Apple News

Apple Creator Studio is a collection of powerful creative apps for video editing, music making, creative imaging, and visual productivity.

Apple on Tuesday unveiled Apple Creator Studio, a collection of creative apps designed to put studio-grade power into the hands of everyone, building on the essential role Mac, iPad, and iPhone play in the lives of millions of creators around the world.

The apps included with Apple Creator Studio for video editing, music making, creative imaging, and visual productivity give modern creators the features and capabilities they need to experience the joy of editing and tailoring their content while realizing their artistic vision. New intelligent features and premium content build on familiar experiences of Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro, Keynote, Pages, Numbers, and later Freeform to make Apple Creator Studio a subscription suite for creators of all disciplines that protects their privacy.

Final Cut Pro introduces exceptional new video editing tools and intelligent features for Mac and iPad to improve the efficiency of even the most complex workflows. For the first time, Pixelmator Pro is coming to iPad with a uniquely crafted experience that is optimized for touch and Apple Pencil. Music creation with Logic Pro for Mac and iPad introduces even more intelligent features like Synth Player and Chord ID to inspire anyone to write, produce, and mix a range of popular music.3 And with Keynote, Pages, Numbers, and Freeform, Apple Creator Studio subscribers can be more expressive and productive with new premium content and intelligent features across Mac, iPad, and iPhone.

Apple Creator Studio will be available on the App Store beginning Wednesday, January 28, for $12.99 per month or $129 per year, with a one-month free trial, and includes access to Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, and Pixelmator Pro on Mac and iPad; Motion, Compressor, and MainStage on Mac; and intelligent features and premium content for Keynote, Pages, Numbers, and later Freeform for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. College students and educators can subscribe for $2.99 per month or $29.99 per year. Alternatively, users can also choose to purchase the Mac versions of Final Cut Pro, Pixelmator Pro, Logic Pro, Motion, Compressor, and MainStage individually as a one-time purchase on the Mac App Store.

“Apple Creator Studio is a great value that enables creators of all types to pursue their craft and grow their skills by providing easy access to the most powerful and intuitive tools for video editing, music making, creative imaging, and visual productivity — all leveled up with advanced intelligent tools to augment and accelerate workflows,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services, in a statement. “There’s never been a more flexible and accessible way to get started with such a powerful collection of creative apps for professionals, emerging artists, entrepreneurs, students, and educators to do their best work and explore their creative interests from start to finish.”

Video Creation

Final Cut Pro for Mac and iPad empowers content creators, video editors, and filmmakers to elevate their projects with intuitive features. One-time-purchase Mac users and Apple Creator Studio subscribers can experience blazing-fast performance with Apple silicon for the most demanding workflows, and get into the creative flow faster than ever with new on-device intelligent features that make video creation effortless and easy.

Final Cut Pro for Mac and iPad gets users into the creative flow faster than ever thanks to the blazing-fast performance of Apple silicon.

With Transcript Search on Mac and iPad, users can now easily find the perfect soundbite in hours of footage by simply typing phrases into the search bar to see exact or related results. Video podcasts and interviews can be assembled quickly, eliminating extensive time spent skimming through footage. Looking for a specific video clip also gets an intelligence assist with Visual Search. Now, users can quickly pinpoint exact moments across all footage by searching for an object or action, and then add that visual to their timeline in seconds.

Final Cut Pro for Mac and iPad also makes editing video to the rhythm of music fast and fun with Beat Detection, an amazing new way to see musical beats, bars, and song parts right in the project timeline. Beat Detection uses an AI model from Logic Pro to instantly analyze any music track and display the Beat Grid, so users creating fast-paced videos can quickly and visually align their cuts to the music. Re-editing music tracks to different lengths is also easier than ever.

The new Montage Maker in Final Cut Pro for iPad lets users kick-start their edit in just seconds. Using the power of AI, Montage Maker will analyze and edit together a dynamic video based on the best visual moments within the footage, with the ability to change the pacing, cut to a music track, and intelligently reframe horizontal videos to vertical with Auto Crop to simplify sharing across social platforms.

Users can leverage intelligent tools like Montage Maker in Final Cut Pro for iPad to kick-start an edit with the best visual moments from their footage.

Apple Creator Studio also unlocks full access to Motion, a powerful motion graphics tool for creating cinematic 2D and 3D effects with intelligent features like Magnetic Mask, which effortlessly isolates and tracks people and objects without a green screen. It also includes Compressor, which integrates with Final Cut Pro and Motion to seamlessly customize output settings for distribution.

Music Creation

A new lineup of features for Logic Pro for Mac and iPad supports musical artists and helps creators deliver original music for their video content as an Apple Creator Studio subscriber or one-time-purchase Mac user. The new tools are sophisticated, intuitive, and intelligent to inspire beat making, songwriting, remixing, and more.

