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Apple posts biggest sales quarter in China in four years

Tue, 2026-02-03 09:12

Apple reported $25.5 billion in sales from its Greater China segment for the fiscal first quarter ended December 27, 2025, marking a 38% year-over-year surge that far exceeded Wall Street’s average forecast of $21.8 billion.

CEO Tim Cook credited the standout performance to a massive wave of smartphone upgraders and switchers from competing platforms, which propelled the installed base in Greater China — and specifically mainland China — to all-time highs.

“It was the best iPhone quarter in history in Greater China,” Cook said, highlighting the iPhone 17 lineup as the key driver behind the record results. He also pointed to strong momentum in other international markets, including India, where the company achieved a December quarter revenue record across iPhone, iPad, and Mac categories.

Mark Gurman for Bloomberg News:

The numbers cap a surprising recovery for the company, which has struggled to regain momentum in China — a onetime growth engine. The revenue was Apple’s second-highest quarterly total ever in the region, nearing a holiday-quarter record of $25.8 billion from four years ago.

Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook attributed the performance to a surge in smartphone upgraders. Switchers from other platforms also grew by a double-digit percentage, he said. That increased the installed base in greater China and mainland China to all-time records.

Cook added that retail store traffic in China grew by a double-digit rate as well. Moreover, the majority of buyers of non-iPhones, such as Apple Watches, iPads and Macs, are new to those product lines in China, he said.

Apple made inroads in other overseas markets as well. India set a December quarter record for the iPhone, iPad and Mac, as well as an all-time tally for services. “We really like what we see there,” Cook said, adding that India remains a strong opportunity given the company’s still-modest market share.


MacDailyNews Take: Nice China performance, but the headroom for Apple in India is almost immeasurable!


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Apple stock surges 3% on analyst upgrades and bullish notes

Tue, 2026-02-03 06:20

Apple stock is surging today, February 2, 2026, rising approximately 3% in midday trading amid renewed bullish sentiment from Wall Street analysts following the company’s blockbuster fiscal Q1 2026 earnings.

As of around 2:00 PM EST, AAPL was trading at $266.98–$267.02, up roughly $7.50 from Friday’s close of $259.48. The stock opened near $260, dipped to a low of about $259.20, and climbed to a high of $267.14, with trading volume surpassing 35 million shares. This move extends the positive momentum from late January’s earnings release, where Apple reported record revenue of $143.8 billion (up 16% year-over-year) and EPS of $2.84, driven by “staggering” demand for the iPhone 17 lineup, which generated a record $85.3 billion in revenue (up 23%).

Analyst upgrades and price target increases have fueled today’s gains, as firms reassess Apple’s outlook amid strong iPhone momentum, a China rebound, and AI ecosystem potential despite some margin pressures from rising memory costs.

Key recent analyst actions include:

• Wedbush’s Dan Ives maintained an Outperform rating and holds a high price target of $350, emphasizing Apple’s AI catalysts and ecosystem strength.

• JPMorgan’s Samik Chatterjee maintained an Overweight rating and raised the price target from $315 to $325, citing resilient margins and favorable supplier contracts.

• Goldman Sachs’ Michael Ng maintained a Buy rating and lifted the target from $320 to $330.

• Bernstein SocGen reiterated Outperform with a $325 target, aligning with Apple’s guided 13–16% revenue growth for fiscal Q2.

• BofA Securities reiterated Buy at $325, highlighting solid App Store momentum.

• Phillip Securities Research’s Helena Wang upgraded from Reduce to Hold (Neutral) with a $260 target, noting improved fundamentals but caution on valuation and memory cost headwinds.

• Rosenblatt’s Barton Crockett maintained Neutral but raised the target from $250 to $267.

Analyst quotes underscore the optimism:

• Wedbush’s Dan Ives has described 2026 as potentially “the year that Apple finally breaks out” on AI and iPhone cycles.

• In post-earnings commentary, analysts like those at TipRanks highlighted the “powerful iPhone 17 cycle” and “sharp rebound in China,” with one noting Apple’s fastest revenue growth in four years.

• JPMorgan emphasized that higher memory costs are unlikely to significantly hurt margins due to long-term supplier agreements.

• Overall Wall Street consensus remains Moderate Buy, with average price targets around $287–$305, implying 8–15% upside from recent levels.

While some concerns linger around supply constraints (e.g., advanced-node chips and NAND pricing) and regulatory scrutiny, today’s rally reflects investor confidence in Apple’s ability to capitalize on iPhone reacceleration, Apple Intelligence features, and a massive 2.5+ billion active device base.

MacDailyNews Take: Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this Groundhog Day and predicted six more weeks of winter, but when he peeked at AAPL’s chart, he saw Apple’s stock popping, surging over 2.8% to around $267. No shadow of doubt, looks like an early spring rally for AAPL shareholders!


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Apple Music celebrates Bad Bunny’s Road to Halftime ahead of Super Bowl LX

Tue, 2026-02-03 05:32
Fans can get ready for Bad Bunny’s Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show with his Road to Halftime collection on Apple Music.

Apple Music is celebrating Bad Bunny’s Road to Halftime with a spotlight on the artist.

“This is a special full-circle moment for us,” said Rachel Newman, Apple Music’s co-head, in a statement. “Bad Bunny’s an artist that we’ve championed from the very beginning, when our editors discovered his work and contacted him directly about bringing it to Apple Music. To have him as a headliner of the Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show feels like the culmination of a deep, long-term partnership that spans most of the last decade, at a time period in which he’s forever changed global pop music.”

Bad Bunny recently shared the first-look trailer shot in Puerto Rico in the lead-up to the Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show on Sunday, February 8th, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

On Thursday, February 5th, at 10 a.m. PT, Apple Music Radio hosts Zane Lowe and Ebro Darden will sit down with Bad Bunny at the Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show press conference for the headliner’s official interview at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Viewers can tune in live or watch on demand on Apple Music; on YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and X; or on the NFL Network.

Before the interview, fans can also catch the Apple Music Radio pre-show at 9 a.m. PT, live from the new Apple Music Los Angeles studio, featuring Apple Music Radio hosts Evelyn Sicairos and Eddie Francis. The show will highlight Apple Music’s biggest moments of the past year and feature special guests during a look back at iconic halftime performances.

