort.

The survey of 2,407 U.S. smartphone owners found that 14% said they would be motivated to upgrade specifically for “new phone designs, such as a foldable or flip phone.” Practical concerns still dominate: price (55%) and longer battery life (52%) ranked much higher, while AI features sat at just 12%.

For Apple, however, even this 14% interest level represents a massive opportunity when applied to its enormous installed base.

Apple currently has approximately 1.6 billion active iPhones worldwide. If iPhone owners mirror the overall U.S. smartphone population’s interest in foldables — a reasonable assumption given Apple’s track record of popularizing premium features — that 14% equates to roughly 224 million potential folding iPhone sales.

To put that number in context: Apple shipped a record 247 million iPhones in 2025. A folding model that successfully captured the interest of just 14% of existing owners could nearly match an entire year’s current shipment volume — all from upgrades within Apple’s own ecosystem.

Of course, not every interested owner will upgrade right away. Pricing, reliability, trade-in offers, and carrier promotions will all influence actual conversion rates. The survey also reflects U.S. respondents, while Apple’s user base is global. Still, the raw potential is enormous: 224 million units is the kind of upside that could significantly boost Apple’s growth in a saturated smartphone market.

Samsung has sold tens of millions of foldables over the past several years, yet they still make up only a small percentage of total smartphone sales. Most buyers continue to prioritize battery life, camera improvements, and especially value over novel designs.

The CNET data makes one thing clear for Apple: a folding iPhone doesn’t need universal appeal to be a major success. Capturing even a committed slice of its user base would be enough to drive record-breaking upgrade cycles and open a powerful new revenue stream.
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MacDailyNews Take: The math is compelling. Apple already has the customer base. It simply needs to deliver a durable, desirable folding iPhone experience compelling enough to convert that 14% curiosity into purchases. (And, again, that 14% will grow with the foldable iPhone’s unveiling and marketing.) If it does, 224 million potential sales makes the long wait for a folding iPhone very worthwhile for both Apple and iPhone users.

Now, that you’ve read our report and Take, please go to CNET and read how differently they approach the numbers they found here. Keep in mind that CNET never mentions just how many iPhone users are represented by 14%.

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President Donald Trump has assembled an elite group of CEOs — representing the pinnacle of American business — to join his high-stakes summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The roster speaks volumes about the current state of the U.S. economy and what’s on the line in the coming days. Apple’s Tim Cook is also making the trip. The outgoing CEO was in Beijing just last month to mark the company’s 50th anniversary and has built a strong relationship with China.

Callum Keown for Barron’s:
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Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s late inclusion on Air Force One to China suggests that tech, and chips in particular may be a hot topic on the trip… The sector is well represented with Micron’s Sanjay Mehrotra and Qualcomm’s Cristiano Amon also on board Air Force… Mehrotra’s presence may turn heads as China banned the use of Micron chips in critical infrastructure in 2023 through 2030.

The presence of Tesla CEO Elon Musk is also interesting and adds to the emphasis on all things AI.

But the elite cohort features almost as many financial company CEOs. Citi’s Jane Fraser, Goldman Sachs’ David Solomon, BlackRock’s Larry Fink and Blackstone’s Stephen Schwarzman were all name-dropped by Trump.

American’s manufacturing muscle will also be flexed — Boeing’s Kelly Ortberg, GE Aerospace’s Larry Culp are there too along with the CEO of private agricultural giant Cargill, Brian Sikes. Visa CEO Ryan McInerney, Meta President Dina Powell McCormick, Coherent CEO Jim Anderson and Illumina CEO Jacob Thaysen are also heading to China…

Trump said he will be asking Xi to “‘open up’ China so that these brilliant people can work their magic,” in his Truth Social post.

It’s a good list to be on.

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MacDailyNews Note: President Trump’s post via Truth Social:

It is an Honor to have Jensen, Elon, Tim Apple, Larry Fink, Stephen Schwarzmann, Kelly Ortberg (Boeing), Brian Sikes (Cargill), Jane Fraser (Citi), Larry Culp (GE Aerospace), David Solomon (Goldman Sachs), Sanjay Mehrotra (Micron), Cristiano Amon (Qualcomm), and many others journeying to the Great Country of China where I will be asking President Xi, a Leader of extraordinary distinction, to “open up” China so that these brilliant people can work their magic, and help bring the People’s Republic to an even higher level! In fact, I promise, that when we are together, which will be in a matter of hours, I will make that my very first request. I have never seen or heard of any idea that would be more beneficial to our incredible Countries! President DONALD J. TRUMP – May 12, 2026 at 11:09 PM EDT

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Cristo Fernández, best known for playing footballer Dani Rojas in the hit Apple TV series “Ted Lasso,” has turned his on-screen role into reality by signing a professional contract with U.S. second-tier club El Paso Locomotive FC. He also appeared as Gustavo in Apple TV’s “Acapulco” (Season 3).

The actor, who played youth football in Mexico before a knee injury forced him to step away from the sport at age 15, will now take to the pitch for real.

Alongside his acting career, the 35-year-old Fernandez has been working toward a professional football comeback. He trained with Major League Soccer side Chicago Fire’s reserve team earlier this year.

Before signing with El Paso Locomotive FC on Tuesday, he completed a two-month trial with the USL Championship club that also included a pre-season appearance.

Reuters:
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“(Football) has always been a ‌huge ⁠part of my life and identity, and no matter where life has taken me, the dream of competing professionally never truly left my heart,” Fernandez said on the club ​website. “Maybe I’m just ​a crazy ⁠man with crazy dreams.”

El Paso, founded in 2018, are fourth in Group B of the ​USL Championship standings.

“Cristo is a great addition to ​our ⁠roster, adding another attacking threat to our forward line,” the club’s head coach Junior Gonzalez said. “His passion for the game ⁠and ​leadership qualities for our locker room ​allow us to continue growing the positive culture we strive for as a ​club.”

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MacDailyNews Take: Football is life! Good luck, Cristo!

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According to Bloomberg News‘ Mark Gurman, Apple is completely rebuilding Siri in iOS 27, transforming it from a traditional voice assistant into an always-on intelligent agent. The new Siri will tap into personal data and take actions across apps, while gaining a redesigned chatbot interface for natural back-and-forth conversations that matches the look of ChatGPT, Gemini, and similar apps.

Siri will now appear in the Dynamic Island. Activating it with the wake word or by holding the power button will trigger a large, animated Siri graphic at the top center of the screen.

Users can also bring up a new system search by swiping down from the top center anywhere on the screen, which displays a “Search or Ask” bar in the Dynamic Island. Once engaged, users can swipe down a transparent results card to enter a full chatbot conversation mode that resembles a text message thread, complete with inline mini app cards for quick results like weather, calendar events, and notes.

Mark Gurman for Bloomberg News:
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• When users engage with Siri, they can swipe a transparent results card down to enter into a chatbot conversation mode, which looks similar to a text message thread. This interface has in-line mini app cards to see results for things like the weather, upcoming appointments and notes.