Logic Pro for Mac and iPad supercharges and inspires music creation to help artists and creators deliver original songs and audio tracks.

Synth Player joins the AI Session Player lineup,8 delivering incredible electronic music performances with a diverse range of chordal and synth bass parts — all powered by AI and the advanced software instrument technology of Logic Pro. Using Synth Player is like having access to a skilled synthesist that can instantly take a musical idea in new directions when needed. Developed in-house using Apple’s own team of expert sound designers, Synth Player delivers incredible realism and fidelity fueled by the vast array of software synthesizers and samplers in Logic Pro. And like every AI Session Player, creators can direct Synth Player using intuitive controls for complexity and intensity, while additional parameters unlock access to advanced performance capabilities. Synth Player can also access any third-party plug-in Audio Units, or even control an external hardware synthesizer.

The AI Session Player lineup adds Synth Player, delivering incredible and realistic electronic music performances that can be intuitively customized to fit the desired sound.

Tapping into the power of AI, Chord ID becomes a personal music theory expert by turning any audio or MIDI recording into a ready-to-use chord progression, eliminating tedious manual transcription and bringing demo ideas to life even faster. Designed to help everyone get the most out of the Session Player experience, Chord ID can analyze complex harmonic content from nearly any recording to automatically populate the chord track in Logic Pro. And since the chord track drives the performances of any AI Session Player, users can quickly audition different players, styles, and genres, allowing them creative freedom to experiment and dial in their favorite vibe.

The new Sound Library in Logic Pro for Mac delivers Apple-designed packs and Producer Packs with hundreds of royalty-free loops, samples, instrument patches, drum sounds, and more. Additionally, Logic Pro for iPad users will now have access to the industry-leading Quick Swipe Comping feature from Logic Pro for Mac, an indispensable tool for vocalists and producers who want to create seamless performances inside or outside the studio.

Logic Pro for iPad also presents Music Understanding features with natural language search in the Sound Browser to help users describe a loop or find similar loops — no tags, guesses, or filters required. AI-based awareness of the massive collection of loops in Logic Pro makes it easy to search either through natural language or a recording to find a similar or complementary loop or sound.

Music Understanding in Logic Pro for iPad makes finding a similar or complementary loop seamless with natural language search.

Apple Creator Studio also unlocks access to MainStage, which turns Mac into an instrument, voice processor, or guitar rig. Now, the sound users love in their recording can be the sound their audience hears. Setup is fast, teardown is faster, and everything in between is more reliable.

MainStage, also included in the Apple Creator Studio suite, turns Mac into an instrument, voice processor, or guitar rig.

Creative Imaging Designed for iPad

Pixelmator Pro, the award-winning image editor for Mac, comes with the all-new Apple Creator Studio, bringing an approachable and professional editing experience to even more creators. Pixelmator Pro is packed with powerful image editing tools, empowering Apple Creator Studio subscribers and one-time-purchase Mac users to design, draw, paint, and refine their creative vision, and so much more. For the first time, Pixelmator Pro is coming to iPad, bringing an all-new touch-optimized workspace, full Apple Pencil support, the ability to work between iPad and Mac, and all of the powerful editing tools users have come to appreciate on Mac. Pixelmator Pro for iPad offers fast and efficient image editing, leveraging the blazing performance of Apple silicon and built from scratch for the latest iPadOS.

For the first time, Pixelmator Pro comes to iPad, bringing the full suite of beloved features, customized for touch and Apple Pencil.

Intuitive touch controls make it even easier to create desktop-class designs wherever users take their iPad. The full-featured Layers sidebar allows creators to build designs using a range of unique elements like images, shapes, text, and even video. Smart selection tools help users isolate and edit specific parts of images effortlessly, and with advanced bitmap and vector masks, users can hide or reveal discrete portions of their designs. The deep integration of hardware, software, and Apple silicon unlocks features like Super Resolution for intelligently upscaling photos, Deband for removing compression artifacts, and automatic composition suggestions with Auto Crop. With full support for Apple Pencil, digital artists can enjoy painting in the most natural way with a beautiful collection of pressure-sensitive brushes. And unmatched Apple Pencil precision — combined with features like hover, squeeze, and double-tap — gives creators the ability to craft pixel-perfect designs.

Additionally, for Apple Creator Studio subscribers, both Pixelmator Pro for Mac and iPad bring a powerful new Warp tool for twisting and shaping layers any way creatives can imagine, alongside a beautiful collection of Warp-powered product mockups.

Visual Productivity

For more than 20 years, Apple’s visual productivity apps have empowered users to express themselves with beautiful presentations, documents, and spreadsheets using Keynote, Pages, and Numbers. And Freeform has brought endless possibilities for creative brainstorming and visual collaboration.

With Apple Creator Studio, productivity gets supercharged with all-new features that bring more intelligence and premium content to creators’ fingertips so they can take their projects to the next level. The Content Hub is a new space where users can find curated, high-quality photos, graphics, and illustrations. A subscription also unlocks new premium templates and themes in Keynote, Pages, and Numbers.