Starting February 5th, Apple Music Radio will kick off four days of Super Bowl programming live from the Apple Music Radio studio in Los Angeles. Apple Music 1 will celebrate Bad Bunny and his highly anticipated halftime performance, leaning into the sounds and culture of Puerto Rico with music by DJ Gusto and Chuwi performing throughout the hour.

MacDailyNews Note: Apple Music’s “Live from L.A.” Super Bowl broadcasts will run all weekend long, from Thursday to Sunday, with in-studio and FaceTime interviews, live performances, check-ins from talent on the ground in the Bay Area, plus in-studio radio hour takeovers from artists, athletes, songwriters, and collaborators of Bad Bunny’s. Simultaneously on Apple Música Uno, there will be nonstop Bad Bunny music messages from fans.


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Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak signed 1976 Apple Computer check No.1 sells for $2.4 million

Tue, 2026-02-03 03:28
Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak signed 1976 Apple Computer check No.1

A Wells Fargo bank check, 7.5 x 3, filled out and signed by Steve Jobs, “steven jobs,” and countersigned by Steve Wozniak, “Steve Wozniak,” payable to Howard Cantin for $500, dated March 16, 1976, has sold at auction for $2,409,886.

This temporary check, issued upon opening Apple’s first bank account, bears the same routing and account numbers as the other early Apple Computer Company checks we have offered; remarkably, this was the very first check to be drawn on the account, paying Howard Cantin for his services as the designer of the Apple-1 printed circuit board (PCB). The later checks carrying this account number were imprinted with Apple’s first official address at ‘770 Welch Rd., Ste. 154, Palo Alto’ — the location of an answering service and mail drop that they used while still operating out of the famous Jobs family garage.

RR Auction:

Marked as check “No. 1,” this historically important check pre-dates the official founding of Apple Computer, Inc.—some sixteen days later, on April 1, 1976, co-founders Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne would sign the partnership agreement that officially brought Apple Computer into existence. The agreement assigned 45% of the company to each of the Steves, and 10% to Wayne. It also required any expenditure over $100 to be approved by two of the partners—perhaps the reason that both Jobs and Woz signed this check.

During this early period, Jobs and Woz envisioned the Apple-1 as a bare-board kit to be soldered together by hobbyist users—their initial target market, Silicon Valley’s Homebrew Computer Club. As the two were effectively penniless, Jobs sold his beloved Volkswagen Bus and Woz sold his prized HP-65 pocket calculator to raise the initial working capital to fund the Apple Computer Company. In his autobiography iWoz, Wozniak recounts: “To come up with the $1,000 we thought we’d need to build ready-made printed circuit boards, I sold my HP 65 calculator for $500. The guy who bought it only paid me half, though, and never paid me the rest… And Steve sold his VW van for another few hundred dollars. He figured he could ride around on his bicycle if he had to. That was it. We were in business.”

These early sacrifices are witnessed in Apple Computer’s first bank statement, offered in this sale as Lot #6002, which shows that their very first deposit — a mere $500 — came on the same day that they wrote this check. It also documents the $500 deduction from the account on March 23rd, matching the Wells Fargo stamp on the check’s reverse.

Howard Cantin was the printed-circuit-board (PCB) layout engineer who translated Apple?1 designer Steve Wozniak’s schematic into the actual board that became the first product of Apple Computer Company in 1976. At the time, Cantin was working for Atari, Inc. and had experience doing PCB layouts for early Atari machines; Wozniak tapped him because he trusted Cantin’s craftsmanship for the delicate job of laying traces, component placement, and routing on a board intended for manufacture in small numbers.

Cantin’s involvement was crucial: although Wozniak’s design defined the logic, the aesthetics and manufacturability of the Apple-1 board depended on Cantin’s layout work. The board that Cantin laid out in 1976 used manual techniques (tape for trace routing) and helped form the physical foundation of what became one of the most celebrated early personal computers.

This inaugural Apple check thus stands as an extraordinary artifact from the very moment theory became product—when a visionary schematic, a garage workshop, and a fledgling partnership crossed the threshold into an operating business. Bearing the signatures of co-founders Jobs and Woz and issued to the craftsman who physically realized the Apple-1, it encapsulates the collaborative ingenuity and scrappy resourcefulness that defined Apple’s genesis. As the first financial instrument ever drawn on the Apple Computer Company’s original account, it is the foundational document that financed the creation of Apple’s very first product and brought forth the personal computing revolution.


MacDailyNews Take: Imagine getting a check for $500 (the equivalent in purchasing power to approximately $2,900 today) that in 50 years would be worth $2,409,886!

By the way, if Cantin saved that $500 and invested it on the day of Apple’s IPO on December 12, 1980, that investment now would be worth about approximately $1.32 million.


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Apple TV hit drama ‘Your Friends & Neighbors’ lands early season three renewal

Tue, 2026-02-03 02:37
The second season of “Your Friends & Neighbors” premieres Friday, April 3 on Apple TV.

Ahead of the season two debut of “Your Friends & Neighbors,” Apple TV announced that the acclaimed, hit drama has been renewed for a third season, and shared a new teaser trailer offering a first look of the upcoming second season.

Starring and executive produced by Jon Hamm, and hailing from creator Jonathan Tropper, “Your Friends & Neighbors” season two will make its global debut on Apple TV with one episode on Friday, April 3, 2026, followed by new episodes every Friday through June 5.

In season two, Andrew Cooper doubles down on his life as an unlikely suburban thief, until the arrival of a new neighbor threatens to expose his secrets and place his family at risk.

The second season welcomes Emmy Award nominee James Marsden, who moves into the neighborhood alongside returning stars Amanda Peet, Olivia Munn, Hoon Lee, Mark Tallman, Lena Hall, Aimee Carrero, Eunice Bae, Isabel Gravitt, and Donovan Colan.

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

Since its worldwide debut, “Your Friends & Neighbors” has become one of the top dramas on Apple TV, receiving wide acclaim from both critics and fans alike, and achieving a Certified Fresh critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The series has been hailed as “an addictive binge-watch” anchored by an “endlessly watchable avatar in star Jon Hamm.” Catch up on the complete first season, now streaming globally on Apple TV.

