Apple News 3 Days

Last updated: June 27, 2026, 11:31 AM ET

Apple's Price Hikes Spark Market Turmoil and Consumer Backlash

Apple has implemented significant price increases across a broad range of its products, including Macs, iPads, Apple TV, Home Pod, and the Vision Pro. The company cited rising memory costs as a primary driver for these hikes, which have resulted in some products seeing increases of 10-20 percent, and a few as high as 50 percent, 110. The MacBook Neo, for instance, now starts at $699, a $100 increase from its previous $599 price point, 113. Similarly, the MacBook Air's starting price has risen to $1299 from $1099. The Vision Pro is now priced at $3,699, up from $3,499. These increases have led to Apple's stock experiencing its worst day in over a year, with analysts largely remaining nonplussed but Wall Street expressing skepticism, 97. The company's online store was temporarily taken offline for updates coinciding with these changes, 119.

Extended Prime Day Deals Offer Respite Amid Price Hikes

In the wake of Apple's price increases, retailers like Amazon have extended significant Prime Day deals, providing consumers a last chance to purchase Apple products at pre-hike prices. Discounts of up to $650 were available on Mac, iPad, and AirPods lines. Specific deals included up to $450 off various MacBook Air models, 85, and an $850 discount on a 16-inch MacBook Pro with an M5 Max chip. Apple Watch deals also saw extensions, with the Series 11 discounted by $120 and the Ultra 3 by $150 2. iPads were available for as low as $299, representing a $150 discount off the new MSRP. These extended sales offered a crucial opportunity for consumers to mitigate the impact of Apple's recent price adjustments, 102. New Product Rumors and Development Updates

Apple is reportedly gearing up for a busy fall product launch season, with over 15 new products anticipated, including updated iPhones, Macs, and iPads. Rumors suggest the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max could see a $200 price increase, and the foldable iPhone may also launch at higher-than-expected prices. The iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e models are expected to feature 9GB of RAM, an upgrade from their predecessors, potentially improving AI performance, 34. In the Mac lineup, a MacBook Ultra with an OLED touchscreen is rumored for a fall release, potentially utilizing M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, rather than an anticipated M6 21, 41, 137. Apple is also rumored to be skipping M6 Pro and Max chips in favor of new M7 chips designed for AI workloads, with these M7 chips expected to debut in Macs in 2027 82, 84.

OpenAI Continues to Poach Apple Talent

OpenAI has continued its trend of hiring former Apple executives, with Paul Meade, who oversaw development on the Apple Vision Pro and the company's upcoming smart glasses, now joining the AI research firm's hardware division, 18. This move highlights the ongoing competition for top talent in the rapidly evolving AI and hardware sectors. OpenAI has also launched a limited preview of its GPT-5.6 series, including models Sol, Terra, and Luna, and is upgrading Chat GPT and Codex with these new models, 142.

iOS 27 Enhancements and App Updates

The iOS 27 beta is revealing a host of new features, including a less intimidating Shortcuts app designed for casual users. The Photos app will see several new features, and the Notes app is gaining a power-user feature that is rare in other applications. Siri AI in iOS 27 is expected to offer improved capabilities, including the ability to summarize webpages and videos within Safari and YouTube. However, a new system prompt in iOS 27 beta 2 specifies that Siri AI should clearly refuse requests to summarize URLs. Apple is also seeding the second developer beta for watch OS, offering access to Siri AI and other improvements for the Apple Watch Ultra 3 74, 78.

Other Notable Developments

Apple is petitioning the Trump administration to allow it to purchase RAM chips from a blacklisted Chinese supplier, aiming to alleviate price pressures caused by supply chain issues. The company is also reportedly working with its supplier Tata after sensitive files, including logic board designs for the iPhone 18 Pro and A20 Pro data, were leaked online. In response to devastating earthquakes in Venezuela, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced the company will donate to relief efforts, 52. Apple has also released its first cinematic event of the year, "Tenzing," which will have a theatrical release before coming to Apple TV+ 29, 73. The company also added refurbished MacBook Neo models to its online store, a day after implementing price hikes on new units, 60.