• The “Search or Ask” interface looks similar to Spotlight Search on an iPhone today, but can show more advanced results and additional data from within apps. Users can press the search bar to toggle between using Siri or third-party offerings like ChatGPT or Gemini as their search engine.

• The “Search or Ask” bar also has a microphone icon on the right side for a voice mode.

• Another key Siri addition is AI-powered search from the open web, which allows general-knowledge questions to get detailed answers for the first time. That includes supplying bullet points of information from the web and large images.

• Siri will have a standalone app for the first time [since it was purchased by Apple. (Siri was initially released as an app for iPhoneOS in February 2010, two months before it was purchased by Apple)]. The main page of that software includes a grid of tall, round rectangles that summarize prior Siri conversations. Users can jump into those to continue their chats. There’s also a search bar to locate past results and a “+” to begin a new chat.

• Inside the Siri app and chatbot view, the bottom of the app has a “+” button for uploading images and documents. The area to type in a query, meanwhile, is labeled “Ask Siri.” There’s also a microphone here to activate the voice input mode.

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MacDailyNews Take: Our little birdies still chirp that “Apple’s new Siri will prove to be very much worth the wait!”

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Apple plans to make its Camera app fully customizable in the next iPhone software update as part of a wider user interface overhaul, Bloomberg News‘ Mark Gurman reports.

Users will be able to select which controls appear in the app and where they are positioned, including options for flash, exposure, timer, and resolution.

Mark Gurman for Bloomberg News:
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• Apple is planning to make the Camera app interface fully customizable so users can pick their own set of controls — called widgets — that run along the top of the interface.

• The app will continue to launch with the same default set as today, including toggles for resolution, night mode, flash and live photos, but users will be able to switch over to an “advanced” array of options or choose their own items.

• Each capture mode has its own set of widgets, which can be picked from a transparent “Add Widgets” tray that slides up from the bottom of the app.

• The Photo mode’s advanced options tray includes depth-of-field and exposure controls, while the widgets are split into categories of “basic,” “manual” and “settings.” Users can also swap in controls for the timer and photo styles. And there are new grid and level options inside the app itself.

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MacDailyNews Take: Finally!

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In Nasdaq trading today, shares of Apple Inc. (AAPL) rose $2.12 to $294.80 to hit a new all-time closing high. Apple today also set a new all-time intraday high of $295.27.

Apple’s 52-week low stands at $193.46.

Today’s trading volume for AAPL shares was 39,156,572 versus Apple’s average trading volume of 43,758,728 shares.

Apple’s PE Ratio currently stands at 35.73.

Apple currently has a market value of $4.330 trillion, making it the world’s third-most valuable company.

The top five U.S. publicly-traded companies, based on market value:

1. NVIDIA (NVDA) – $5.366T
2. Alphabet (GOOGL) – $4.693T
3. Apple (AAPL) – $4.330T
4. Microsoft (MSFT) – $3.0290T
5. Amazon (AMZN) – $2.859T

Selected companies’ current market values:

• Taiwan Semi (TSM): $2.098T
• Tesla (TSLA): $1.631T
• Meta Platforms (META): $1.523T
• Walmart (WMT): $1.037T
• Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A): $1.048T
• Advanced Micro Devices (AMD): $725.601B
• Intel (INTC): $602.517B
• Cisco (CSCO): $389.756B
• Netflix (NFLX): $367.961B
• SoftBank (SFTBF): $207.321B
• IBM (IBM): $206.69B
• Disney (DIS): $183.289B
• Dell (DELL): $149.023B
• Sony (SONY): $125.783B
• Adobe (ADBE): $97.792B
• Spotify (SPOT): $88.767B
• Nokia (NOK): $73.968B
• Hewlett-Packard (HPQ): $19.374B
• SiriusXM (SIRI): $9.016B
• BlackBerry (BB): $3.645B
• Sonos (SONO): $1.768B
• RealNetworks (RNWK) was delisted from U.S. exchanges on December 21, 2022 and is no longer publicly traded.

Apple all-time high (AAPL) via NASDAQ here.

MacDailyNews Take: Onward and upward, Cupertino soldiers!

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Apple TV is betting big on the next major fantasy franchise, “The Stormlight Archive,” securing the screen rights to Brandon Sanderson’s expansive Cosmere universe in what sources describe as an unprecedented deal.

This is a major coup for Apple TV which is now positioned to potentially build a sprawling, interconnected fantasy epic on par with The Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, or the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), but rooted in Sanderson’s meticulously crafted magic systems and cosmology.

The Stormlight Archive series could run into the 2040s on Apple TV.

Amanda Mullen for ComicBook:
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Supernatural is a rare example of one surpassing 10 seasons, but even hits like Game of Thrones, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and The Vampire Diaries clock in around 7-8 outings. There’s one exciting adaptation that could reach double-digit seasons, however, now that Apple TV is tackling the Cosmere. Depending on how many books from Brandon Sanderson’s fantasy universe the streamer adapts, its biggest show could even last into the 2040s. There’ll be more than enough material for it to last all those years.

With The Stormlight Archive set to become a TV show, the upcoming Wheel of Time remake isn’t the only project with the potential to span 10+ seasons. Sanderson’s epic currently consists of five books — each of which clocks in at 1,000+ pages — and he intends to write a second arc, which will feature five more novels. That’s not to mention that The Stormlight Archive novellas, which could add episodes here and there. It’s certainly enough material to warrant such a long run, especially if Apple TV dedicates one outing to each book. With the books being as long as they are, they could also span multiple seasons.

Such a massive run would likely bring The Stormlight Archive into the 2040s, especially accounting for the need to release the next five books first. If Mistborn and The Stormlight Archive are successful, it’s also possible that seasons of the latter will be broken up by spinoffs based on other Cosmere novels. With so much to cover, it’s easy to imagine Apple TV’s fantasy show spanning decades.

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MacDailyNews Take: Apple TV is the No.1 must-have streaming service for science fiction and, soon, science fantasy fans!

If any streamer can be trusted to do things right, it’s Apple TV with its already proven track record of producing compelling high quality series and films. – MacDailyNews, February 5, 2026

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The beloved characters from the Emmy-winning animated series Bluey are coming to Apple Arcade for a massive, limited-time crossover event starting May 21. Bluey and her family are taking over five fan-favorite games with exclusive updates across Crossy Road Castle, stitch., puffies., Suika Game+, and Disney Coloring World+. Best of all, families can dive into these new experiences together without interruptions from ads or in-app purchases.

“As we continue to grow Bluey in interactive, it’s important that each experience reflects what families love about the brand — its playfulness and creativity, and how it brings people of all ages together,” said Marina Mello, BBC Studios’ global director of Gaming & Interactive, in a statement. “Apple Arcade stands out for its commitment to quality and a safe, frictionless experience for families, making it a natural fit for these limited-time experiences designed to be enjoyed together.”