Apple TV offers premium, compelling drama and comedy series, feature films, groundbreaking documentaries, and kids and family entertainment, and is available to watch across all your favorite screens. After its launch on November 1, 2019, Apple TV became the first all-original streaming service to launch around the world, and has premiered more original hits and received more award recognitions faster than any other streaming service in its debut. To date, Apple Original films, documentaries, and series have earned 689 wins and 3,235 award nominations and counting, including multi-Emmy Award-winning comedies “The Studio” and “Ted Lasso,” and historic Oscar Best Picture winner “CODA.” 

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 for $12.99 per month with a seven-day free trial for new subscribers. For a ltv.apple.com,imited time, customers who purchase and activate a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV or Mac can enjoy three months of Apple TV for free.


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Apple explores square, clamshell-style foldable iPhone

Tue, 2026-02-03 01:12

Apple is already exploring a successor to its inaugural foldable iPhone that’s expected to arrive later this year: a more compact, square, clamshell-style foldable phone.

Mark Gurman for Bloomberg News:

The product is far from guaranteed to reach the market. Still, Apple is betting that its first foldable iPhone will be successful enough to generate real demand for the category and that customers will want additional shapes and sizes, much as they have with traditional slab-style iPhones.

It’s also possible that Apple eventually makes a larger, book-style foldable phone. Such a device might fit nicely into its lineup since Apple’s initial foldable design will be smaller than Samsung’s versions — and some customers may want something bigger. The first foldable iPhone is expected to feature an outer display of about 5.5 inches. Personally, I’d like to see that pushed closer to 6.5 inches.


MacDailyNews Take: The 5.5-inch display size for this year’s first foldable iPhone is likely meant to provide contrast: Apple can say, “Look how pocketable this iPhone can be when closed and look how huge it can be when opened!”


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Apple scores big in India as government removes tax risk on foreign-funded manufacturing equipment

Tue, 2026-02-03 00:51

India’s government on Sunday delivered a significant victory for Apple by allowing foreign companies to supply machinery to their contract manufacturers in designated areas for five years without incurring any tax liabilities or risks.

Apple has expanded rapidly in India as part of its strategy to reduce reliance on China. According to Counterpoint Research, the iPhone’s share of the Indian smartphone market has more than doubled since 2022. Meanwhile, although China still represents about 75% of global iPhone shipments, India’s portion has surged fourfold to around 25% over the same period.

Reuters:

Apple had been lobbying India’s government to modify its income tax laws to ensure the company is not taxed for ownership of the high-end iPhone machinery it provides to its contract manufacturers.

In India, unlike China, Apple was concerned that if it paid for machines for its contract manufacturers, Indian law could consider that a so-called “business connection” and impose taxes on its iPhone sales profits. That had forced its contract manufacturers Foxconn and Tata to themselves spend billions of dollars on machines.

India on Sunday said that “to promote manufacturing of electronic goods for a contract manufacturer”, it is making certain law changes to ensure that mere ownership of machines by a foreign company does not lead to taxes on it…

The move could prompt Apple and other companies to invest rapidly in the electronics manufacturing space by taking over initial expenses for pricey machines, reducing the initial cost burden on contract manufacturers they partner with.

“We are saying that if you bring your machine, and that machine is used by a local manufacturer to produce something, we will … exempt you for 5 years. We are giving them certainty,” Revenue Secretary Arvind Shrivastava said at a post-budget press conference.


MacDailyNews Take: The ability for firms like Apple to move faster coupled with certainty is a Good Thing for both Apple and India.


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24% of hit documentary ‘Melania’ attendees who subscribe to streaming services subscribe to Apple TV

Sun, 2026-02-01 07:44

The hit documentary Melania, an intimate, behind-the-scenes look at Melania Trump during the 20 days leading up to Donald Trump’s second presidential inauguration in January 2025 distributed by Amazon MGM Studios, has posted a very strong opening weekend performance — including an impressive $8.1 million box office debut, an “A” CinemaScore, and overwhelming audience enthusiasm — with exit polls revealing that 24% of attending viewers who subscribe to streaming services are Apple TV members, placing it solidly behind only Prime Video (54%) and Netflix (53%).

Melania has scored the best box office opening for a documentary in a decade.

MELANIA, the film.
#1 Highest Opening In 10 Yrs (Doc)
Loved By All – “A” CinemaScore pic.twitter.com/HTVM0Cu2Jv

— MELANIA TRUMP (@MELANIATRUMP) January 31, 2026

Anthony D’Alessandro for Deadline:

The exit scores for Melania] are quite royal with an “A” CinemaScore, 5 stars on Screen Engine/Comscore’s PostTrak, and get this — an 89% definite recommend; unheard for any movie. If a movie is in the 70 percentile range, that’s outstanding. While a figure like that indicates a stampede for a tentpole, it’s interesting to see whether this documentary can overperform even more than it already is, especially off its older crowd.

The turnout here for the Brett Ratner-directed nonfiction film is akin to that of a faith-based movie: 72% women, with 72% over 55. Audience score on Rotten Tomatoes is 99% while critics have bashed the movie at 6%. Melania is playing best in the South (12% over the norm) and South Central with the Cinemark Palace 21 in Boca Raton, FL the pic’s current highest grossing location with over $10K. Pic’s top grossing markets are Dallas, Orlando, Tampa, Phoenix, Houston, Atlanta, West Palm Beach, Fort Myers, Miami, Minnesota, Nashville, Jackson, MI; St. Louis, Las Vegas, Cleveland — the list goes on… no NYC or LA in this bunch. Diversity demos on this one is 74% Caucasian, 11% Latino and Hispanic, 4% Black, 4% Asian American and 7% Native American/other.

In PostTrak exits for Melania, 49% identified as Republicans, 47% said they were politically conservative, Evangelical Christians made up 28% of those attending while Democrats repped 2% of the audience.

Walk-up business is sold with 52% of the audience buying their tickets to Melania same day… Don’t say linear is dead: For the Melania crowd, 22% said that TV ads were the most influential form of advertisement, but they also cited social media as being a big influencer at 23%.

Interesting to note that among the streaming subscribers attending Melania this weekend, 54% were Prime Members, 53% Netflix, 24% Apple TV, and 22% a piece for Hulu and Disney+ subs.


MacDailyNews Take: Apple TV subscribers are seemingly following Apple CEO Tim Cook’s lead:

Apple CEO Tim Cook attends VIP White House screening of ‘Melania’ film with President Trump – January 26, 2026


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[Thanks to MacDailyNews Readers too numerous to mention individually for the heads up.]