The Content Hub — accessible from Keynote, Pages, and Numbers — brings Apple Creator Studio subscribers access to an all-new, high-quality media library.

In addition to Image Playground, advanced image creation and editing tools let users create high-quality images from text, or transform existing images, using generative models from OpenAI. On-device AI models enable Super Resolution to upscale images while keeping them sharp and detailed, and Auto Crop provides intelligent crop suggestions, helping users find eye-catching compositions for photos.

To help users prepare presentations even more quickly in Keynote, Apple Creator Studio includes access to features in beta, such as the ability to generate a first draft of a presentation from a text outline, or create presenter notes from existing slides. Subscribers can also quickly clean up slides to fix layout and object placement. And in Numbers, subscribers can generate formulas and fill in tables based on pattern recognition with Magic Fill.

Keynote, Pages, Numbers, and Freeform will remain free for all users to create, edit, and collaborate with others, including Apple Creator Studio subscribers. These apps will continue receiving updates, with the latest versions adopting the beautiful new visual design language with Liquid Glass on all platforms, and supporting the new windowing and menu bar improvements in iPadOS 26.

Pricing and Availability

• Apple Creator Studio will be available beginning Wednesday, January 28, for US$12.99 per month or $129 per year. All new subscribers will enjoy a one-month free trial of Apple Creator Studio, and with the purchase of a new Mac or qualifying iPad, customers can receive three months of Apple Creator Studio for free.

• Education savings are available for college students and educators for $2.99 per month or $29.99 per year.

• Apple Creator Studio is available to download on the App Store as a universal purchase.

• Up to six family members can share all of the apps and content included in Apple Creator Studio with Family Sharing.

• One-time-purchase versions of Final Cut Pro ($299.99), Logic Pro ($199.99), Pixelmator Pro ($49.99), Motion ($49.99), Compressor ($49.99), and MainStage ($29.99) are available on the Mac App Store.

• Free versions of Keynote, Pages, Numbers, and Freeform continue to be available and are included with every new iPhone, Mac, and iPad.

MacDailyNews Take: Can Apple please finally fix Pixelmator Pro on the Mac so that “Show Overlay” isn’t stuck always on, at least? We might be more amenable to paying for things if they worked properly.

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As renewed talks of a U.S. acquisition of Greenland intensify under President Donald Trump, tech investors — including backers of the Magnificent Seven companies — are closely examining the potential windfall in critical and rare earth minerals. These resources are vital for powering smartphones, electric vehicles (EVs), AI data centers, semiconductors, and advanced defense technologies.A January 12, 2026, CNBC report reveals surging interest from tech-focused investors in how American control over the Arctic island could accelerate mining projects and secure supply chains currently dominated by China.

In the past week alone, Critical Metals Corp — a NASDAQ-listed company developing a project to extract heavy rare earth elements (HREE) in Greenland — has received direct inquiries from tech investors about the impact of a U.S. takeover on its asset and development timeline. CEO Tony Sage told CNBC:

Sage said U.S. President Donald Trump’s rhetoric about Greenland had generated additional “buzz” for the project from investors. Without naming specific shareholders, he said Critical Metals Corp backers included those who invest in Magnificent Seven U.S. tech companies.

The company’s project targets heavy rare earth elements such as Yttrium, Gadolinium, Terbium, Dysprosium, Holmium, Erbium, Thulium, Ytterbium, Lutetium, and Gallium, which provide essential heat resistance and magnetic stability. Sage emphasized their strategic importance:

“These are the materials that are essential for defence technologies, robotics, semiconductors and aerospace applications. We can’t fly rockets into space, build nuclear submarines or next-generation fighter jets without these materials.”

For companies like Apple, which relies heavily on rare earths for iPhone magnets, displays, cameras, and other components — as well as broader ecosystem needs in chips and batteries — a more secure, U.S.-aligned source could reduce vulnerability to China’s export restrictions. China produced 70% of global rare earths in 2024 and imposed bans on key minerals like germanium and gallium in 2025, directly affecting AI and tech production.

Echoing this, Amaroq Minerals CEO Eldur Ólafsson highlighted the criticality of these materials in a prior CNBC interview:“When Trump put tariffs on China, the first two metals China stopped exporting were germanium and gallium,” Ólafsson told CNBC.

“Why? Because you need it in AI, you need it in defense, you need it in tech, it’s absolutely critical.”

Amaroq has confirmed commercial levels of germanium and gallium in its Greenland projects — elements indispensable for advanced AI chips and semiconductors used across Big Tech products.

With the White House “actively” discussing a potential purchase of Greenland (while not ruling out other means), and ongoing talks between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Danish officials, a U.S. presence could streamline permitting, attract more investment, and foster direct government support for mining — as evidenced by Critical Metals Corp’s “strong relationships” with both the U.S. and Greenland governments.