Players can try the “trifficult” but incredibly fun obstacle course at Bluey and Bingo’s house in Crossy Road Castle. With co-op for one to four players, they can grab their friends and family and make it through together, dodging yoga balls and mischievous garden gnomes. New characters will join Bluey and Bingo every two weeks, and players can complete the challenges to unlock their favorite characters from the series, including a few secret ones. Plus, once they unlock Bluey’s house, they’ll get to keep it in-game after the event ends.

Players can also drop in with Bluey to match fruits and watch the fun grow in Suika Game+, complete beautiful Bluey-themed hoops in stitch., and bring dazzling Bluey pages to life in Disney Coloring World+. Starting June 10, players can solve delightful puzzles featuring iconic Bluey episodes and build their very own sticker collection in puffies.

These in-game events run through June 24 for stitch.; July 8 for puffies.; and July 21 for Crossy Road Castle, Suika Game+, and Disney Coloring World+.

In addition to the special crossovers, the service is expanding its catalog with four exciting new games launching June 4: Mini Football Legends, My Talking Tom 2+, Coffee Inc 2+, and FreeCell Solitaire: Card Game+.

Just in time for the World Cup, Mini Football Legends brings a fun arcade-style soccer experience to Apple Arcade, allowing players to build, train, and manage their own legendary team. Fans can chase championship glory through thrilling solo tournaments, or team up with friends for action-packed local co-op and multiplayer matches.

Additionally, three popular games from the App Store join the service on June 4. From the creator of the hit games My Talking Angela 2+ and Talking Tom Blast Park, My Talking Tom 2+ lets players adopt and nurture a virtual pet cat; Coffee Inc 2+ invites aspiring entrepreneurs to build a global coffee empire from the ground up; and FreeCell Solitaire: Card Game+ allows fans of classic card games to enjoy endless hands.

Players can also check out a free introductory experience on the App Store for select Arcade games without a subscription, including Crossy Road Castle, WHAT THE CLASH?, PGA TOUR Pro Golf, and Hello Kitty Island Adventure.

MacDailyNews Take: Apple Arcade is available for $6.99 per month with a one-month free trial. Customers who purchase a new iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple TV receive three months of Apple Arcade for free. Apple Arcade is part of Apple One’s Individual ($19.95), Family ($25.95), and Premier ($37.95) plans, with a one-month free trial. Arcade Originals are playable across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Vision Pro. App Store Greats are available on iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro. An Apple Arcade subscription gives a family of up to six unlimited access to all the games in its catalog.

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The internet lit up today as the U.S. Mint’s limited-edition Steve Jobs commemorative coin vanished faster than a new iPhone at launch. Within minutes of going on sale, supplies of the 2026 American Innovation $1 Coin honoring California’s tech visionary were snapped up by eager collectors, Apple devotees, and numismatists worldwide.

A Tribute to a Legend

The coin features a serene depiction of a young Steve Jobs seated against the rolling oak-covered hills of Northern California — a nod to the landscape that inspired his intuitive, organic approach to technology. Above the image sits his iconic phrase: “MAKE SOMETHING WONDERFUL.” It’s a fitting tribute to the man who co-founded Apple in 1976 and transformed personal computing, music, phones, and animation through Pixar.

The design has sparked some debate — some praise its minimalist zen vibe, while others joke it gives Jobs a slightly unexpected look — but that hasn’t dampened enthusiasm one bit.

Pricing and Availability:

• 25-coin rolls: $61 each (Philadelphia or Denver mint)
• 100-coin bags: $154.50 each (limited to 10 per household)

These aren’t circulating coins for everyday use. They’re premium collectibles priced well above face value, with a total mintage reportedly around 25,950 pieces.

The U.S. Mint site saw massive traffic right at the noon EDT launch on May 12, 2026. Reports from collectors and social media indicate rolls and bags disappeared almost instantly, with many fans left refreshing pages in vain.

Clearly, Steve Jobs remains a cultural icon nearly 15 years after his passing. His story of innovation, resilience, and “thinking different” resonates across generations. Pair that with the growing popularity of American Innovation dollar coins, and you have a perfect storm:

• Apple fans wanting a tangible piece of history
• Coin collectors chasing low-mintage state-themed releases
• Investors betting on secondary market premiums (early eBay listings are already popping up)

Previous coins in the series have seen strong demand, but none carry the star power of Steve Jobs.
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MacDailyNews Take: If you missed out, keep an eye on the secondary market, but expect premiums. The U.S. Mint may release more details on exact sell-out numbers soon. For now, this rapid sell-out proves once again that Steve Jobs continues to inspire and captivate.

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Google is preparing to bring its advanced Gemini AI directly into the Google Maps experience on Apple CarPlay, according to code discovered by MacRumors in the latest version of the Google Maps app. This upcoming feature promises to make in-car navigation significantly more intelligent and conversational.

What This Means for Drivers

Once rolled out, Gemini integration will let CarPlay users interact with Google Maps using natural voice commands or taps (via the Gemini interface). You’ll be able to ask complex, context-aware questions about your route, destinations, or surroundings — things traditional navigation apps struggle with. Examples include detailed recommendations, real-time insights, or personalized suggestions based on your location.

Strings in the app indicate that after agreeing to updated Terms of Service in the iPhone Google Maps app, users will simply be able to tell Gemini to navigate to a specific spot. This builds directly on the existing “Ask Maps” feature already available on iPhone, where Gemini handles nuanced queries that go far beyond basic directions.

On iPhone today, you can start navigation and then say “Hey Google” or tap the Gemini icon to chat naturally with the AI. The CarPlay version aims to deliver a similar seamless experience on your car’s infotainment screen.

Why Now? Apple’s CarPlay Changes Enable It

Apple opened the door for third-party conversational AI apps with iOS 26.4, allowing deeper voice-based integration with CarPlay. Google is taking advantage of this to extend Gemini from phones to vehicles.

The framework for Gemini is already present in the Google Maps CarPlay app, though it’s not live yet. A rollout could happen in the coming weeks or months.

Competition Heats Up on CarPlay

This move puts Google in direct competition with other AI assistants already available on CarPlay, including Grok, ChatGPT, and Perplexity. Drivers will soon have more choices for intelligent, voice-driven assistance while on the road.

For iPhone users who rely on Google Maps in their car, this could be one of the most practical AI upgrades yet — safer, smarter navigation that feels like having a knowledgeable co-pilot.

MacDailyNews Take: Since we value our privacy and greatly prefer Apple Maps’ UI, we haven’t used Google Maps for coming up on fourteen years. We’re certainly not going to start now.

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Apple on Tuesday announced that Tap to Pay on iPhone is now available in South Africa, enabling merchants to use iPhone to seamlessly and securely accept in-person contactless payments. In collaboration with payment platforms, app developers, and payment networks, Tap to Pay on iPhone makes it easy for businesses of any size to accept payments from contactless credit and debit cards, Apple Pay, and other digital wallets using only their iPhone and a partner-enabled iOS app — no additional hardware or payment terminal required.

