Apple News
Apple paid 40% of global taxes to Ireland last year
In a striking illustration of how corporate tax structures and long-running legal battles can reshape national revenues, Apple paid Ireland $17.1 billion in income taxes during its fiscal year ending September 2025. That sum represented roughly 40% of the company’s worldwide total of $43.2 billion in income taxes for the period, according to a company filing detailing country-by-country liabilities.
The Irish figure was “significantly higher” than the taxes Apple accrued for the year in that jurisdiction. The difference stemmed primarily from the release of escrowed funds tied to a European Union state-aid case: approximately €13 billion (about $15.18 billion at then-prevailing exchange rates) in back taxes that the EU’s top court ordered Apple to pay Ireland in 2024.
The Long Legal Battle Behind the Windfall
The roots of this payment stretch back nearly a decade. In 2016, then-European Commission competition chief Margrethe Vestager ruled that Ireland had granted Apple illegal tax benefits through selective tax rulings dating to the 1990s and 2000s. These arrangements allegedly allowed the company to achieve effective tax rates far below Ireland’s standard 12.5% corporate rate (sometimes under 1%) on profits booked through Irish subsidiaries, diverting investment and tax base from other EU countries.
Ireland and Apple fought the decision vigorously for eight years. Ireland’s government defended its low-tax regime as essential to attracting U.S. multinationals and the substantial direct and indirect economic benefits they bring, including jobs, research activity, and ongoing tax receipts. The money was held in escrow while appeals proceeded. In September 2024, the Court of Justice of the European Union sided with the Commission, upholding the recovery order and clearing the way for the funds to reach the Irish state.
Apple has long maintained that it complied fully with Irish law and that the profits in question derived primarily from intellectual property developed in the United States, arguing they should be taxed there rather than in Ireland.
New Transparency Rules Reveal the Scale
These details emerged under the EU’s relatively new country-by-country reporting requirements for large multinationals (those with global revenues exceeding €750 million). The filings require public disclosure of revenues, profits, employees, and taxes paid across jurisdictions, offering unprecedented visibility into how companies allocate their tax base.
Beyond the headline numbers, the disclosures highlight the concentration of Apple’s European activity in Ireland. The company reported roughly $213.5–213.6 billion in revenues assigned to its Irish operations and pre-tax profits of about $34.6 billion there. It employs 5,575 people in Ireland (home to its European headquarters) translating to pre-tax profits on the order of $6 million per employee. By comparison, figures for other markets, such as Germany (around 4,089 employees), show far lower profit-per-employee metrics and much smaller tax payments relative to the overall total.
Across 22 specified countries (including 18 EU member states plus others such as Norway, Vietnam, Russia, and Turkey), Apple paid about $17.6 billion in taxes. The remaining $25.6 billion went to all other jurisdictions, which include the United States. Apple’s U.S. federal income tax charge for the same period was reported at $11.5 billion. Over the past five years, the company has paid EU member states a cumulative $34 billion in taxes.
Apple has emphasized that it is consistently one of the world’s largest taxpayers and that these corporate income tax figures focus on where assets and profits are booked, rather than consumption taxes such as VAT that are collected where customers are located.
Broader Context: Ireland’s Tax Model and Global Pressures
Ireland’s 12.5% corporate tax rate has long made it a preferred European base for U.S. technology and pharmaceutical giants. The strategy has delivered outsized results: in 2024, just three companies (widely identified as Apple, Microsoft, and Eli Lilly) accounted for nearly half of Ireland’s total corporate tax receipts, according to analysis by the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council. This concentration brings both bounty and risk; a shift by even one major payer could significantly affect public finances.
The timing coincides with broader international efforts to curb profit shifting, including the OECD’s Pillar Two global minimum tax of 15%. Ireland has adapted its rules accordingly, and some of Apple’s recent payments already reflect elements of this framework. Yet the Apple case underscores persistent tensions: while the EU has used state-aid rules aggressively to challenge preferential arrangements, low-tax jurisdictions continue to attract investment, and companies continue to structure operations around intellectual property and holding entities.
For Ireland, the $17.1 billion infusion is a one-time boost rather than a new normal. Stripping out the back taxes leaves a more conventional annual payment closer to the accrued figure of around $4.8 billion (an effective rate near 13.8% on the year’s Irish-booked profits). Still, the episode reinforces the country’s central role in the European operations of major American firms.