While skeptics like Tracy Hughes of the Critical Minerals Institute caution that Greenland’s projects remain in early exploration stages and “won’t materially move markets in the next decade” due to complex processing requirements, the current investor “buzz” and stock surges (Critical Metals up 116% in 2026 so far) signal strong optimism among tech investors.

Additionally, Greenland is essential as a forward staging ground for missile interceptors and advanced radar systems, which would be a core component of America’s “Golden Dome” (missile defense system) architecture.

For Apple and fellow Magnificent Seven giants, Greenland joining America, likely via a Compact of Free Association (COFA), could represent a geopolitical shortcut to diversified, reliable supplies of the rare materials underpinning tomorrow’s innovations — from next-gen iPhones to AI infrastructure.

MacDailyNews Take: Even if you paid every Greenland citizen a million bucks each, it’d be a cost effective solution (population: 57,000 x $1,000,000 = $57 billion*) as Greenland joining America would be a geopolitical jackpot for both countries, Greenland citizens, the U.S. military, Apple, and Big Tech by securing rare earth minerals essential for iPhones, magnets, chips, and AI — breaking China’s rare earths hegemony and powering tomorrow’s innovations.

*For perspective, Apple alone has pledged to invest $600 billion in America over the next four years. Yes, Apple could basically buy Greenland if they so desired.

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iOS 26.2.1

Apple’s software engineers have begun internal testing of iOS 26.2.1, as indicated by entries in the MacRumors visitor logs — a consistently reliable signal for impending iOS releases.

The minor point update is expected to arrive sometime this week or next, most likely bringing bug fixes, performance tweaks, and/or important security patches.

This will come as a bridge release ahead of the more feature-focused iOS 26.3, which is currently in beta and slated for a public rollout later in January.

Joe Rossignol for MacRumors:
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iOS 26.3 is expected to follow in late January, with key new features in that update so far including a new iPhone-to-Android transfer tool, Notification Forwarding for third-party smartwatches in the EU, and more.

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MacDailyNews Take: Running iOS 26.2? Get ready to (slightly) update your iPhone soon!

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Elon Musk

Responding to the following announcement on X of a new deal between Alphabet and Apple to use Google Gemini to power Apple Intelligence and the forthcoming LLM Siri, Elon Musk responded on X, “This seems like an unreasonable concentration of power for Google, given that the also have Android and Chrome.”

News from Google:
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Joint Statement: Apple and Google have entered into a multi-year collaboration under which the next generation of Apple Foundation Models will be based on Google’s Gemini models and cloud technology. These models will help power future Apple Intelligence features, including a more personalized Siri coming this year.

After careful evaluation, Apple determined that Google’s Al technology provides the most capable foundation for Apple Foundation Models and is excited about the innovative new experiences it will unlock for Apple users. Apple Intelligence will continue to run on Apple devices and Private Cloud Compute, while maintaining Apple’s industry-leading privacy standards.

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MacDailyNews Take: Duh. But, considering that Tim Cook lacks the imagination of a plain oatmeal packet, this is precisely the sort of “deal” to which Apple would be consigned.

Apple would do well to think apolitically and ink deals to use both SpaceX’s superior Starlink satellite connectivity and xAI’s outstanding Grok in Apple Intelligence. – MacDailyNews, October 24, 2025

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Google-parent Alphabet Inc. has officially joined the elite $4 trillion club, becoming the newest tech giant to achieve this historic market capitalization amid a surge driven by artificial intelligence advancements and robust cloud computing growth.

In a major development announced today, January 12, 2026, Apple and Google confirmed a multi-year partnership under which Google’s Gemini AI models and cloud technology will serve as the foundation for the next generation of Apple Foundation Models, powering future Apple Intelligence features — including a significantly more personalized and capable version of Siri expected to launch later this year. This collaboration, described in a joint statement as the result of Apple’s careful evaluation finding Google’s technology the “most capable” option, deepens the longstanding alliance between the two tech giants while maintaining Apple’s strict on-device processing and Private Cloud Compute privacy standards, ensuring user data remains protected and Google does not access personal information. The deal marks a strategic move for Apple to accelerate its AI ambitions amid the ongoing generative AI race, leveraging Gemini’s advanced capabilities to deliver innovative experiences across iPhone, iPad, Mac, and other devices without fully relying on its own models alone.

Alphabet joining the $4 trillion club marks a significant shift in the Big Tech landscape, with Alphabet now overtaking Apple to claim the second spot among the world’s most valuable companies.

According to data from today’s trading session, Alphabet’s shares rose approximately 1.7% to a record high of $334.04, pushing its market cap to around $4.03 trillion before a slight pullback.