With Tap to Pay on iPhone, merchants can accept contactless payments through a supporting iOS app on iPhone Xs or later running the latest iOS version. At checkout, the merchant will simply prompt the customer to hold their contactless credit or debit card, iPhone, Apple Watch, or other digital wallet near the merchant’s iPhone, and the payment will be securely completed using NFC technology. No additional hardware is needed, so merchants can accept payments from wherever they do business.

Apple works closely with leading payment platforms and app developers across the payments and commerce industry to offer Tap to Pay on iPhone. Payment platforms and developers can integrate Tap to Pay on iPhone into their iOS apps, making it easy for merchants to enable this secure and convenient capability.

Starting today, iStore Pay and Yoco are the first payment platforms in South Africa to offer Tap to Pay on iPhone, empowering businesses of all sizes to offer Tap to Pay on iPhone at checkout.

Tap to Pay on iPhone supports Apple Pay and other digital wallets, as well as contactless credit and debit cards from leading payment networks, including Mastercard and Visa, with American Express coming soon.

Privacy is fundamental in the design and development across all of Apple’s payment features. With Tap to Pay on iPhone, customers’ payment data is protected by the same technology that makes Apple Pay private and secure. All transactions made using Tap to Pay on iPhone are encrypted and processed using the Secure Element, and Apple doesn’t know what is being purchased or who is buying it. Apple doesn’t store card numbers or transaction information on the device or on Apple servers, so merchants and customers can rest assured that their data stays theirs.

MacDailyNews Note: Fin out more about Tap to Pay on iPhone here.

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According to new EU acquisition disclosures, Apple acquired Patchflyer GmbH, a small one-person company, back in January. Patchflyer was owned by Jonathan Ochmann, the creator of VisionColor and Color.io, a popular web-based color grading tool used by photographers and filmmakers.

VisionColor is a premium developer of industry standard 3D LUTs for cinematic film emulation and color grading, tools that have helped over 100.000 filmmakers, photographers, and artists worldwide to get professional, cinematic color. VisionColor products are used in many blockbuster movies, TV series, music videos, short films, and commercials.

Color.io is a one-of-a-kind film emulation tool, look designer, and raw photo editor for photographers and filmmakers used to craft stunning film color that works for any camera, in any software, and on any screen with an advanced AI powered analog grading engine.

Juli Clover for MacRumors:
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Apple purchased Color.io and is employing Ochmann. Last year, Ochmann announced Color.io’s impending closure in November, and said that he was joining a company that will let him work at a scale he could not reach on his own. “After 10+ years of running everything alone, I’ve reached a point where I need to grow in ways that aren’t possible as a solo builder,” he wrote.

Color.io went offline on December 31, 2025, with about five weeks of warning for the app’s 200,000+ users. Now that Ochmann is employed at Apple, Color.io capabilities could come to Apple software in the future. Ochmann’s expertise and Color.io’s features would be useful for Final Cut Pro or Pixelmator Pro.

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MacDailyNews Note: Here’s a review and tutorial for Color.io from Daniel Grindrod:

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We’re almost halfway through 2026 and, even after testing a wide array of new phones like the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, the Normal Phone 4(a) Pro, and the budget-friendly iPhone 17e, Popular Mechanics‘ Stefan Vazharov still consider’s Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro Max to be the absolute best smartphone you can buy right now.

Stefan Vazharov for Popular Mechanics:
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And I’m not alone: Despite its $1,199 starting price tag, the big-screen iPhone 17 Pro Max was the most popular model in the iPhone 17 line in 2025, according to sales analysis from Counterpoint Market Research. The standard 17 has overtaken it this year, but the iPhone 17, 17 Pro Max, and 17 Pro have locked down the top three spots.

After seeing the iPhone’s evolution year after year, the numbers are no surprise. The 17 Pro and Pro Max are Apple’s best phones to date, and a more substantial upgrade than we’ve seen in the past few years. After nine months in my pocket, though, I’ve had plenty of time to see its strong specs translate into real-world performance…

Choosing between these two top-tier phones [iPhone 17 Pro Max or iPhone 17 Pro] largely comes down to personal preference for phone size, but I’d recommend the Pro Max if you watch a lot of video on your phone, or if battery life is a major concern. The Pro, on the other hand, is smaller and physically fits better in more hands, so it’s the better choice if you prefer to scroll and take photos one-handed.

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MacDailyNews Take: Popular Mechanics spitting facts.

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More than one ​dozen CEOs, including Apple’s outgoing CEO Tim Cook, and ‌top executives will join ​the U.S. ​delegation as President Donald ⁠Trump travels ​to China this ​week, according to a White House ​official.

Reuters:
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​The companies include:

• Apple (Tim Cook)
• Blackrock (Larry ‌Fink)
• Blackstone (Stephen ⁠Schwarzman)
• Boeing (Kelly Ortberg)
• Cargill (Brian Sikes)
• Citi (Jane Fraser)
• Cisco (Chuck Robbins)
• Coherent (Jim Anderson)
• GE ​Aerospace (H ​Lawrence ⁠Culp)
• Goldman Sachs (David Solomon)
• Illumina (Jacob ​Thaysen)
• Mastercard (Michael Miebach)
• Meta (Dina ​Powell ⁠McCormick)
• Micron (Sanjay Mehrotra)
• Qualcomm (Cristiano Amon)
• Tesla/SpaceX/xAI (Elon Musk)
• Visa (Ryan ⁠McInerney)

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MacDailyNews Take: As we wrote last week:

Hopes are high for a solid U.S.-China trade deal that delivers genuinely reciprocal trade.

America’s economy is already raring to go — resilient, innovative, and powered by AI-driven productivity gains, strong business investment, and years of pent-up demand. American ingenuity is locked and loaded. A smart agreement that opens markets, protects intellectual property, and levels the playing field would be pure rocket fuel.

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Vanity Fair is out with an excerpt from “Steve Jobs in Exile: The Untold Story of NeXT and the Remaking of an American Visionary” by Geoffrey Cain, to be published on May 19th.

Geoffrey Cain via Vanity Fair:
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One by one, Apple’s six senior leaders in the room voiced their discontent with the quagmire. Four of them again sided with John [Sculley], while the other two stayed neutral. Then the board made its decision. Though directors had grievances with John’s leadership, their complaints weren’t serious enough to justify firing him at this point. And they still felt that Steve was too immature to be a viable alternative—just as many had warned Steve they would.

Steve flopped his head down on the table. Gone was his bravado. Gone were his typical color and confidence. Gone was his driving spirit. Apple’s visionary sat deflated before his board after being rejected for a second time.

“Well,” he said, voice trembling. “I guess I know where things stand.” Then he stood up and left the room. No one followed.

One week later, on May 31, 1985, Steve was formally exiled to his new role as head of a made-up unit… Steve was allowed to bring only his assistant and a security guard with him. Few coworkers called to check in. Corporate reports stopped flowing to his desk. “Steve was out in the cold everywhere at that point,” recalled Macintosh financial controller Susan Barnes who had previously reported to him. “It was amazing to see how ostracized he was in the Valley… It was really cruel.”

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MacDailyNews Take: Steve Jobs had to be exiled from Apple in order to become the man who could save it.