The disclosures also fuel ongoing debates about fairness in the global tax system. Critics of low-tax regimes argue they erode the tax bases of larger economies; defenders point to the real economic activity, employment, and innovation hubs that such policies help create. Apple’s filings make one point unambiguous: when a decade-old legal dispute finally settles, the cash impact can be enormous, and highly concentrated in a single small EU member state.
As more multinationals release similar country-by-country data under the new EU rules, expect sharper scrutiny of where profits are booked versus where value is created and where workforces are located. For now, Apple’s 2025 numbers stand as a vivid snapshot of the intersection of corporate strategy, national tax policy, and European competition enforcement.
MacDailyNews Take: Apple doesn’t pay taxes, Apple’s customers do.
Corporations do not pay taxes, we do. For every dollar or tens of dollars taxed and regulated onto companies, whether it be Apple, Coke or Bob’s Deli, we pay those costs. In reality, companies pay zero taxes, as they simply pass those costs down the line to the consumers of their products. Thus, we pay every dime of every regulation and tax bestowed onto corporations, every – single – dime. – Mark Reschke, “Taxing Apple Just Taxes You,” T-GAAP, May 24, 2013
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Deal of the Day: Apple’s AirTags 2 hit their lowest price ever
Apple’s latest AirTags are on sale for their lowest price yet. A four-pack of the second-generation AirTag is currently available for $79.99 — 20% off the regular $99 list price — making this a strong moment to stock up on Apple’s refined item trackers.
What’s New with AirTag 2
Launched earlier in 2026, the second-generation AirTag keeps the familiar compact design (about 1.26 inches across with a metal back that twists off for the battery) while delivering meaningful upgrades focused on finding your belongings more easily and from farther away.
Key features and improvements include:
• Second-generation Ultra Wideband (U2) chip: Powers more capable Precision Finding. Apple says it guides you to a lost item from up to 50% farther away (1.5× the range of the original) using directional arrows, distance estimates, and haptic/visual/audio feedback on compatible iPhones.
• Precision Finding on Apple Watch: Available for the first time on Apple Watch Series 9 or later and Apple Watch Ultra 2 or later (with a recent watchOS update), so you can locate items from your wrist without pulling out your phone.
Upgraded Bluetooth chip: Expands overall detection range, improving how the AirTag communicates with nearby Apple devices and the Find My network.
• Louder speaker (50% louder): Redesigned internals make the chime up to twice as audible from a distance. It also features a new, higher-pitched distinctive chime that stands out better in noisy environments.
• Battery and durability: Still uses a user-replaceable CR2032 coin cell rated for more than a year of use. IP67 water- and dust-resistant rating remains unchanged. The device is slightly heavier (about 11.8 g vs. 11 g).
• Privacy and security focus: Continues to rely on end-to-end encryption and the vast Find My network. Designed for objects (not people or pets), it includes protections against unwanted tracking such as frequently changing Bluetooth identifiers and cross-platform alerts.
• Share Item Location: Lets you securely share an AirTag’s location with participating airlines (dozens of carriers supported, with more planned) to help recover lost luggage.
Setup remains simple: bring the AirTag near an iPhone or iPad, name it in the Find My app, and attach it to keys, luggage, a wallet, a bag, or other items. It works seamlessly within Apple’s ecosystem for location updates, Lost Mode, and playing a sound to help you home in.
In independent testing and reviews, the second-gen AirTag builds on the original’s strengths — precise locating, a massive crowd-sourced Find My network, and strong privacy — while addressing common pain points like range and audibility. The louder speaker and extended Precision Finding make it noticeably better for locating items hidden under cushions, in a bag, or across a house or larger area. Compatibility for full advanced features generally requires a recent iPhone (and watchOS updates for Watch support).
Accessories such as key rings, pet-collar holders, or luggage tags remain useful add-ons for everyday use.
At the current all-time low of $79.99 for the four-pack, the second-generation AirTags offer a practical upgrade or first-time entry into Apple’s tracking system for anyone who regularly misplaces everyday items. Prices and availability can change, so check current deals if you’re considering a purchase.
MacDailyNews Take: Get ’em while they last here.
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Steve Jobs resigned as Apple CEO fifteen years ago today
On August 24, 2011, Steve Jobs formally stepped down as chief executive officer of Apple, ending one of the most transformative leadership tenures in modern business history. In a brief letter addressed to the Apple Board of Directors and the Apple community, Jobs wrote that the day had come when he could no longer meet the duties and expectations of the role.