This places Alphabet behind only Nvidia Corp., which leads with a staggering $4.51 trillion valuation, fueled by its dominance in AI chip technology. Microsoft Corp. follows in fourth place at about $3.55 trillion.

The rally in Alphabet’s stock reflects investor enthusiasm for its AI initiatives, including advancements in generative AI tools and the expanding Google Cloud platform, which have contributed to a year-long upward trajectory. Analysts attribute this momentum to the broader AI boom, positioning Alphabet as a key player in the race to capitalize on emerging technologies.

Prior to this milestone, only Nvidia, Apple, and Microsoft had briefly touched or exceeded the $4 trillion threshold, with Nvidia being the first to surpass $5 trillion at one point.

For Apple, this development means a demotion to third place in the global market cap standings, with its current valuation standing at approximately $3.84 trillion as of January 12, 2026.

Apple’s shares have faced headwinds recently which allowed Alphabet to surge ahead.

Despite this, Apple remains a powerhouse, bolstered by its services ecosystem and ongoing innovations in hardware like the iPhone and Mac lines.

This reshuffling underscores the intensifying competition in the tech sector, where AI investments are increasingly determining market leaders. As Alphabet cements its position, investors will be watching closely to see if Apple can reclaim its spot through upcoming product launches or strategic moves in AI and beyond.

MacDailyNews Take: From threatening “thermonuclear war” to “please, please fix our shitty Siri because we can’t.”

Apple Intelligence. Powered by Google.

Steal an entire platform, get rewarded.

Behold, Tim Cook’s inept, submissive Apple which can’t even manage to pick the world’s best LLM, just the LLM maker who’ll charge the least*.

*Apple will pay roughly $1 billion annually for Gemini to underpin “Apple Intelligence,” subtracting it from the $20+ billion Google pays Apple each year to be Safari’s default search engine.

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Alphabet subsidiary Google confirmed that it has entered a multiyear deal with Apple to power the company’s “Apple Intelligence” artificial intelligence technology, including the Siri voice assistant.

“After careful evaluation, Apple determined that Google’s Al technology provides the most capable foundation for Apple Foundation Models and is excited about the innovative new experiences it will unlock for Apple users,” Google said Monday in a post on the X social media network. Terms of the agreement weren’t disclosed.

Reuters:
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The latest agreement builds on a years-long partnership that makes Google the default search engine on Apple devices – a lucrative arrangement that drives traffic for Google while generating tens of billions in annual revenue for Apple.

News of the deal helped power Alphabet’s market valuation above $4 trillion on Monday. The stock, up 0.5% in afternoon trading, jumped 65% last year on growing investor optimism about its efforts including its latest Gemini 3 AI model.

“Apple Intelligence will continue to run on Apple devices and Private Cloud Compute, while maintaining Apple’s industry-leading privacy standards,” Google said on Monday.

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MacDailyNews Note: Here’s Google’s official statement:

Apple and Google have entered into a multi-year collaboration under which the next generation of Apple Foundation Models will be based on Google's Gemini models and cloud technology. These models will help power future Apple Intelligence features, including a more personalized…

— News from Google (@NewsFromGoogle) January 12, 2026

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Apple’s iPhone 17

Apple’s iPhone led as the global smartphone market posted modest growth in 2025, with shipments increasing 2% year-over-year (YoY), marking the second consecutive year of expansion, according to preliminary estimates from Counterpoint Research.

This sustained momentum throughout the year was primarily fueled by a continued shift toward premium devices, supported by flexible financing options and strong marketing efforts, alongside accelerating 5G adoption in emerging markets. Growth proved uneven regionally, with strong performances in markets like Japan, the Middle East and Africa (MEA), and parts of Asia-Pacific offsetting softer demand in more mature regions.

Apple is the No. 1 Vendor

Apple led the global smartphone market in 2025 with a 20% market share and achieved the highest growth among the top five brands at 10% YoY. The company’s performance was driven by expanded presence in emerging and mid-sized markets, a stronger product mix, and exceptional traction for the iPhone 16 series in key regions such as Japan, India, and Southeast Asia. The successful launch of the iPhone 17 series in Q4 further boosted momentum, helping Apple capture a record-high 25% of global shipments in the final quarter. Analysts highlighted the maturation of the COVID-era upgrade cycle as an additional tailwind, with millions of users due for replacements.

Source: Counterpoint Research’s preliminary Market Monitor report (based on sell-in)
Notes: OPPO includes OnePlus. Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding.

Samsung secured the No. 2 position with a 19% market share and 5% YoY shipment growth. Key drivers included robust demand for the mid-range Galaxy A series, alongside solid traction for premium models like the Galaxy Fold7 and Galaxy S25 series, which outperformed their predecessors. The company maintained strong momentum in Japan and core markets, though it faced pressures in Latin America and Western Europe. In Q4, Samsung held a 17% share.

