Apple News 24 Hours

Last updated: June 27, 2026, 5:30 PM ET

Apple Product Pricing and Supply Chain

Apple has implemented significant price increases across a wide range of Mac and iPad models, with some products seeing hikes of 10–20 percent and a few as high as 50 percent instituted major price hikes. This move has prompted Amazon to begin raising prices on its Apple inventory, signaling a potential end to extended Prime Day deals for some products raising prices on Apple gear. In an effort to mitigate rising component costs, particularly for RAM, Apple has petitioned the Trump administration for permission to purchase memory chips from a Chinese supplier that is currently blacklisted in the U.S. purchase RAM chips. This request aims to ease price pressures caused by supply chain constraints and meet product demand purchase memory chips.

Retail Deals and Promotions

Despite the recent price hikes, several Prime Day deals on Apple products remain active through the weekend. Consumers can still find discounts of up to $650 on Mac, iPad, and Air Pods save up to $650. Specifically, the Apple Watch Series 11 is available with a $120 discount, bringing its price down, while the Ultra 3 model sees a $150 price slash extended Apple Watch deals. Additionally, a notable deal on the 1TB MacBook Air M5, offering a $450 saving, has also been extended extended MacBook Air deal.

Software Updates and Developer Tools

The upcoming iOS 27 update is poised to simplify the Shortcuts app, making it more accessible to casual users through enhancements tied to Apple Intelligence makes Shortcuts less intimidating. However, the update will leave behind five specific iPad models, a decision that has drawn criticism from owners who believe they deserve continued support iPad OS 27 leaving models behind. In the developer community, a new indie app named 'Mirage' allows users to stream their Mac displays to iPhones, iPads, Vision Pro, and other Macs, offering a novel cross-device functionality brings Mac display to iPhone. The "Apple @ Work" series, sponsored by Mosyle, continues to explore the advantages of mac OS, with one contributor noting a newfound appreciation for Apple's built-in features after a recent switch to a PC appreciate everything Apple built.

Third-Party Services and Content

Plex is set to significantly increase the price of its lifetime pass on July 1, raising it from $249.99 to $749.99, prompting a last-minute rush for the current pricing lifetime Plex Plan price hike. On the content front, journalist Joanna Stern has publicly called out Apple Books for the continued appearance of AI-generated knockoffs of her book AI-generated knockoffs appearing. Meanwhile, in a development unrelated to Apple's direct ecosystem but impacting institutions using its devices, Anthropic has received clearance to release its Claude Mythos 5 AI model to over 100 U.S. institutions following a previous export control directive Anthropic cleared release Claude. WhatsApp is also testing a "Liquid Glass" design for its iPad app, a visual update previously rolled out on iPhone WhatsApp beta brings Liquid.

Historical Perspectives and Industry Insights

Former Apple retail chief Ron Johnson has shared his reflections on building the Apple Store experience alongside Steve Jobs, describing the stores as "the most productive in the world" despite Jobs' demanding nature Ron Johnson breaks silence. This historical insight comes as the broader tech industry grapples with the implications of AI and evolving hardware pricing strategies.