Updates & Follow-ups

Quick updates to long-running stories the show continues to track, and to stories covered in recent shows.

• iOS 26.5 Confirms Encrypted RCS Messaging in Messages App — www.macobserver.com/… (📣 Apple PR)
  • 🇺🇸 🇨🇦 Officially in beta and rollout starting in US & Canada: These Mobile Carriers Support iOS 26.5 Encrypted RCS Messaging — www.macobserver.com/…
• The global RAM supply issues continue to bite: Apple culls more high-end Mac mini, Mac Studio configs — appleinsider.com/…
• More evidence the MacBook Neo is a hit: Kansas City Public Schools Are Going All in on Apple — appleinsider.com/… (Replacing PCs & Chromebooks with Neos, augmenting existing iPads & MacBook Airs)
• 🇺🇸 Another Tariff Setback for Trump: Court rules Trump’s 10% tariff is just as illegal as the tariff it replaced — arstechnica.com/…
  • These are the 10% flat tariffs rushed in to replaced the illegal IEEPA tariffs
  • This ruling is open to appeal

Regulatory Rundown

• Regulations have Effects:
  • 🇪🇺 EU iPhone Users Get New Third Party Wearable Features in iOS 26.5 — www.macobserver.com/…
    • AirPods-like quick pairing for 3rd-party headphones
    • Rich watch notifications for 3rd-party smart watches
    • Manufacturers will need some time to adopt the newly available APIs into their products
  • Google and Apple team up to improve iPhone-to-Android migration — www.cultofmac.com/…
  • Related: Google Confirms AirDrop Support for These Samsung Galaxy Phones — www.macobserver.com/… (Substantial list of Galaxy models)
• 🇪🇺 EU’s artificial intelligence requirements are profoundly risky, says Apple — appleinsider.com/…
  • Not in a case related to Apple, but in a filing backing up Google in a case against them

    Legal Latest

• 🇺🇸 DOJ -v- Apple:
  • US Court Lets Apple Request Samsung Records for Antitrust Case — www.macobserver.com/…
    • This is the request Apple made under the Hague Evidence Convention discussed in last month’s show
    • 🇰🇷 Whether or not Apple get the files they want now depends on South Korean courts
  • Apple Asks Court to Force US Agencies to Hand over Documents in Antitrust Fight — www.macobserver.com/…
    • Apple is trying to make its case by showing that US government agencies choose to use Apple products on their merits
    • DOJ is trying to block Apple’s request, presumably because it undermines their flimsy case
• 🇺🇸 Apple to Pay $250 Million over Siri Delay Lawsuit Users Could Get up to $95 per Device — www.macobserver.com/…
  • 🇺🇸 File Your Apple Siri Settlement Claim and Get up to $95 — www.macobserver.com/…
• 🇬🇧 Apple can’t avoid $4.1 billion iCloud suit in UK — appleinsider.com/… (Apple failed to get the case narrowed, so it continues as filed)
• 🇮🇳 India’s Apple antitrust case gets minor reprieve as fears of $38 billion fine continue — appleinsider.com/…
  • “In its antitrust investigation against Apple, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) has been trying to get the company to submit audited statements for 2022 to 2024 … the Delhi High Court has ordered Apple to hand over the financial information. However, as well as ordering Apple to ‘fully cooperate’, the court also told the CCI not to issue its ruling before July 15, 2026.” — Apple Insider
  • Apple had asked the court to just halt the investigation until the high court could rule on whether or not they can even be fined based on global revenue, so the court somewhat split the difference.
• 🇺🇸 DOJ -v- Google: Google’s $20B Safari search deal with Apple was ‘fair and square’ — appleinsider.com/…
  • Google have filed their formal appeal of last year’s anti-trust finding against them
• Apple’s latest conflict mineral report contradicts previous complaints over their use — appleinsider.com/… (🇧🇪 🇫🇷 most notably the pending legal cases against Apple in Belgium & France)