Xiaomi retained third place with a 13% market share and stable performance, bolstered by its premiumization strategy, resilient demand in emerging markets, and effective channel management in regions like Latin America and Southeast Asia.vivo ranked fourth with 3% YoY growth, supported by premiumization efforts and strong offline execution, particularly in India.

OPPO experienced a 4% YoY decline due to weak demand and intense competition in China and the Asia-Pacific region, though it saw gains in India and MEA. When combined with realme, the entity achieved an 11% share globally.Outside the top five, brands like Nothing (+31% YoY) and Google (+25% YoY) posted notable gains.

Q4 Closes the Year Modestly

In the fourth quarter of 2025, global shipments grew just 1% YoY, impacted by inventory buildup from earlier quarters.

Outlook for 2026 Remains Cautious

Looking ahead, Counterpoint Research adopted a conservative stance for 2026, revising shipment forecasts downward by 3% due to emerging challenges. Sharp rises in memory shortages (DRAM and NAND) and escalating component costs — as chipmakers prioritize AI data centers over smartphones — are expected to soften the market. Price hikes for smartphones have already begun to appear.Apple and Samsung are positioned to remain relatively resilient, thanks to stronger supply chains and premium market focus, while Chinese OEMs in lower-price segments may face greater pressure.

Senior Analyst Shilpi Jain noted: “In 2025, the smartphone market continued its gradual shift toward higher price tiers, driven by consumers upgrading to premium devices. Concurrently, demand for 5G handsets rose sharply across developing regions.”

Senior Analyst Varun Mishra added on Apple’s success: “Apple’s growth in 2025 was driven by its expanding presence and rising demand across emerging and mid-size markets, supported by a stronger product mix.”

Research Director Tarun Pathak warned: “The global smartphone market is set to soften in 2026 amid DRAM/NAND shortages and rising component costs… Though the supply crunch will weigh on shipments, Apple and Samsung are likely to remain resilient.”

MacDailyNews Note: These preliminary figures are based on Counterpoint Research’s Market Monitor sell-in data. The full report underscores a market transitioning toward premiumization – a boon for Apple – while navigating supply-side headwinds in the year ahead.

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2025 was a record-breaking year for Apple services, marked by remarkable growth, global expansion, and continuous innovation. From Apple TV, Apple Music, and Apple News, to daily essentials like Apple Pay and iCloud, we delivered enriching experiences to users worldwide. Reflecting on 2025, we remained committed to enhancing our users’ daily lives, with incredible engagement during the holiday season.

Apple services had a banner year, rolling out game-changing features for customers while shattering records. The numbers reflect the incredible enthusiasm of our customers, whether it’s downloading an exciting new app or game, watching the hottest new show with family and friends, listening to their favorite songs, or shopping with peace of mind. The App Store alone saw over 850 million average weekly users globally, with developers earning over $550 billion on our platform since 2008. Apple Pay also made a significant impact by eliminating well over $1 billion in fraud, while generating more than $100 billion in incremental merchant sales globally, and purchases made through Apple Pay significantly outpaced the overall growth in consumer spending levels during the peak holiday shopping period in November and December. Apple TV eclipsed all prior viewership records in December 2025, while Apple Music reached all-time highs in both listenership and new subscribers.

We marked milestone anniversaries across services, including Apple Podcasts, Music, News, and more — each made possible by the artists, creators, journalists, and storytellers who bring these platforms to life. And we brought services to more users across the globe than ever before, with Apple Pay now available in 89 markets, Find My launching in South Korea, and Apple Fitness+ expanding to 28 additional countries and regions.

New updates to services delivered increasingly personalized, fun, and easy-to-use experiences for our users. Apple Wallet leveraged Apple Intelligence to make it easier for users to keep track of their orders, and Apple Maps made users’ Preferred Routes and Visited Places easily accessible using on-device intelligence. Apple Music’s AutoMix mixed songs seamlessly like a DJ, while Lyrics Translation and Pronunciation broke down language barriers. AI-powered features like Enhance Dialogue, automatically generated chapters, and links in Apple Podcasts ensured everyone could personalize their listening experience and better navigate their favorite shows. Fitness+ added digital dubbing in Spanish and German, and introduced Custom Plans that automatically create personalized workout schedules based on user preferences. Apple Invites brought people together for all kinds of life occasions, capturing memories through direct integration with Shared Albums. Apple Arcade expanded its catalog of highly rated games with more than 50 new titles for families to enjoy, all without ads.

“As we look ahead, we’ll continue to bring innovation and intelligent enhancements to Apple services, always guided by our commitment to privacy and a phenomenal customer experience.”

— Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Services

App Store

Apple invests every day to ensure the App Store remains a safe and trusted place for users to find great apps. This consumer trust led to unprecedented engagement on the App Store in 2025, with over 850 million average weekly users spanning 175 countries and regions, helping developers grow their businesses and reach new customers around the world with the click of a button. Storefronts including the U.S., Japan, India, and China saw record visitors during the year.