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Latest blow to Apple: Four AI researchers, top Siri leader depart

Sat, 2026-01-31 08:01
Apple CEO Tim Cook

Apple continues to experience significant talent turnover in its artificial intelligence division, with at least four more AI researchers departing in recent weeks alongside a senior executive from its Siri team.

According to a Bloomberg report published on January 30, 2026, the latest exits include researchers Yinfei Yang, Haoxuan You, Bailin Wang, and Zirui Wang. These departures add to ongoing challenges for Apple’s AI efforts as the company works to advance features like an improved Siri and its broader Apple Intelligence platform.

The researchers’ moves are as follows:
• Yinfei Yang left to start a new company.
• Haoxuan You and Bailin Wang joined Meta Platforms Inc.
• You moved to Meta’s Superintelligence research arm.
• Bailin Wang is working on Meta recommendations.

These details come from people familiar with the matter, according to Gurman’s report, who asked not to be identified because the moves haven’t been announced.

In a separate but related departure, Stuart Bowers — one of Apple’s most senior executives working on Siri — left for Google DeepMind. Bowers’ role at Apple had expanded last year, and he reported to Siri chief Mike Rockwell. He had also previously worked on Apple’s now-defunct self-driving car project.

Gurman highlights that these staffers are heading to competitors such as Meta Platforms Inc. and Google DeepMind, underscoring the intense competition for AI expertise in the industry. The departures reflect continued turbulence within Apple’s AI division, where the company has faced difficulties keeping pace with rivals in generative AI and has relied and will be relying in large part on external partnerships, including with Alphabet Inc. subsidiary Google.

This latest wave of exits contributes to a broader pattern of talent movement away from Apple’s AI and machine learning teams in recent periods, amid efforts to enhance Siri and roll out more advanced on-device and cloud-based AI capabilities.

MacDailyNews Take: Given the current leadership, if you want to work on cutting-edge AI, Apple is not the place.

See also: Apple Intelligence. Powered by Google. – January 20, 2026


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Apple posts all-time record earnings, stock ticks down

Sat, 2026-01-31 06:20
Apple’s flagship iPhone 17 Pro Max

Apple iPhone buyers aren’t holding off for enhanced AI capabilities. For Apple, this presents a mix of positive and challenging implications.

The upside was clear in the company’s fiscal first-quarter earnings released late Thursday. iPhone revenue jumped 23% year-over-year to more than $85 billion (precisely $85.3 billion in reports), significantly exceeding Wall Street forecasts. This marked the strongest December-quarter growth for Apple’s flagship segment in over a decade — and indeed its best iPhone quarter ever.

The surge was so robust that Apple is now racing to catch up on supply. On the earnings call, CEO Tim Cook noted that the company had largely depleted its inventory during the quarter and has shifted into “supply chase mode” to ramp up production and meet the exceptionally high demand.

Dan Gallagher for The Wall Street Journal:

The company admitted, for instance, that it is having trouble getting enough production capacity for the most advanced processing chips that power its latest products.

Taiwanese chip-making titan TSMC is Apple’s main producer of those chips. But TSMC is also the main producer of AI chips for companies such as Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices. And the red-hot demand and high prices those chips command are leaving little spare room for other product segments in a finite number of production lines.

Apple still managed to project total revenue growth of 13% to 16% for the March-ending quarter, which beat the 10% analysts had been expecting, according to FactSet estimates. But the stock rose only slightly in after-hours trading Thursday. Investors remain worried about the durability of the latest iPhone sales surge and Apple’s ability to deal with sharply rising costs for memory chips, which are also facing a severe supply shortage because of booming demand for AI systems.


MacDailyNews Take: Invented “worries” and “concerns” following an all-time record quarter with remarkably strong Q2 guidance including an uptick in gross margins, no less, making these “worries” and “concerns” over memory chip prices unfounded. AAPL still under $260 looks cheap.


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Apple debuts its 2026 Chinese New Year short film Shot on iPhone 17 Pro

Sat, 2026-01-31 04:01
Still from Apple’s new Shot on iPhone 17 Pro Chinese New Year film, “Glad I Met You”

Apple has released a charming new “Shot on iPhone” film just in time for Chinese New Year, highlighting the cinematic capabilities of the iPhone 17 Pro.

Titled “Chinese New Year – Glad I Met You”, the short film follows a heartwarming story centered on a girl, a talking dog, and an elaborate, thoughtfully planned scheme — all revolving around the theme of discovering family. Directed by Bai Xue, the piece creatively blends live-action cinematography with stop-motion animation to deliver an imaginative and touching narrative.

Filmed entirely on the iPhone 17 Pro, the video serves as a showcase for the device’s advanced camera system, continuing Apple’s long-running campaign that demonstrates how everyday users (and professionals) can capture professional-grade content with iPhone hardware.

MacDailyNews Note: The film arrives as Chinese New Year celebrations begin, offering a festive, feel-good message perfect for the occasion. Apple also linked to more details about the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max for those interested in the tech behind the production.


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Apple’s ‘Sugar,’ starring Colin Farrell, returns for season two on June 19th

Sat, 2026-01-31 03:01
Season two of “Sugar” premieres Friday, June 19, 2026 on Apple TV.

On Friday, Apple TV unveiled a first look at the anticipated season two return of “Sugar,” the acclaimed neo-noir detective drama starring and executive produced by Colin Farrell. The eight-episode second season of “Sugar” will make its global return on Friday, June 19th on Apple TV with one episode, followed by one new episode weekly, every Friday through August 7th.

“Sugar” is a contemporary, unique take on one of the most popular and significant genres in literary, motion picture and television history: the private detective story. Season two ushers in the return of Los Angeles’ iconic private detective and film connoisseur, John Sugar. Emmy Award nominee Colin Farrell returns for a new case, tracking the troubled older brother of an up-and-coming local boxer as his search for his beloved missing sister continues. As the investigation expands into a citywide conspiracy with sinister intentions, Sugar must reckon with himself to answer the question — how far will he go to do what’s right?

In addition to Farrell, the second season of “Sugar” introduces a brand-new cast, including Jin Ha, Raymond Lee, Tony Dalton, Laura Donnelly, Sasha Calle, and special guest star Shea Whigham.