Pre-order Steve Jobs in Exile: The Untold Story of NeXT and the Remaking of an American Visionary here.

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Apple and Google have led a cross-industry effort to bring end-to-end encryption to Rich Communication Services (RCS), making the cross-platform messaging format that replaces traditional SMS more secure and private.

Starting today, end-to-end encrypted RCS messaging begins rolling out in beta for iPhone users running iOS 26.5 with supported carriers and Android users on the latest version of Google Messages. When RCS messages are end-to-end encrypted, they can’t be read while they’re sent between devices. Users will know that a conversation is end-to-end encrypted when they see a new lock icon in their RCS chats. Encryption is on by default and will be automatically enabled over time for new and existing RCS conversations.

iMessage was built with privacy in mind and has always been end-to-end encrypted. It remains the best way to communicate between Apple devices.

MacDailyNews Take: Still green? Yeah, we see you.

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Apple today pushed out the latest point updates across its mobile platforms: iOS 26.5, iPadOS 26.5, and watchOS 26.5. While not a massive feature-packed release like the initial iOS 26 launch last September, today’s updates deliver meaningful refinements, security improvements, new customization options, and several under-the-hood enhancements that users will notice in daily use.

What’s New in iOS 26.5 & iPadOS 26.5

The updates focus on polish rather than revolution, but several additions stand out:

• End-to-end encrypted RCS messaging support: Apple has expanded advanced messaging capabilities with full end-to-end encryption for RCS conversations when communicating with Android users. This brings cross-platform chats closer to the security level of iMessage.

• Smarter Maps suggestions and Ads in Maps: Apple Maps now offers more intelligent, context-aware route and place suggestions. The company has also begun rolling out (opt-in) advertising within Maps, a new revenue stream that promises highly relevant local business promotions.

• Pride Harmony wallpaper with extensive customization: A vibrant new Pride-themed wallpaper arrives with deep personalization options for colors, patterns, and animations—perfect for celebrating diversity throughout the year.

• Performance and battery tweaks: Users report snappier animations, faster app launching, and slightly improved battery life on both iPhone and iPad models, especially older supported devices like the iPhone 11 series and iPad Pro (3rd gen) and later.

Bug fixes and security updates: As usual, Apple addressed dozens of vulnerabilities and minor issues carried over from iOS 26.4.2. The company strongly encourages everyone to update promptly.

Additional smaller changes include refined Apple Intelligence behaviors, better handling of notifications in Focus modes, and continued expansion of the Liquid Glass design language introduced in iOS 26.

watchOS 26.5 Highlights

The Apple Watch update mirrors many of the system-level improvements while adding watch-specific touches:

• Wrist flick to dismiss notifications — A convenient new gesture lets you quickly clear alerts with a simple flick of the wrist.

• Enhanced Workout Buddy features — Smarter real-time coaching and motivational prompts during runs, lifts, and other activities.

• Performance optimizations — Better power efficiency and smoother interface responsiveness across Series 6 and newer models (including the latest Ultra 3 and Series 11).

How to Update

The new software is available now over-the-air. Simply go to:

• Settings > General > Software Update on iPhone or iPad

• Watch app > General > Software Update on your paired iPhone for the Watch

Apple recommends backing up your devices before installing, and the updates are compatible with all devices that already run iOS 26 / iPadOS 26 / watchOS 26.

MacDailyNews Take: iOS 26.5 is a classic “spring cleaning” release—nothing flashy, but the kind of update that makes your devices feel fresher and more reliable. With iOS 27 likely on the horizon later this year, today’s release keeps the current generation in excellent shape while quietly laying groundwork for future features.

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Apple just dropped a fresh round of updates for its less headline-grabbing platforms: tvOS 26.5, visionOS 26.5, and HomePod software 26.5. If you’re hoping for flashy new features, you might want to temper your expectations — this one is all about refinement.

What’s Actually New?

According to Apple’s release notes, these updates contain “performance and stability improvements.” That’s code for: no major user-facing changes. The 26.5 betas have been out for over a month, and even the most dedicated testers haven’t uncovered significant additions. Apple is clearly saving its creative energy for the next major cycle.

Why This Update Still Matters

Even without new bells and whistles, these releases are worth installing. Minor updates like this often include important security patches, bug fixes, and under-the-hood optimizations that keep your devices running smoothly — especially critical for always-on hardware like Apple TV and HomePod.

• Apple TV 4K owners get a more stable experience for streaming, gaming, and AirPlay.

• Apple Vision Pro users benefit from better reliability in what remains Apple’s most ambitious (and demanding) platform.

• HomePod and HomePod mini users should see improved audio performance, Siri responsiveness, and smart home stability.

Apple continues to stress the importance of keeping all your devices updated for the best security and compatibility across the ecosystem.

Eyes on WWDC and the 27 Releases

The real excitement is already building for tvOS 27, visionOS 27, and the next HomePod update. Apple will unveil those features at WWDC 2026 next month (starting June 8th). If history is any guide, we’ll see bigger leaps in Apple Intelligence integration, spatial computing, and smarter home entertainment experiences.
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MacDailyNews Take: Today’s 26.5 updates are the software equivalent of a mid-season tune-up—nothing revolutionary, but essential maintenance that keeps the machine running at peak performance. Go ahead and update when you’re prompted.

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Apple continues its strong push to highlight the Mac as the ultimate creative and productive tool, this time with a fresh video aimed squarely at students heading into or already navigating college life.

Titled “Mac Students: The journey to great ideas in college,” the video showcases how MacBooks empower students to brainstorm, problem-solve, and bring ambitious projects to life. It emphasizes the Mac’s role in turning raw ideas into reality — perfect timing amid surging demand for Apple’s latest hardware, including the MacBook Neo and high-end Mac mini/Mac Studio models driven by AI capabilities.

The ad captures real-world student scenarios: late-night study sessions, collaborative group projects, and creative workflows where the Mac’s performance, battery life, and seamless ecosystem make all the difference. It’s part of Apple’s broader “Great Ideas Start Here” campaign, which positions the Mac as the starting point for innovation, whether in education, professional work, or personal creativity.
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MacDailyNews Take: This student-focused spot arrives as Apple reports record interest in its Mac lineup. With Apple Silicon powering impressive AI features and unmatched efficiency, the Mac is attracting both longtime fans and first-time switchers.

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Apple TV’s “Widow’s Bay,” the eerie horror-comedy series created by Katie Dippold and starring Matthew Rhys, has captivated audiences with its atmospheric New England island visuals — rich, inky blacks, painterly coastal mist, and a hauntingly detailed look that blends charm with dread. Much of that visual magic comes down to the sophisticated equipment chosen by cinematographer Christian Sprenger, ASC (known for his work on “Atlanta”).

The Gear That Defines “Widow’s Bay”

The production relied on high-end digital cinema tools provided by Keslow Camera. Industry discussions and early technical breakdowns confirm that Sprenger paired the Sony VENICE (likely a VENICE 2) camera system with vintage Canon K35 prime lenses. These classic 1970s lenses are renowned for their fast apertures (typically T/1.3 or T/1.5), beautiful organic rendering, and creamy fall-off that delivers a soft, painterly quality with exceptional character in highlights and skin tones.