Developers selling digital goods and services on the App Store have earned more than $550 billion since 2008, when the platform first launched. This figure represents just a fraction of the overall commerce the App Store supports: In 2024, the App Store ecosystem facilitated $1.3 trillion in developer billings and sales, with more than 90 percent of that commerce going directly to developers, with zero commission paid to Apple.

The App Store saw a record number of visitors between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day, and customer spending on digital goods and services over this period also hit a record. Productivity apps and photo and video apps were key growth drivers, and education apps like Simply Draw: Learn to Draw and Toca Boca World were among the most popular with customers during the holiday period.

The 2025 App Store Awards recognized 17 exceptional apps and games that helped users ignite their creativity, achieve new milestones, and savor everyday moments with family and friends. Apple TV

Apple TV’s engagement this past December soared, with total hours viewed up 36 percent compared to the previous year, setting a new record for monthly engagement. This milestone was fueled by robust audience growth across Europe and Latin America, continued expansion in the U.S., and the global streaming debuts of F1, Pluribus, and The Family Plan 2, as well as the timeless Peanuts classic A Charlie Brown Christmas. The landmark year was propelled by Apple’s summer blockbuster F1 — the No. 1 movie at the global box office, the top film on Apple TV, and the highest-grossing sports movie of all time — as well as the premiere of Apple TV’s biggest series to date, the widely acclaimed Pluribus.

Apple’s commitment to excellence earned unprecedented recognition at the Emmy Awards. The Studio made history as the most Emmy-winning freshman comedy ever, Severance led as the most-awarded drama, and the gripping espionage series Slow Horses landed a Best Directing honor. To date, Apple TV has amassed 672 award wins and 3,085 nominations, underscoring its dedication to quality storytelling.

Building on its record-breaking year, Apple TV introduced a bold new identity and mnemonic recorded by multi-Grammy- and Academy Award-winning artist FINNEAS; expanded its live sports offerings with the news that all Major League Soccer matches will be available to stream for Apple TV subscribers at no additional cost; and unveiled a series of platform enhancements — including the launch of the Apple TV and Peacock bundle. Apple TV also introduced a native Apple TV app for Android, as well as new profiles that give every member of the household their own personalized experience within the Apple TV app.

The critically acclaimed Pluribus is Apple TV’s biggest series to date. Apple Music

Apple Music had its best year ever in 2025, breaking records across both listenership and new subscribers. The service marked its 10-year anniversary with its biggest product feature release since launch and the opening of a brand new state-of-the-art studio, while also expanding its reach beyond the Apple ecosystem to bring Apple Music to more fans around the world.

New features like Lyrics Translation and Pronunciation — along with AutoMix, Library Pins, and in-app Replay stats — elevate everyday listening. Apple Music Sing expanded its feature set as well: Users can now turn their iPhone into a microphone that amplifies their voice through the TV, and utilize Continuity Camera to appear onscreen alongside lyrics and visual effects. This past holiday season, the most “sung” song on Apple Music was Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”

Last year, Shazam generated over 1 billion recognitions per month, and saw significant app and website enhancements. Apple Pay & Wallet

Apple Pay is now available in 89 markets and with more than 11,000 banks and network partners. Over the past year, Apple Pay has eliminated well over $1 billion in fraud globally and generated more than $100 billion in incremental merchant sales. With iOS 26, Apple Pay allows banks and lenders to enable users to pay with bank- or lender-provided installments and rewards in stores.

Apple introduced support for Japan’s My Number Card on iPhone — marking the first international ID in Wallet. In the U.S., Apple introduced Digital ID using U.S. passports for domestic travel at TSA checkpoints. Additionally, Apple Wallet now uses Apple Intelligence to automatically identify, summarize, and display order tracking details from emails.

In the U.S., Apple introduced Digital ID, which enables users to create and add a Digital ID to Apple Wallet using information from a U.S. passport. With iOS 26, Maps became more personalized and intelligent, with new features like Preferred Routes. iCloud & Apple Invites

In 2025, Apple released Apple Invites, helping users create custom invitations for any occasion. Unlimited event creation is included with an iCloud+ subscription. iCloud leads the industry in security with features like two-factor authentication and Advanced Data Protection, which uses end-to-end encryption to keep users’ data secure.

Apple Invites helps users create custom invitations to gather friends and family for any occasion. With Invites, users can RSVP from any device, and unlimited event creation is included with an iCloud+ subscription. Apple Arcade

Apple Arcade launched more than 50 new games last year, including SpongeBob: Patty Pursuit 2, PGA TOUR Pro Golf, and popular PC titles like PowerWash Simulator and Cult of the Lamb. Over 500 updates were released for existing hits like Sneaky Sasquatch and Hello Kitty Island Adventure.