“I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come,” Jobs stated. He resigned as CEO, expressed his desire to serve as Chairman of the Board, director, and Apple employee if the board approved, and strongly recommended that the company execute its succession plan by naming Tim Cook as CEO. “I believe Apple’s brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it,” he added.
Apple’s board accepted the resignation that same day. It named Cook, previously the company’s chief operating officer, as the new CEO and elected Jobs chairman of the board. Cook also joined the board. Board member Art Levinson, speaking on behalf of the directors, praised Jobs’ “extraordinary vision and leadership” that had saved Apple and elevated it to the world’s most innovative and valuable technology company. The board expressed full confidence in Cook.
Jobs, then 56, had been on medical leave since January 2011. He had been diagnosed with a rare form of pancreatic cancer in 2004, undergone a liver transplant in 2009, and previously taken medical leaves. Cook had already been handling day-to-day operations during those absences. The resignation came after the market closed; Apple shares fell about 5 percent in after-hours trading.
Jobs remained involved as chairman until his death less than two months later, on October 5, 2011. Under his leadership after returning to Apple in 1997, the company had reinvented itself with products including the iMac, iPod, iPhone, and iPad, transforming consumer technology and becoming one of the most valuable companies in the world.
Cook’s subsequent tenure proved durable. Apple’s market capitalization grew dramatically, its revenue expanded substantially, and built a major services business. Fifteen years after Jobs’ resignation, Apple is navigating another leadership transition: Cook is scheduled to step down as CEO on September 1, 2026, becoming executive chairman, with Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering John Ternus set to succeed him.
The 2011 handover marked the formal end of Jobs’ time as the public face and primary visionary of Apple. His resignation letter closed with gratitude: “I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you.” The company he shaped continues to evolve under successive leaders, carrying forward the foundation he built.
MacDailyNews Take: We miss you, Steve.
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Apple plans retail store overhauls for new home devices and eyes iPhone price increases
Apple is preparing significant changes to its retail stores this fall to accommodate a range of new home products, while also considering price hikes for its upcoming iPhone models next month, Bloomberg News‘ Mark Gurman reports.
According to reporting, the company’s retail teams are reorganizing sections of the “Avenues,” the perimeter walls in newer Apple Stores that typically display accessories such as the HomePod, Apple TV, AirPods, Beats, and third-party items. The updates include rearranging parts of these areas and adding accessory bays to better showcase incoming devices.
Apple is already planning an upgraded Apple TV set-top box and a refreshed HomePod mini for this timeframe. The scale of the store modifications, however, points to something larger: the long-anticipated smart home hub with a display, Gurman reports. These changes appear too extensive to support only routine updates to existing products, suggesting dedicated space will be needed for customers to experience the new hub and how it fits into a broader home setup.
Notably, Gurman also reports that Apple is also eyeing price increases for the iPhone models expected to be updated next month.
MacDailyNews Take: With a slew of new and updated products expect to arrive soon, it make sense that Apple Retail Stores will reuqire some reconfiguration.
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Apple’s iPhone Ultra foldable impresses early testers with pocket-friendly design and durable hinge ahead of September debut
Apple’s long-awaited first foldable iPhone, internally known as the iPhone Ultra, is drawing strong early praise for its form factor, hinge durability, and software adaptations, positioning it as a potential return to the company’s signature product magic.
3D render claiming to depict Apple’s first foldable iPhone (image: Jon Prosser)
According to reports citing people familiar with internal testing, early users have highlighted how the book-style (or passport-style) device fits comfortably in a pocket when closed. The hinge has also impressed for its solid feel and durability, addressing a common pain point in the foldable category. The hinge is rumored to be constructed of Liquidmetal (an amorphous metal alloy prized for its high strength-to-weight ratio, elasticity, and resistance to wear) which could help minimize screen creasing and maintain smoothness over hundreds of thousands of folds. When unfolded, the roughly 7.8-inch internal display supports iPad-like app layouts that enhance usability for productivity, gaming, video, and entertainment. The larger screen has additionally been noted for performing well as a camera viewfinder.
The device is expected to feature a 5.5-inch cover display, a dual-camera rear system (48-megapixel main and ultrawide lenses), and a side-button Touch ID sensor rather than Face ID, a design choice that helps keep the unfolded thickness around 4.5mm. While the camera setup works well for many scenarios, the absence of a telephoto lens has been flagged as a potential drawback given the premium positioning.