Season two of “Sugar” is showrun by Sam Catlin, who also executive produces under his Short Drive Entertainment banner. Audrey Chon and Simon Kinberg executive produce for Genre Films under Kinberg’s overall deal with Apple TV. Farrell, Scott Greenberg and Chip Vucelich also serve as executive producers. “Sugar” is created by Mark Protosevich.

Hailed as “one of the best neo-noir thrillers in years” with “one of the greatest plot twists in recent TV history,” the complete first season of “Sugar” is now streaming globally on Apple TV.

Apple TV offers premium, compelling drama and comedy series, feature films, groundbreaking documentaries, and kids and family entertainment, and is available to watch across all of a user’s favorite screens. After its launch on November 1, 2019, Apple TV became the first all-original streaming service to launch around the world, and has premiered more original hits and received more award recognitions faster than any other streaming service in its debut. To date, Apple Original films, documentaries, and series have been honored with 691 wins and 3,256 award nominations and counting, including multi-Emmy Award-winning comedies “The Studio” and “Ted Lasso,” and Oscar Best Picture winner “CODA.”

MacDailyNews Take: Season one was excellent, so we’re looking forward to season two bowing on June 19th!

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 for $12.99 per month with a seven-day free trial for new subscribers. For a ltv.apple.com,imited time, customers who purchase and activate a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV or Mac can enjoy three months of Apple TV for free.


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Apple Watches prove useful in screening for AFib, studies find

Sat, 2026-01-31 02:02

Recent research highlights the effectiveness of Apple Watch in screening for atrial fibrillation (AFib), a prevalent heart rhythm disorder that substantially increases stroke risk.

Two studies published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology demonstrate the device’s value in detecting AFib, which is often challenging to diagnose due to its intermittent and sometimes asymptomatic nature.

Apple Watch models equipped for AFib screening use two methods: passive monitoring of the wearer’s pulse via an optical sensor (photoplethysmography) for irregular rhythms, or an on-demand single-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) obtained by placing a finger on the digital crown.

Reuters:

For one of the studies, opens new tab, researchers in The Netherlands enrolled 437 adults at high risk for stroke and randomly assigned half of them to wear an Apple watch, paired with their smartphone, for six months. Everyone also received standard medical care.

Patients were asked to wear the watch for at least 12 hours a day and to record a one-lead ECG whenever they felt an irregular heartbeat. All ECGs were reviewed within 24 hours by a telemonitoring clinician.

At six months, new cases of AFib had been detected in 9.6% of the watch-wearing group. Most of the episodes had not produced any symptoms. This indicates that without monitoring by the watch, patients would not have realized their heart rhythms were irregular.

In the control group, 2.3% of patients were found to have AFib. All of those patients had felt the irregularity and reported it to their doctors.

The higher proportion of silent intermittent cases “likely reflect the ability of smartwatch monitoring to capture brief, self-terminating episodes that symptom-based approaches may miss,” the researchers said.

MacDailyNews Take: Get insights into your health, including notifications if you have an irregular heart rhythm, with an Apple Watch SE 2 starting at just $249.99.

MacDailyNews Note: Read about the second study in the full article here.


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President Trump nominates Kevin Warsh to head Federal Reserve

Sat, 2026-01-31 01:16
President Donald Trump holds a signed executive order on tariffs, in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, D.C., April 2, 2025.

President Donald Trump announced Friday that he is nominating Kevin Warsh to serve as the next chair of the Federal Reserve, ending months of intense speculation over who would replace current Chair Jerome Powell.

In a post on social media, Trump revealed his selection of Warsh, a former Fed governor, to lead the central bank when Powell’s term as chair expires in May. The nomination requires confirmation by the U.S. Senate.”

Trump interviewed several high-profile candidates before settling on Warsh. Among those considered were top White House economist Kevin Hassett, BlackRock executive Rick Rieder, and current Fed Governor Christopher Waller. The decision comes amid ongoing tensions between the White House and the Fed, particularly over interest rate policy, with Trump repeatedly calling for lower rates to support economic growth.

Warsh, 55, brings extensive experience in monetary policy and finance. He served as a member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors from 2006 to 2011, having been nominated by President George W. Bush, where he was one of the youngest governors in the institution’s history. During his tenure, he participated in the Fed’s response to the 2008 financial crisis.

Currently, Warsh works at the Duquesne Family Office, the investment firm of renowned investor Stanley Druckenmiller. He is also a fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, a conservative-leaning think tank. Warsh has publicly expressed support for reducing interest rates, aligning with Trump’s stated preferences for more accommodative monetary policy to stimulate the economy.

The nomination revives a familiar name from Trump’s first term. In 2017, Warsh was considered for the Fed chair position but was ultimately passed over in favor of Powell.

If confirmed, Warsh would take the helm of the world’s most influential central bank at a time when the Fed has faced criticism from the administration for its handling of interest rates and perceived resistance to political influence. Warsh has been described in various reports as a critic of certain aspects of the Fed’s recent approach, though he has also defended the institution’s independence in the past.

Market observers are closely watching the pick, given its potential implications for interest rates, inflation, and broader economic policy. The announcement has already sparked reactions across political and financial circles, with some praising Warsh’s experience and others raising concerns about the Fed’s future direction.

The Senate confirmation process is expected to be closely scrutinized, as it could shape the central bank’s trajectory for years to come. Warsh’s background in both Wall Street and government service positions him as a bridge between traditional central banking and the current administration’s economic priorities.This nomination marks one of the most significant economic appointments of Trump’s second term, signaling the president’s intent to exert greater influence over monetary policy. Further details on the confirmation timeline and potential hearings are anticipated in the coming weeks.

MacDailyNews Take: After the current befuddled chair, there’s tons of room for improvement at the Fed!


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MacDailyNews presents live notes from Apple’s Q126 conference call

Fri, 2026-01-30 08:44

MacDailyNews presents live notes from Apple’s Q126 Conference Call with analysts starting at 2pm PT / 5pm ET today, January 29, 2026.

This stream is best experienced on an iPhone 7 or later, iPad (5th generation or later), or iPod touch (7th generation) using Safari on iOS 12 or later; or a Mac using Safari on macOS Mojave 10.14 or later. Streaming to your TV requires an AirPlay 2–capable device, or via AirPlay to an Apple TV (2nd generation or later) with the latest Apple TV software or tvOS. Other platforms may also be able to access the stream using recent versions of Chrome, Firefox, or Microsoft Edge (MSE, H.264, and AAC required).