In 2025, Arcade launched more than 50 new games, including hits based on the biggest entertainment and sports brands. Apple Fitness+

Apple Fitness+ expanded to 28 new countries, including India, Chile, and the Netherlands. The service introduced digitally dubbed workouts in Spanish and German and now offers more than 8,000 workouts and meditations in 4K Ultra HD.

In 2025, Apple Fitness+ marked its largest expansion since the service’s launch by rolling out to 28 new countries and regions. Apple News

Apple News+ Food launched, including 100,000 recipes from 60 publications. Apple News now includes over 150 local newspapers across 50 U.S. states and several international markets.

Apple News+ Food includes 100,000 recipes from 60 publications in the U.S., the UK, Australia, and English-speaking Canada. Apple One

Apple One continues to offer incredible value, providing access to iCloud+, Apple Music, Apple TV, and Apple Arcade in a single monthly plan available in more than 100 markets.

MacDailyNews Take: Apple services is a juggernaut!

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Apple TV earns widespread awards recognition with “The Studio” leading nominations, alongside major nods for “F1,” “Severance,” “Pluribus” and more across top guild and industry honors.

Apple TV on Sunday was honored with three wins at the 83rd Annual Golden Globe Awards, including Best Television Series — Musical or Comedy for “The Studio,” Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Series — Musical or Comedy for “The Studio” lead Seth Rogen, and Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Series — Drama for “Pluribus” star Rhea Seehorn, marking the first Golden Globe Award wins for Rogen and Seehorn.

“The Studio” recently became the most Emmy-winning freshman comedy in history with 13 wins, including Outstanding Comedy and Outstanding Lead Actor for Seth Rogen. The series has also been recognized with Critics Choice Award wins for Best Comedy, Best Actor in a Comedy for Seth Rogen and Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy for Ike Barinholtz, and is one of the few series to land the Golden Globe, Emmy and Critics Choice Awards for Best Comedy. Honors for “The Studio” also include an American Film Institute Award for TV Program of the Year; Actor Award nominations including Outstanding Ensemble, Outstanding Male Actors Seth Rogen and Ike Barinholtz, and Outstanding Female Actors Catherine O’Hara and Kathryn Hahn; as well as nominations from the Directors Guild, Producers Guild, Casting Society Artios Awards, Art Directors Guild, Costume Designers Guild, American Society of Cinematographers, The Make-Up & Hair Stylists Guild, and Film Independent Spirit Awards, among many others.

This is the latest honor for smash hit “Pluribus” after Seehorn’s win for Best Actress in a Drama Series at the Critics Choice Awards last weekend, alongside accolades to date that include an American Film Institute Award for TV Program of the Year, an Actor Award nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama for Seehorn, nominations from the Producers Guild and the Art Directors Guild, and a GLAAD Media Award nomination for Outstanding New TV Series.

These wins are Apple’s most recent recognition from the Golden Globe Awards, following Lily Gladstone’s groundbreaking win in 2024 for “Killers of the Flower Moon” and Paul Walter Hauser’s Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series win for “Black Bird” in 2023. To date, Apple Original films, documentaries and series have been honored with 682 wins and 3,115 award nominations and counting, including multi-Emmy Award-winning, history-making comedies “The Studio” and “Ted Lasso,” and Oscar Best Picture winner “CODA.”

Apple’s three wins for the 83rd Annual Golden Globe Awards include:

“The Studio”
• Best Television Series — Musical or Comedy
• Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Series — Musical or Comedy — Seth Rogen

“Pluribus”
• Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Series — Drama — Rhea Seehorn

“The Studio” and “Pluribus” are currently streaming on Apple TV.

“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.

“Pluribus”

Starring Rhea Seehorn and created by Vince Gilligan, “Pluribus” is a genre-bending original in which the most miserable person on Earth must save the world from happiness.

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.

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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MacDailyNews Take: Congrats to all of the casts and crews of the winners!

As for the blatant snubbing of “Severance” and “Pluribus” which any critic worth anything will tell you are clearly better than “The Pitt,” they canceled each other out:

Many awards (like the Oscars, Grammys, and the Golden Globes Best Television Series – Drama category) use simple plurality voting (everyone picks one favorite; highest vote count wins).

In these systems:

• When multiple strong nominees such as “Severance” and “Pluribus” appeal to the same voter bloc (e.g., similar genres, styles, actors from the same film, or overlapping fanbases), their support gets fragmented.

• A different nominee with a more consolidated (but smaller) base, such as yet another hospital series that we’ve all seen a thousand times before like “The Pitt,” can slip through and win.

This is why Ranked Choice Voting is used in the Academy Awards for Best Picture. For its Best Television Series – Drama category, at least, the Golden Globes should adopt Ranked Choice Voting, Approval Voting, the Condorcet method or some other more meaningful method of voting.

As for “The Studio:”

Kudos to Apple TV, Seth Rogen et al. for gaming the system so proficiently. 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–)

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