Bloomberg News’ Mark Gurman detailed these tester reactions in his latest Power On newsletter, noting the positive overall feedback while acknowledging trade-offs like the biometric sensor shift that some Face ID loyalists may not prefer.
The iPhone Ultra is anticipated to be unveiled alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max at Apple’s fall event, expected around September 8 or 9, 2026. Pricing is projected to start at $2,000 or higher, potentially reaching $2,500 for top storage configurations, reflecting both the advanced engineering and broader industry cost pressures. Limited initial supply is also expected.
MacDailyNews Take: The foldable iPhone will very likely help to expand the smartphone category and reinvigorate interest in Apple’s flagship iPhone lineup after years of more incremental updates.
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[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]
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Apple cuts over 200 jobs in Vision Pro gaming, Immersive Video, Siri teams amid pivot to AI and new devices
Apple is eliminating more than 200 positions across teams responsible for its Siri digital assistant and Vision Pro headset, including units focused on gaming and immersive video content, as the company reallocates resources toward artificial intelligence and upcoming hardware.
According to Bloomberg News‘ Mark Gurman, the cuts include roughly 100 roles from the Vision Pro organization and another 100 from Siri and related software groups. Apple is largely shutting down the Vision Pro gaming team and reducing the size of the unit that produces immersive video for the headset. The company is also laying off employees in its Intelligent Systems Experience team, which handles certain AI features on Apple devices.
The moves reflect a shift in priorities. Immersive video production has proven costly (individual episodes can run into the millions of dollars) while the limited number of active Vision Pro users has made the investment less viable. Going forward, Apple plans to create a smaller volume of in-house immersive content and lean more on third-party creators. Employees were told the Vision Pro and its visionOS software are not being discontinued. In the near term, the company is concentrating on smart glasses that would not support advanced gaming or immersive video, while a successor Vision Pro model remains under consideration for as early as the end of 2028.
On the Siri side, the reductions stem from the transition to a more advanced, AI-powered version of the assistant. The new system requires different technical expertise, prompting Apple to eliminate some existing roles, reallocate staff, and open new positions focused on the updated technology.
In a statement, Apple said it is realigning teams “to evolve our business to deliver the best experiences for our users.” The company noted that while new roles will be created, a limited number of existing positions will be affected. It expressed gratitude to impacted employees and said it would support them through the transition, including opportunities to apply for other roles at Apple.
The job cuts come as Apple intensifies efforts in generative AI and prepares new product categories, even as the Vision Pro has struggled to achieve broad adoption since its 2024 launch.
MacDailyNews Take: “Your invaluable contributions to the version of Siri that somehow managed to remain stubbornly mediocre-at-best for over a decade and a half, and to our very expensive alpha hardware that never should have shipped to the public in its current form, are no longer required. Thank you for your service. Please exit through the gift shop.”
Meanwhile, the company continues hiring aggressively for the actual AI-powered Siri and the devices that might one day make spatial computing something other than a very costly, rather heavy curiosity.
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[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]
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Walmart finally adds Apple Pay in major contactless payment capitulation
After years of resisting Apple’s mobile payment system, Walmart is finally rolling out Apple Pay and other contactless options.
The world’s largest retailer announced Friday that it will begin accepting Tap to Pay — including Apple Pay — at select U.S. Walmart stores and Sam’s Club locations starting August 24, 2026. The company plans to expand the feature to all its U.S. stores and clubs by the end of 2026, with fuel stations following by mid-2027. The new options will also work on Walmart’s websites and apps.
Customers and members will be able to pay by tapping eligible contactless cards, phones, or smartwatches. They can also add their Walmart, Sam’s Club, and OnePay cards to digital wallets for easier use. Walmart framed the move as part of a broader effort to give shoppers more choice and make checkout simpler and more convenient, alongside existing methods such as cash, traditional cards, Walmart Pay, and Sam’s Club’s Scan & Go.
In a nutshell: after a long holdout, Walmart is finally getting Apple Pay. The retailer had long preferred its own payment tools and other systems, making the embrace of contactless digital wallets a notable change in its checkout strategy.
MacDailyNews Take: As a general rule of thumb, we avoid Walmart due to olfactory sensitivity not limited just to Chinese plastics.
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