Apple’s live conference call webcast will begin at 2pm PT / 5pm ET here.

Apple today posted record first quarter revenue of $143.8 billion, up a whopping 16% year over year, and quarterly diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $2.84, up a staggering 19% year over year.

According to LSEG consensus estimates compiled from Wall Street analysts called for Apple to post revenue of $138.48 billion and EPS of $2.67.

Live notes in reverse chronological order:

• AAPL After-hours: $261.80, +3.52, (+1.36%) @ 5:59:16 PM EST

• End of conference call.

• Parekh: Won’t provide that information
• Q: How much of install base is AI-capable

• Cook: It’s difficult to estimate capacity and Appel has or is in the process of putting in capacity for clod-based AI
• Cook: We believe privacy is a differentiator
• Cook: We see both being important
• Q: How might Apple manage AI; on-device vs. cloud based AI?

• Cook: It’s an incredible game-changer and competitive advantage for Apple
• Q: Apple Silicon affect gross margins positively?

• Cook: We still have modest share, so there is a huge opportunity for Apple in India
• Cook: We set a quarterly revenue record during Q1 in India in iPhone, Mac, iPad, and Services
• Q: India iPhone demand?

• Cook: I don’t want to estimate when supply and demand will balance at this point
• Cook: It’s difficult to estimate when supply constrained
• Q: Supply constraints with foundry? How long will this last?

• Cook: I think each iPhone cycle has its own unique characteristics; iPhone 17 has done extremely well
• Q: iPhone 17 upgrade like the iPhone 12 cycle?

• Cook: If you look at Mac, like iPhone, we also believe we gained share in Q1; we feel very good about out position
• Q: Access to memory?

• Cook: Think of it as a collaboration between Apple and Google; the personalized version of Siri is an Apple-Google collaboration
• Q: Google Gemini integration to Apple Foundation Model?

• Parekh: U.S. import tariff impact was roughly $1.4 billion in Q1
• Parekh: We had favorable mix in Q1
• Q: Gross margin changes of iPhone 16 vs. iPhone 17?

• In general, there will be ebbs and flows in CapEx
• Parekh: We won’t provide details on Google deal. CapEx is made of several different line items
• Q: Capital investment; does Google Gemini impact that?

• Cook: I wouldn’t want to speculate on that one.
• Q: Will Apple use the pricing lever to deal with memory component cost increases?

• Parekh: Q1 set a quarterly record for App Store; Services saw broad based growth across all categories
• Q: Services seeing App Store growth deceleration?

• Cook: It’s a range; don’t want to get more specific that that; different levels that we can push
• Q: Range of options to deal with memory cost increases?

• In terms of overall smartphone market, we believe that based on the info we have, we gained share in the December quarter
• Cook: Beyond Q2, I don’t want to comment on supply
• Cook: Supply is constrained in Q2 – reflected in the revenue guidance – constraint due to the limits of advanced node capacity for Apple Silicon
• Q: Overall smartphone demand this year?

• Parekh: Q1 was 48.2%, favorable mix dynamics; we feel good about the guid of 48%-49% gross margin for Q2
• Gross margin projection of 48%-49% is shockingly good, how?

• Cook: We’ll continue to maintain privacy and run AI locally on device; we’re not releasing the details of the Google deal
• Cook: We basically determined that Google would provide the best foundation for Apple Foundation Models
• Q: Google partnership, i.e. Gemini LLMs?

• Parekh: We saw really good broad base performance in Services; we continue to add new services opportunities
• Q: New growth opportunities in advertising?

• Parekh: No difficult compares vs. Q225
• Q: 13%-16% Q2 revenue growth YoY; any tough comps?

• Cook: It’s a combination of the design, components, features
• Q: Why such iPhone strength?

• Cook: We are bringing intelligence to more of what people love and are integrating it across the OSes in a personal and private way which opens up a range of opportunities across out products and services
• Q: AI monetization?

• On non-iPhone products in China, the majority are still new to those products
• iPhones were the top 3 smartphones in urban China during Q126
• Cook: Driven by iPhone; best iPhone quarter in history; Apple Store traffic grew by strong double digits in Q126
• Greater China growth?

• Beyond Q2, we do continue to see memory pricing to increase significantly; Appel will look at a range of options to deal with that
• Memory had a minimal impact on Q1; Apple does expect it to be a bit more impact; Gross margins: 48%-49%
• iPhone remains constrained
• Cook: iPhone demand exceeded expectations to a great degree; exited quarter with very lean supply
• Q: Memory component costs?

• The dividend is payable on February 12, 2026, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on February 9, 2026
• Apple’s board of directors has declared a cash dividend of $0.26 per share of the company’s common stock

• March quarter outlook (assumes global tariff srate remain in effect as of this call):
– 13%-16% Q2 revenue growth YoY
– Services growth for Q2 similar to what was reported for Q1
– Gross margins: 48%-49%

• $145B in cash with $91B total debt = net cash $54B

• Enterprise continues to invest in Apple Macs, iPad, and iPhones

• Apple’s huge 2.5+ billion install base is a very strong foundation for Services

• AirPods Pro 3 was supply constrained during the quarter

• iPad install base reached an all-time high in Q126
• iPad customer satisfaction: 98%
• Mac customer satisfaction: 97%

• Parekh reiterates:
– Services: $30.013 billion (vs. $26.340 billion YoY)
– Wearables, Home and Accessories: $11.493 billion (vs. $11.747 billion YoY)
– iPad: $8.595 billion (vs. $8.088 billion YoY)
– Mac: $8.386 billion (vs. $8.987 billion YoY)
– iPhone: $85.269 billion (vs. $69.138 billion YoY)

• Reiterates installed base of active devices now more than 2.5 billion active devices
• Apple CFO Kevan Parekh: Revenue of $143.8 billion, up 16 percent from a year ago

• Cooks see much to look forward to in the year to come

• Cook touts various American manufacturing investments by Apple and suppliers
• Apple is especially proud to support American manufacturing, with $600 billion committed over a four-year period
• 2025 was a fantastic year for Services. Apple Music climbed to all-time highs in subscribers and new subscription growth
• Cook touts awards won and noms for Apple TV fare
• Apple TV has seen fantastic growth with 36% December viewership increase YoY