The combination of the Sony VENICE’s outstanding dynamic range and color science with the K35s’ vintage optics helped create the series’ signature moody, textured, and filmic aesthetic—perfect for the show’s blend of coastal beauty and creeping horror—without heavy reliance on post-production effects. The fast primes also excelled in the challenging handheld, splash-bag, and rugged location work in Massachusetts.

Similar High-End Gear in Apple TV’s “Silo”

Apple TV’s acclaimed dystopian series “Silo” also embraced premium large-format tools to achieve its claustrophobic yet epic underground world. Cinematographers including David Luther, Kiesha, and Laurie Rose (among others) captured the show primarily on the ARRI Alexa Mini LF paired with Caldwell Chameleon anamorphic lenses.

These Chameleons — custom-developed by Caldwell based on Panavision anamorphic glass — provided a distinctive cinematic compression, characterful fall-off, beautiful flares, and organic edge distortion. The anamorphic look enhanced the series’ sense of confinement and scale on the massive silo sets while maintaining the sharp, high-dynamic-range imaging the Alexa LF family is known for.

Other Productions Using Similar or the Same Equipment

Apple TV and other premium streamers frequently invest in top-tier gear for a cinematic edge. Here are notable examples sharing similar large-format or high-end setups:

• Sony VENICE (often with vintage or specialized lenses like the Canon K35s) appears in many prestige TV productions for its color science and modularity. It’s a go-to for narrative work needing flexibility on location, much like the coastal shoots in “Widow’s Bay.”

• ARRI Alexa Mini LF and its large-format siblings deliver expansive resolution and shallow depth of field for epic scope, as seen in Silo and other ambitious Apple projects.

• Vintage Canon K35s and Caldwell Chameleons (both from specialist rental houses like Keslow and ARRI Rental) reflect a growing trend toward character-driven optics that give premium television a timeless, organic aesthetic.

“Widow’s Bay” and “Silo” prove that thoughtful gear choices (especially pairing modern digital cinema bodies with vintage or custom lenses) can elevate storytelling, whether it’s misty coastal horror or buried dystopian tension. If you’re a cinephile or filmmaker, these Apple TV productions highlight how far premium television cinematography has come.
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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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Wedbush Securities’ Daniel Ives told CNBC that the Nasdaq is headed to 30,000 points over the next year.

A strong tech earnings season has replaced investor jitters with fresh enthusiasm for AI capital expenditure plans.

“These earnings have validated the AI bullish thesis… The haters will hate, and we know that,” Ives said.

Kai Nicol-Schwarz for CNBC:
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The Nasdaq will rise to 30,000 points in the next year as a bumper earnings season continues to bolster enthusiasm for AI stocks, Dan Ives, managing director at Wedbush Securities, told CNBC’s Squawk Box Europe on Monday.

At close on Friday the Nasdaq Composite ended at 26,247.08, marking a 12.93% increase so far this year.

“These earnings have validated the AI bullish thesis,” Ives said. “Demand and supply is 10-1 for chips. We are in the early days still of the AI revolution. The haters will hate, and we know that.”

Ives is backing the AI rally to continue for another two years.

“It’s a memory super-cycle,” he said, referring to the unprecedented demand for memory chips sparked by a rapid AI infrastructure buildout. “When it comes to SK Hynix [and other memory companies] we’re very bullish in what we’re seeing there.”

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MacDailyNews Take:

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Apple TV’s smash hit “The Studio” on Sunday evening landed a 2026 British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) TV Award in the International category, officially becoming the first comedy in history to sweep all major awards in a single season. In addition to landing Apple TV its first win in the International category, “The Studio” is now the most-awarded series of the year, the most-awarded freshman comedy ever and the first comedy to win the International category at the BAFTA Television Awards in a decade. Apple landed 15 nominations overall for the 2026 BAFTA Television Awards. Last month, Apple was recognized with two wins at the 2026 BAFTA Television Craft Awards, including Writer: Drama for “Slow Horses” and Director: Factual for “Vietnam: The War That Changed America.” The BAFTA Television Awards recognize the best British programs, performances and productions each year.

“The historic journey of ‘The Studio’ has been nothing short of astounding,” said Matt Cherniss, Apple TV’s head of programming. “The show’s sweeping success is a testament to the extraordinary talent, creativity and innovation of Seth, Evan and the entire creative team and cast. The series has resonated deeply with audiences worldwide, bringing laughter to millions. We couldn’t be prouder of the team’s monumental achievement and the way ‘The Studio’ has redefined what’s possible for comedy on a global scale.”

“The Studio” is the most Emmy-winning freshman comedy in history with 13 wins, including Outstanding Comedy and Outstanding Lead Actor Seth Rogen. The series has also been recognized with Golden Globe Award wins for Best Comedy and Best Actor in a Comedy Seth Rogen; Critics Choice Award wins for Best Comedy, Best Actor in a Comedy Seth Rogen and Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Ike Barinholtz; and is one of the few series to land the Golden Globe, Emmy and Critics Choice Awards for Best Comedy. Further record-breaking honors for “The Studio” include an American Film Institute Award for TV Program of the Year, and a sweep at The Actor Awards with wins including Outstanding Ensemble, Outstanding Male Actor Seth Rogen and Outstanding Female Actor Catherine O’Hara, in addition to wins for the Producers Guild, Writers Guild, Directors Guild, American Cinema Editors, Art Directors Guild, Cinema Audio Society, Casting Society Artios Awards, Costume Designers Guild, American Society of Cinematographers, and The Make-Up & Hair Stylists Guild, among many others.

These wins mark the latest recognition from the BAFTA Television Awards for Apple, following four wins in 2025, including Editing: Fiction and Sound: Fiction for “Slow Horses,” Original Music: Fiction for “Bad Sisters” and Children’s Craft Team for “The Velveteen Rabbit”; and four wins in 2024 including Editing: Fiction and Sound: Fiction for “Slow Horses,” as well as Production Design and Original Music: Fiction for world-building hit “Silo.” “Bad Sisters” earned a Titles & Graphic Identity win in 2023, as well as a Drama Series win and a Supporting Actress win for series star Anne-Marie Duff. The celebrated limited series “The Essex Serpent” landed a Costume Design win for first-time BAFTA winner Jane Petrie in 2023, and in 2022, “9/11: Inside the President’s War Room” won Editing: Factual, and “1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything” won Sound: Factual.
To date, Apple Original films, documentaries and series have been honored with 817 wins and 3,498 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.

