Apple claimed 20% of the global smartphone market in Q2 2026—its highest second-quarter share ever—by holding prices flat while competitors raised theirs due to rising component costs. The memory chip shortage forced smaller vendors to choose between absorbing losses or pricing themselves out of the market, leaving Apple and Samsung as the only major players with enough supply-chain leverage to stay competitive.
Apple held prices flat while competitors raised theirs during a memory chip shortage, capturing a record 20% global smartphone market share in Q2 2026. The strategy made iPhones look like the affordable option, driving 3% shipment growth even as the overall market contracted 11%.
Apple is building a new API that lets third-party accessories like Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses pair across your Apple devices like AirPods do today. The feature, triggered by EU regulation, will launch in spring 2027 and initially be available only to European users.
The White House leveraged tariff negotiations to pressure Apple into routing chip manufacturing through Intel, according to newly reported details of summer 2025 talks between President Trump and CEO Tim Cook. While Apple secured semiconductor tariff relief, the deal’s specifics remain vague, with neither company officially confirming details about volumes, timelines, or which chips Intel will produce.
Apple is skipping the M6 Pro and Max chips entirely, releasing only a base M6 before jumping to the M7 in 2027—a first for Apple Silicon. The acceleration prioritizes AI capabilities over Apple’s traditional chip release schedule, signaling how urgently the company views on-device AI competition.
Apple’s iOS 27 and macOS Golden Gate public betas arrive this week, marking the first chance for everyday users to test the next operating systems. Unlike recent cycles, these betas feel “snappier and more reliable” with a focus on stability rather than major features, though Siri AI arrives with limited access via waitlist.
Apple is skipping the entire M6 Pro and M6 Max lineup, jumping straight to M7 chips optimized for AI. The move reveals Apple’s true priority: designing silicon for cloud AI servers, not just Macs.
OpenAI faces Apple’s detailed trade secret lawsuit alleging job candidates brought physical prototypes to interviews and former employees helped approach Apple’s suppliers using confidential manufacturing knowledge. The case puts legal scrutiny on OpenAI’s partnership with io Products and whether a former Apple hardware executive’s institutional knowledge crossed legal lines.
Apple accuses OpenAI of building its AI hardware business using confidential information obtained through departing employees who allegedly brought unreleased products and components to job interviews. The lawsuit reflects Apple’s concerns about OpenAI’s hardware ambitions, which directly compete with its core product lines.
Apple alleges OpenAI systematically recruited its employees to steal confidential information, with former Apple executive Tang Tan coaching new hires on evading security protocols. The lawsuit claims another ex-employee kept unauthorized access to Apple systems and downloaded dozens of confidential documents while working at OpenAI.