• AAPL After-hours: $261.08, +2.80, (+1.08%) @ 5:09:05 PM EST

• Cook touts Apple Intelligence features and Apple Silicon
• Install base: More than 2.5 billion active devices
• We are seeing very high levels of customer satisfaction
• Customer response to AirPods Pro 3 has been amazing
• Cook promos Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3
• Cook touts Apple Creator Studio

• Services: $30.013 billion (vs. $26.340 billion YoY)
• Wearables, Home and Accessories: $11.493 billion (vs. $11.747 billion YoY)
• iPad: $8.595 billion (vs. $8.088 billion YoY)
• Mac: $8.386 billion (vs. $8.987 billion YoY)
• iPhone: $85.269 billion (vs. $69.138 billion YoY)

• Americas: $58.529 billion (vs. $52.648 billion YoY)
• Europe: $38.146 billion (vs. $33.861 billion YoY)
• Greater China: $25.526 billion (vs. $18.513 billion YoY)
• Japan: $9.413 billion (vs. $8.987 billion YoY)
• Rest of Asia Pacific: $12.142 billion (vs. $10.291 billion YoY)

• $2.84 EPS is also an all-time quarterly record
• We are also excited to announce that our installed base now has more than 2.5 billion active devices, which is a testament to incredible customer satisfaction for the very best products and services in the world.
• iPhone had its best-ever quarter driven by unprecedented demand, with all-time records across every geographic segment, and Services also achieved an all-time revenue record, up 14 percent from a year ago…
• Apple CEO Tim Cook: We just had a quarter for the record books. Today, Apple is proud to report a remarkable, record-breaking quarter, with revenue of $143.8 billion, up 16 percent from a year ago and well above our expectations…

• Conference call begins

• AAPL After-hours: $260.87, +2.59, (+1.00%) @ 4:57:34 PM EST
• AAPL After-hours: $260.69, +2.41, (+0.93%) @ 4:44:04 PM EST

The post MacDailyNews presents live notes from Apple’s Q126 conference call appeared first on MacDailyNews.

Apple destroys the Street with all-time record Q1 revenue of $143.8 billion

Fri, 2026-01-30 08:31

Apple today announced financial results for its fiscal 2026 first quarter ended December 27, 2025. The Company posted quarterly revenue of $143.8 billion, up 16 percent year over year. Diluted earnings per share was $2.84, up 19 percent year over year.

According to LSEG consensus estimates compiled from Wall Street analysts called for Apple to post revenue of $138.48 billion and earnings per share (EPS) of $2.67. (Apple’s Q125 results: $124.3 billion in revenue and $2.40 EPS.)

“Today, Apple is proud to report a remarkable, record-breaking quarter, with revenue of $143.8 billion, up 16 percent from a year ago and well above our expectations,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, in a statement. “iPhone had its best-ever quarter driven by unprecedented demand, with all-time records across every geographic segment, and Services also achieved an all-time revenue record, up 14 percent from a year ago. We are also excited to announce that our installed base now has more than 2.5 billion active devices, which is a testament to incredible customer satisfaction for the very best products and services in the world.”

Net sales by category:

• iPhone: $85.269 billion (vs. $69.138 billion YoY)
• Mac: $8.386 billion (vs. $8.987 billion YoY)
• iPad: $8.595 billion (vs. $8.088 billion YoY)
• Wearables, Home and Accessories: $11.493 billion (vs. $11.747 billion YoY)
• Services: $30.013 billion (vs. $26.340 billion YoY)

Net sales by reportable segment:

• Americas: $58.529 billion (vs. $52.648 billion YoY)
• Europe: $38.146 billion (vs. $33.861 billion YoY)
• Greater China: $25.526 billion (vs. $18.513 billion YoY)
Japan: $9.413 billion (vs. $8.987 billion YoY)
• Rest of Asia Pacific: $12.142 billion (vs. $10.291 billion YoY)

“During the December quarter, our record business performance and strong margins led to EPS growth of 19 percent, setting a new all-time EPS record,” said Kevan Parekh, Apple’s CFO, in a statement. “These exceptionally strong results generated nearly $54 billion in operating cash flow, allowing us to return almost $32 billion to shareholders.”

Apple’s board of directors has declared a cash dividend of $0.26 per share of the Company’s common stock. The dividend is payable on February 12, 2026, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on February 9, 2026.

Apple will provide live streaming of its Q1 2026 financial results conference call beginning at 2:00 p.m. PT on January 29, 2026, at apple.com/investor/earnings-call. The webcast will be available for replay for approximately two weeks thereafter. MacDailyNews covers the conference call with live notes here.

MacDailyNews Take:


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Apple buys Israeli startup Q.ai for nearly $2 billion, its second largest acquisition ever

Fri, 2026-01-30 07:05

Apple has made one of its largest acquisitions in history by purchasing Israeli AI startup Q.ai for nearly $2 billion, according to sources familiar with the matter cited in a Financial Times report. The deal, confirmed by Apple on Thursday, January 29, 2026, positions the company to accelerate its push into advanced wearable AI devices amid intensifying competition from rivals like Meta, Google, and OpenAI.

The acquisition of Q.ai, a secretive Tel Aviv-based startup founded in 2022, marks Apple’s second-largest deal ever—trailing only its $3 billion purchase of Beats in 2014. Financial terms were not officially disclosed by Apple, but people briefed on the transaction told Financial Times the valuation approached $2 billion. Backers including GV (formerly Google Ventures), Kleiner Perkins, Spark Capital, and Exor highlighted the scale in announcements following the news.

Q.ai’s core innovation lies in its use of imaging and machine learning to interpret “silent speech” by analyzing subtle facial expressions and micro-movements in the skin. Patents associated with the technology suggest applications in headphones, smart glasses, or other wearables, enabling users to interact privately with AI assistants without speaking aloud — ideal for discreet commands in public settings or noisy environments.

Apple’s senior vice president of hardware technologies, Johny Srouji, praised the startup in a statement: “Q.AI is a remarkable company that is pioneering new and creative ways to use imaging and machine learning.”

The move comes as Apple faces pressure to catch up in generative AI and wearable tech. Critics have pointed to delays in upgrading Siri and the company’s reliance on a partnership with Google for Gemini integration in devices. Meanwhile, competitors are advancing: Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses, Google’s and Snap’s upcoming AR offerings, and even OpenAI’s collaboration with former Apple designer Jony Ive on ChatGPT-powered hardware.