Apple landed three wins for the 2026 BAFTA Television Awards, including:

“The Studio” – International

“Slow Horses” – Writer: Drama — Will Smith

“Vietnam: The War That Changed America” – Director: Factual — Rob Coldstream

“The Studio”

In “The Studio,” Seth Rogen stars as Matt Remick, the newly appointed head of embattled Continental Studios. As movies struggle to stay alive and relevant, Matt and his core team of infighting executives battle their insecurities as they wrangle narcissistic artists and craven corporate overlords in the ever-elusive pursuit of making great films. With their power suits masking their never-ending sense of panic, every party, set visit, casting decision, marketing meeting and award show presents them with an opportunity for glittering success or career-ending catastrophe. As someone who eats, sleeps and breathes movies, it’s the job Matt’s been pursuing his whole life, and it may very well destroy him.
Watch “The Studio” on Apple TV.

“Slow Horses”

This darkly funny espionage drama follows a team of British intelligence agents who serve in a dumping ground department of MI5 due to their career-ending mistakes. Led by their brilliant but irascible leader, the notorious Jackson Lamb (Academy Award winner Sir Gary Oldman), they navigate the espionage world’s smoke and mirrors to defend England from sinister forces.

“Vietnam: The War That Changed America”

Ethan Hawke narrates this deeply profound look at what it was like to live through one of history’s longest wars, as told through first-person accounts and rarely seen footage.

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.

MacDailyNews Take: Congratulations to all of the casts and crews of the winning productions!

Kudos especially to Apple TV, Seth Rogen et al. for gaming the system so proficiently with “The Studio.” If “make us an awards magnet” was the assignment, Seth Rogen understood it and aced the test.

“The Studio” is custom-made to win awards. There’s nothing more that Hollywood loves than itself. “The Studio” should rack up awards for as many seasons as it lasts. – MacDailyNews, September 15, 2025

There are myriad examples of movies and TV shows about the business of making movies/TV shows that reaped industry praise and awards — i.e., Hollywood celebrating and congratulating itself (and, yes, some of the following deserved to be recognized):

Movies:
• Sunset Boulevard (1950)
• Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
• The Player (1992)
• The Artist (2011)
• Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)
• Argo (2012)
• La La Land (2016)
• Babylon (2022)

TV:
• The Larry Sanders Show (1992–1998)
• Entourage (2004–2011)
• 30 Rock (2006–2013)
• Episodes (2011–2017)
• The Studio (2025–)

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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Apple’s macOS 26 Tahoe has sparked more controversy than its iOS 26 and iPadOS counterparts, and the company is now moving to address the backlash.

While the Mac update introduced the same Liquid Glass interface as iOS 26, the new design language hasn’t adapted as well to the larger displays and different input methods of desktops and laptops. According to Bloomberg News‘ Mark Gurman, Apple is preparing what insiders are calling a “slight redesign” for macOS 27, with the goal of fixing the shadows and transparency quirks.

Mark Gurman for Bloomberg News:
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Liquid Glass itself isn’t going away… It’s simply being refined. I also expect iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 to include a range of interface tweaks, though nothing will be too dramatic. The goal is more of a cleanup and refinement effort aligned with the company’s wider push to polish its software this year.

In fact, the changes to macOS are meant to make Liquid Glass look the way Apple’s design team intended it to from the start. Last year’s operating systems didn’t necessarily suffer from design problems, I’m told, but rather a not-completely-baked implementation from Apple’s software engineering team.

The cleanup approach isn’t unusual for Apple. After the company redesigned iOS 7 with flatter-looking interface elements in 2013, it spent the following year refining the software with iOS 8. The iOS 7 changes were similarly significant, adding glass effects, more dramatic transparency and updated shadowing throughout the interface.

Beyond adjusting the look of Liquid Glass, Apple will focus on bug fixes, battery-life upgrades and performance improvements.

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MacDailyNews Take: Clean up in aisle 26! macOS Tahoe’s Liquid Glass is leaving quite the mess on bigger Mac displays. Good thing Apple’s already grabbing the mop for macOS 27.

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In a significant development for the tech and semiconductor industries, Apple and Intel have struck a preliminary agreement under which Intel will manufacture some of the chips that power Apple devices. The news, reported by Robbie Whelan and Rolfe Winkler for The Wall Street Journal on May 8, 2026, marks a notable comeback effort for Intel and highlights ongoing efforts to strengthen domestic U.S. chip production.

Deal Details and Background

According to people familiar with the matter, intensive talks between the two companies have been underway for more than a year, culminating in a formal preliminary deal in recent months. Bloomberg had previously reported on the discussions. It remains unclear exactly which Apple products will use Intel-manufactured chips—Apple ships over 200 million iPhones annually, along with millions of iPads and Macs—but the partnership represents a diversification of Apple’s supply chain.

Both companies declined to comment officially.

The Role of the Trump Administration

The U.S. government played a pivotal role in facilitating the deal. Last summer, the Trump administration converted nearly $9 billion in federal grants into a roughly 10% stake in Intel. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has been actively engaging with tech leaders, including Apple’s Tim Cook, to encourage partnerships with Intel. President Trump personally advocated for the collaboration in a White House meeting with Cook.

This fits into a broader pattern: Intel has now secured partnerships with Apple, Nvidia (which invested $5 billion and will use Intel for custom data center CPUs), and Elon Musk’s companies (for a new Texas chip plant serving Tesla, xAI, and SpaceX).

Trump has publicly praised the developments, noting in January that government backing helped attract major partners: “As soon as we went in, Apple went in, Nvidia went in, a lot of smart people went in.”

Intel’s Turnaround Efforts Under Lip-Bu Tan

Intel’s foundry business (which manufactures chips for itself and external clients) had struggled for years due to technical setbacks and lost customers. New CEO Lip-Bu Tan, who took over in spring 2025, has focused on revitalization—investing in advanced processes like 14A, reshaping leadership (including hiring ex-TSMC talent), and pursuing high-profile deals.

Following the U.S. government investment, Intel’s stock rose sharply. On the day of the WSJ report, shares jumped 7.5% to near record highs around $118.

Apple’s Supply Chain Pressures

Apple has long relied heavily on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) for its custom Arm-based chips (used in iPhones, iPads, and Macs since the 2020 shift away from Intel-designed processors). Surging AI demand from companies like Nvidia has strained TSMC capacity, leading to supply constraints for Apple. Tim Cook has cited chip availability issues on recent earnings calls, affecting iPhone and Mac shipments.

This deal gives Apple an additional supplier and supports U.S. efforts to reduce reliance on overseas manufacturing for advanced chips. TSMC remains far ahead in manufacturing prowess compared to Intel or Samsung, but the agreement provides Apple with more options for older, non-cutting-edge chips.

Broader Implications

• For Intel: A major validation of its foundry ambitions and a boost to its efforts to compete globally.

• For Apple: Greater supply chain resilience amid geopolitical tensions and capacity crunches.

• For America: Progress toward bringing advanced chip manufacturing back home, aligning with national security and economic goals.

MacDailyNews Note: This story is still developing, as the full scope of the Apple-Intel collaboration (e.g., specific processes or products) has not been disclosed.

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Apple is tightening its education pricing program with a new verification process that officially rolls out in the United States today. The change aims to reduce abuse of discounted pricing while making it easier for legitimate students, teachers, and homeschool educators to access savings.