Apple HR & Acquisition News

• 🇺🇸 Towson Store staff rally against closure, accusing Apple of anti-union discrimination — appleinsider.com/… (first unionised Apple Store in US)
• Apple TV Head Of International Development jumping ship to start his own production company — appleinsider.com/…
  • Morgan Wandell, had been with Apple TV since before it even launched
  •  Developed and helped produce some major Apple TV titles: Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, Tehran, Disclaimer, Masters of the Air, and The New Look
• Apple Acquires Tiny Color Grading Startup for Creator Studio — www.macobserver.com/…
  • 🇩🇪 This looks like an aqua-hire as Patchflyer is a one-person German company that specialises in colour grading — appleinsider.com/…
• Apple Vision Pro Personas may be improved with Apple’s new acquisition — appleinsider.com/…
  • “A low-profile firm that makes software to create virtual avatars has been acquired by Apple” — Apple Insider
  • Seems to be another aqua-hire

Apple Services & Original Content Highlights

• Bluey comes to Apple Arcade in massive, multigame crossover — www.cultofmac.com/… (📣 Apple PR)
  • Related: Apple Vision Pro Gets PC VR Gaming Through New KRVR App — www.macobserver.com/…
• Apple TV:
  • Apple TV’s The Studio becomes most-awarded new comedy in history — www.cultofmac.com/…
    • 🇬🇧 The award that put it over the top was a prestigious BAFTA in their International category
  • ‘Schmigadoon!’ earns Apple’s first-ever Tony nominations despite being cancelled on TV — appleinsider.com/…
    • A music award for the Broadway version!
    • 12 nominations
  • Related: Cannes Lions Names Eddy Cue as 2026 Entertainment Person of the Year — www.macobserver.com/…
• Apple Sports:
  • Apple Sports App Reaches over 90 New Countries for World Cup — www.macobserver.com/… (📣 Apple PR)
    • Related: Apple brings back After the Whistle podcast for World Cup — www.cultofmac.com/…
  • Apple aired their first sports event shot entirely on iPhones: Wide camera shots exposed the limits of Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro soccer broadcast — appleinsider.com/… (Lots of positive reactions too, particularly to new angles not possible with big traditional broadcast cameras)
• Apple Music shares what it is doing to ‘keep music fair’ in an AI world — 9to5mac.com/…
  • An open letter to the music industry
  • A nuanced approach that distinguishes between creatives using AI as a tool, and AI slop!
• Apple Maps:
  • 🇺🇸 🇨🇦 Apple Maps in iOS 26.5 Adds Suggested Places and Prepares for Upcoming Ads — www.macobserver.com/…
  • 🇮🇹 Rome and Naples Get Better 3D Views in New Apple Maps Update — www.macobserver.com/…
• Apple Health:
  • 🇮🇹 🇷🇴 🇨🇿 🇮🇱 Apple Watch and AirPods Health Features Expand to New Regions — www.macobserver.com/… (Italy, Romania, Czechia & Israel)
  • 🇮🇳 Apple Rolls Out Sleep Apnea and Hearing Test Features in India — www.macobserver.com/…
  • Related: Strava App Now Tracks Your Live Heart Rate Using AirPods Pro 3 — www.macobserver.com/…
• App Store: The App Store stopped over $2.2 billion in potentially fraudulent transactions in 2025 — 📣 Apple PR
  • Strong focus on using AI to empower human reviewers
  • Good overview: Apple blocked over $11 billion in App Store fraud in 6 years — www.bleepingcomputer.com/… (impressive scale!)
• Porsche Finally Adds Apple Wallet Car Key Support to its EV Lineup — www.macobserver.com/…
• 🇺🇸 iPhone users can now store their Arkansas driver’s license in Apple Wallet — www.cultofmac.com/…
• 🇺🇸 Apple Savings appears on the web but only for document access — appleinsider.com/…
• 🇺🇸 Apple Launches Free AirPods Pro 3 Deal for New Apple Card Users — www.macobserver.com/…
  • Interesting to see a new promotion as the service is mid-transition
  • Getting free AirPods Pro 3 sounds simple until the Apple Card fine print kicks in — appleinsider.com/…