The deal carries echoes of Apple’s 2013 acquisition of PrimeSense, another Israeli firm specializing in 3D sensing technology that became foundational to Face ID on iPhones. Q.ai’s CEO, Aviad Maizels, previously founded PrimeSense, and some team members share that background. The founding team — including Maizels and co-founders Yonatan Wexler and Avi Barliya — will join Apple as part of the transaction.

Q.ai has operated largely in stealth since its inception, focusing on machine learning applications that enhance audio experiences, such as better understanding whispered speech or improving performance in challenging acoustic conditions. These capabilities could integrate into products like AirPods, the Vision Pro headset, or future smart glasses, bolstering Apple’s “Apple Intelligence” ecosystem and enabling more intuitive, non-verbal interactions with Siri.

Announced on the same day as Apple’s fiscal Q1 2026 earnings report, covering the critical holiday quarter, this acquisition signals a major investment in closing the perceived AI gap. While Apple’s earnings are expected to show strong growth (with consensus estimates around $138.5 billion in revenue and $2.67 EPS), the Q.ai deal underscores a proactive strategy to innovate in emerging categories like AI wearables.

MacDailyNews Take: As the race to build the next generation of AI-powered devices heats up, Apple’s nearly $2 billion bet on Q.ai could prove pivotal in delivering privacy-focused, seamless experiences that differentiate its hardware from the competition. With the founding team’s expertise and the technology’s potential for headphones and glasses, the acquisition may quietly reshape how Apple product users communicate with their devices — without ever saying a word.


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Apple acquires Israeli audio AI startup Q.ai

Fri, 2026-01-30 04:42

Apple announced on Thursday that it has acquired Q.ai, an Israeli startup specializing in artificial intelligence technologies for audio processing.

The Q.ai founding team, including CEO Aviad Maizels, will join Apple. Maizels previously founded PrimeSense, a three-dimensional sensing company that Apple acquired in 2013. That deal played a key role in shifting Apple from fingerprint sensors (Touch ID) on iPhones to facial recognition technology (Face ID).

Reuters:

Apple did not disclose ⁠terms of the deal ‌or what Q.ai’s technology will be used for, but said the startup has worked on ‍new applications of machine learning to help devices understand whispered speech and to enhance audio in challenging environments. In a statement, Maizels ​said “joining Apple opens extraordinary possibilities for pushing boundaries and ‌realizing the full potential of what we’ve created, and we’re thrilled to bring these experiences to people everywhere.”

Q.ai “is a remarkable company that ​is pioneering new and creative ways ​to use imaging and machine learning,” Johny Srouji, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware technologies, said ‍in a statement. “We’re ⁠thrilled to acquire the company, with Aviad at the helm, and are even more excited for what’s ⁠to come.”

Q.ai co-founders Yonatan Wexler and Avi Barliya will also join Apple, ‌the companies said.


MacDailyNews Take: For iPhones, iPads, Macs, AirPods, HomePods and anything to come (smart glasses) with microphones!


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Apple TV inks deal for ‘Cosmere,’ Brandon Sanderson’s literary fantasy universe

Fri, 2026-01-30 02:01

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

Borys Kit for The Hollywood Reporter:

The first titles being eyed for adaptation are the Mistborn series, for features, and The Stormlight Archive series, for television.

The deal is rare one, coming after a competitive situation which saw Sanderson meet with most of the studio heads in town. It gives the author rarefied control over the screen translations, according to sources. Sanderson will be the architect of the universe; will write, produce and consult; and will have approvals. That’s a level of involvement that not even J.K. Rowling or George R.R. Martin enjoys.

Sanderson’s literary success and fan following helped pave the way for such a deal. One of the most prolific and beloved fantasy authors working today, he has sold over 50 million copies of his books worldwide, collectively across his series.

Powered by his unique and loyal legion of fans, he has raised nearly $100 million through crowdfunding, including a record-breaking Kickstarter publishing campaign for four novels that totaled nearly $42 million, the most successful in the platform’s history.

Perhaps most astonishingly, he has been headlining his own fantasy convention that has sold out every year since launching earlier this decade.


MacDailyNews Take: 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.


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Ahead of earnings after the bell today, Apple stock is suffering its worse stretch since 1993

Fri, 2026-01-30 01:09

Apple’s stock is under pressure as investors grapple with the impact of sharply rising memory chip prices on the company’s profitability. The iPhone giant’s upcoming earnings report, due after market close on Thursday, should offer the first clear insights into the extent of the issue.

Since peaking on December 2, Apple shares have declined more than 10% — making it the weakest performer among the Magnificent Seven tech stocks and the single largest point drag on the S&P 500 over that period. The stock has just wrapped up its eighth straight weekly loss, a streak not surpassed since 1993.

Ryan Vlastelica for Bloomberg News:

The selloff is being driven at least in part by fears that a spike in costs for memory chips, a critical component of smartphones and tablets, will pressure Apple’s margins and earnings. The issue has overshadowed encouraging news on its artificial intelligence plans, and it’s expected to get more pronounced in the second half of 2026, when supply contracts expire. Memory prices are projected to remain elevated for the foreseeable future amid brisk demand.

“We’ve seen Apple face pressure from memory prices before, but never at this unprecedented rate,” said Shaon Baqui, senior tech research analyst at Janus Henderson, which owns a sizable stake in the shares. “The market is clearly uncertain and concerned that we’ll see more bad news on the memory front.”

Since the end of September, an index of spot prices for dynamic random-access memory, or DRAM, chips is up almost 400%, reflecting the soaring demand as more AI data centers get built.

Apple’s size means it has a lot of sway with suppliers and some ability to pass higher costs onto consumers, especially as demand for pricier high-end models continues to hold up. But the steep price for memory leaves it with few good options. Memory represents between 10% and 20% of the cost of building a smartphone, according to technology research firm IDC, which called the rise in memory prices a “crisis” for hardware companies.


MacDailyNews Take: As is often the case, it’s all about the guidance, specifically in regard to Q226 margins.

MacDailyNews Note: As usual, we’ll bring you Apple’s results as soon as they are released, right around 1:30 p.m. PT / 4:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, January 29, 2026 and then follow with live notes from Apple’s conference call at 2:00 p.m. PT / 5:00 p.m. ET.


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