Stricter Verification Starts Now

Previously, U.S. customers could often purchase Apple products at education rates through the online Education Store without rigorous checks. Starting May 8, 2026, Apple requires eligibility verification for both online and in-store education purchases.

The company has partnered with Unidays to handle the automated verification. Most users should receive instant approval after submitting enrollment details or faculty documentation. In some cases, it may take up to 24 hours for review.

You can complete verification ahead of time through Apple’s education portal, whether you’re shopping online or planning a store visit. This should help speed up the in-store process significantly.

Countries Now Requiring Verification

The expansion brings stricter checks to several new regions for the first time:

• United States
• Australia
• Canada
• Chile
• Hong Kong
• Turkey

Many other countries already had similar verification systems in place.

Good News for Homeschool Teachers

Apple’s updated program now makes it easier for homeschool educators to qualify. By providing the necessary identification numbers and supporting materials, homeschool teachers can receive approval through the same streamlined process.

Why the Change Matters

Education pricing often delivers significant savings — up to 16% on certain products like the new MacBook Neo. With tighter margins on newer hardware, Apple wants to ensure discounts go only to eligible buyers.

This mirrors Apple’s existing military purchase program, which has used verification for some time.

Apple Watch Now Eligible

In a related update announced yesterday, Apple expanded education pricing to include the Apple Watch for the first time in several countries, including the US. Eligible students and teachers can now receive approximately 10% off.

How to Get Started

1. Visit Apple’s Education Store.
2. Start the purchase process or use the verification portal directly.
3. Complete the Unidays verification with your school details or documentation.

Once approved, enjoy your discounted purchase — in-store or online.

This post is based on reporting by Andrew O’Hara at AppleInsider. Read the full original article here: Apple Store education purchase verification process expands to US.
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MacDailyNews Take: This update strikes a balance between protecting Apple’s education program and maintaining convenient access for real students and educators.

Beloved, highly esteemed interns: Please, posthaste, undertake your most sacred duty and Tap That Keg! Prost, everyone!

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

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In Nasdaq trading today, shares of Apple Inc. (AAPL) rose $5.90 to $293.32 to hit a new all-time closing high. Apple today also set a new all-time intraday high of $294.76.

Apple’s 52-week low stands at $193.46.

Today’s trading volume for AAPL shares was 45,708,423 versus Apple’s average trading volume of 44,251,414 shares.

Apple’s PE Ratio currently stands at 35.55.

Apple currently has a market value of $4.308 trillion, making it the world’s third-most valuable company.

The top five U.S. publicly-traded companies, based on market value:

1. NVIDIA (NVDA) – $5.230T
2. Alphabet (GOOGL) – $4.856T
3. Apple (AAPL) – $4.223T
4. Microsoft (MSFT) – $3.084T
5. Amazon (AMZN) – $2.933T

Selected companies’ current market values:

• Taiwan Semi (TSM) – $2.135T
• Tesla (TSLA) – $1.609T
• Meta Platforms (META) – $1.547T

• Walmart (WMT) – $1.040B
• Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A) – $1.032T
• Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) – $742.233B
• Intel (INTC) – $627.848B
• Cisco (CSCO) – $381.441B
• Netflix (NFLX) – $368.403B

• SoftBank (SFTBF) – $228.919B
• IBM (IBM) – $215.948B
• Disney (DIS) – $187.578B
• Dell (DELL) – $169.348B
• Sony (SONY) – $119.044B
• Adobe (ADBE) – $102.279B
• Spotify (SPOT) – $85.914B
• Nokia (NOK) – $71.568B
• Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) – $20.820B
• SiriusXM (SIRI) – $9.122B
• BlackBerry (BB) – $3.745B
• Sonos (SONO) – $1.794B
• RealNetworks (RNWK) was delisted from U.S. exchanges on December 21, 2022 and is no longer publicly traded.

Apple all-time high (AAPL) via NASDAQ here.

MacDailyNews Take: To the moon, Alice! To the moon!

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Apple TV announced that the new three-part docuseries, “The Dynasty: UConn Huskies,” featuring the legendary University of Connecticut (UConn) women’s basketball team, will premiere globally on Friday, August 21, 2026. Spanning 40 years of the program’s historic run under Hall of Fame head coach Geno Auriemma, “The Dynasty: UConn Huskies” is directed by Emmy Award winner Matthew Hamachek under his first-look deal with Apple, and Emmy Award nominee Erica Sashin. The series is produced for Apple TV by Skydance Sports, the award-winning premium content studio housed under Paramount Sports Entertainment.

Featuring exclusive interviews with the 2025 National Championship team — No. 1 2025 WNBA Draft pick Paige Bueckers, No. 1 2026 WNBA Draft pick Azzi Fudd, 2026 collegiate National Player of the Year Sarah Strong, KK Arnold, and Jana El Alfy — alongside voices from across generations of UConn basketball, the series offers a rare, inside look at the players carrying the program forward while reflecting on the legacy that built it.

In 1985, the UConn women’s basketball program had just one winning season. What followed was a transformation led by Auriemma and defined by an iconic lineage of players — from Rebecca Lobo and Swin Cash to Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore, and Breanna Stewart — establishing the Huskies as the gold standard of college basketball. In total, UConn has won 12 national championships, more than any other team, men or women, in the history of NCAA Division I basketball.

Under the leadership of the iconic, and at times polarizing, Auriemma, whose vision and intensity helped define the program’s identity, UConn built a culture rooted in discipline, accountability and an unrelenting pursuit of excellence. That culture has produced generations of elite athletes and sustained a level of dominance rarely seen in sports, while also revealing the demands, tensions and personal costs that come with maintaining such an exacting standard.

“The Dynasty: UConn Huskies” traces that journey in full — blending never-before-seen archival footage, incisive interviews and intimate access to players, coaches, alumni and more — revealing how a program built over decades continues to define the standard today.

“The Dynasty: UConn Huskies” is a Skydance Sports production, with Learfield Studios and Revue Studios executive producing. Executive producers are Jesse Sisgold, Jason T. Reed, Jon Weinbach, Lauren Gaffney, Sashin, Hamachek, Lindsay Kagawa Colas, Grant Jones, Jon Liebman, and Zoe Rogovin.

“The Dynasty: UConn Huskies” joins Apple’s expanding offering of nonfiction programming featuring the biggest stories in sports, including “Fight for Glory: 2024 World Series,” featuring the revival of MLB’s most iconic playoff rivalry between the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers; “Onside: Major League Soccer,” going beyond the pitch with unprecedented access to players, coaches and clubs during the 2024 season; “Messi’s World Cup: The Rise of a Legend,” the first official and definitive account of Messi’s sensational career with the Argentina national team and his five FIFA World Cup appearances, including his 2022 win; and “Stephen Curry: Underrated,” the remarkable coming-of-age story of one of the most influential, dynamic and unexpected players in the history of basketball, Stephen Curry, among many others.

Apple TV offers premium, compelling drama and comedy series, feature films, groundbreaking documentaries, live sports, 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 earned 816 wins and 3,498 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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