Main Stories

1. The Apple -v- Epic case took an unexpected turn in May!
   • The month started with the usual procedural minutae:
     • Epic vs Apple fight could be put on hold again if Supreme Court sides with Apple — appleinsider.com/…
       • “In a new filing viewed by AppleInsider, Apple has requested a stay on the mandate that would require it to reconvene with Epic in court and decide upon a new App Store commission for external purchases. It was previously granted a stay by the Circuit Court, but that stay was overturned after a complaint from Epic.” — Apple Insider
     • This failed quickly: Supreme Court denies Apple breathing space in Epic fight — appleinsider.com/…
     • Apple, Epic agree on pre-court schedule for new fee proposals — appleinsider.com/…
       • They’ve agreed the process by which they’ll approach trying to come to an agreement. Steps and timelines for each side. Depending on how much or little of each time window is used “it could be 150 days or five months before the court schedules another meeting” (Apple Insider).
   • Then things got weird!
     • Fortnite Returns to Global App Stores as Epic Fights Apple — www.macobserver.com/… (🇦🇺 Except Australia!)
     • Epic Games declares Victory Royale months ahead of Apple case conclusion — appleinsider.com/…
       • “Nothing has been decided, and months of deliberations are still ahead, but Epic Games is taking a premature victory lap and rereleasing Fortnite globally (except Australia) … If you only listened to Epic CEO Tim Sweeney, you’d think the Epic versus Apple trial was already decided. In yet another marketing-style push, Epic is attempting to sway legislators around the world with a flashy ad campaign.” — Apple Insider
     • An excellent big-picture summary of where this case now stands: Apple lets Fortnite back on the App Store, but the fight isn’t over yet — www.cultofmac.com/…
   • And the month finished with business-as-usual: Apple’s latest appeal to the Supreme Court challenges two issues in Epic case — appleinsider.com/…
     • “In the Supreme Court filing viewed by AppleInsider, Apple shares that the scope of the anti-steering injunction exceeds the District Court’s limits set by CASA. It also argues that the injunction violation was issued in error due to suggesting it was violating the ‘spirit’ of the law rather than the letter.” — Apple Insider
     • Related Opinion/Analysis: Apple Seeks Supreme Court Review of Contempt Finding and Injunction Scope in Epic Games Case — daringfireball.net/…
2. The WSJ are reporting that Apple and Intel have reached a deal to manufacture chips in the US, but there is no official confirmation — www.macobserver.com/…
   • “According to reporting from ’The Wall Street Journal’, discussions between Apple and Intel continued for more than a year before both companies finalized a formal agreement in recent months. The report says Intel will manufacture chips based on Apple’s own designs, similar to the role TSMC currently plays for iPhone, iPad, and Mac processors.” — The Mac Observer
   • 💵 The WSJ report — www.wsj.com/…
   • A good overview of Apple’s history with Intel: Intel Inside and out: Apple’s four decade long relationship — appleinsider.com/…
   • Test production is reportedly underway: Intel Has Started Producing Apple Chips for iPhones and Macs — www.macobserver.com/… (From reputable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo)
   • Related: Apple’s U.S. chip plan gains steam thanks to $20B TSMC investment — appleinsider.com/…
3. Apple unveils new accessibility features, and updates powered by Apple Intelligence — 📣 Apple PR
   • Nice overview: Apple Intelligence-Infused Accessibility Features Promise Greater Flexibility and Power — www.macstories.net/…
   • Apple’s usual pre-announcement of up-coming accessibility features for World Accessibility day
   • iOS 27 Adds Smarter Voiceover AI Subtitles and Natural Voice Controls — www.macobserver.com/…
   • visionOS 27 Introduces Eye Controlled Wheelchair Support on Vision Pro — www.macobserver.com/…
   • Related: Hikawa Grip & Stand for iPhone launches globally at a new lower price — appleinsider.com/… (not in Irish online Apple Store 🙁)

Quick Stories

• Apple Releases Watch Band, Watch Face, and Wallpapers to Celebrate Pride Month — www.macstories.net/… (📣 Apple PR)
• Students & teachers can get educational pricing on Apple Watch — appleinsider.com/…
  • 🇺🇸 There’s a bit of a sting in the tail in the US: Apple cracks down on unverified student discounts in US — www.cultofmac.com/… (a few other countries already have similar validation rules)
• 📆 Reminder: Apple kicks off Worldwide Developers Conference on 8 June — 📣 Apple PR
  • Excellent overview: A Look at Apple’s 2026 Swift Student Challenge Winners — www.macstories.net/… (strong focus on AI!)
  • Apple Announces Its 2026 Apple Design Award Finalists — www.macstories.net/…
  • Apple Developer App Gets Liquid Glass Redesign and New Features Ahead of WWDC 2026 — www.macobserver.com/…

Legend

Note: When the textual description of a link is part of the link it is the title of the page being linked to, when the text describing a link is not part of the link it is a description written by Bart.