Updates & Follow-ups

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

• Apple was not done raising prices with their big announcement last month:
  • 🇺🇸 Apple Increases Apple Music, Apple One, and AppleCare+ Prices — tidbits.com/…
    • Apple Music:
      • Individual plan $10.99 → $11.99 per month
      • Family plan $16.99 → $19.99 per month
      • College students $5.99 → $6.99 per month
    • Apple One:
      • Individual plan un-changed
      • Family plan $25.95 → $27.95 per month
      • Premier plan $37.95 → $39.95 per month
  • 🇯🇵 Apple Raises iPhone Prices in Japan by up to 11%, Here’s the Full List — www.macobserver.com/…
  • 🇪🇬 🇮🇩 🇯🇵 🇳🇿 🇳🇬 🇵🇭 🇹🇷 🇻🇳 Apple bumps up the cost of iCloud+ in 8 countries — appleinsider.com/… (Egypt, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, Nigeria, Philippines, Turkiye & Vietnam)
• 🇺🇸 Apple Continues push towards US manufacturing: Apple Confirms $30 Billion Broadcom Deal to Build 15 Billion+ US Chips— www.macobserver.com/…
• 🇮🇳 After years of resisting India’s unusually strong customer protections on recurring credit and debit card subscriptions, Apple is finally joining Google and Samsung and choosing to accept card payments again, and comply with the laws — appleinsider.com/… (Since 2022, Apple users in India have had to use alternative payment methods for the App Store and iCloud subscriptions)
• 🇺🇸 New U.S. tariffs hit Apple’s supply chain, with no clear exemptions — appleinsider.com/…
  • 10% tariffs on 60 countries covering 99.4% of all U.S. imports
  • Imposed under Imposed Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, so less likely to lose in court since this law has survived previous challenges — www.reuters.com/…
  • Apple is not explicitly or clearly exempted, but they could apply based on at least two criteria — products that “could cause economy-wide disruptions if subject to the proposed additional tariffs”, or “cannot be grown or produced in sufficient quantities or at reasonable prices in the United States or obtained from other sources”.
• 🇬🇧 According to credible reporting from the Financial Times, Apple has filed another case against the UK government in the secret Investigatory Powers Tribunal to fight more iCloud demands — appleinsider.com/…
• The first OS 27 public betas are out, they’re stable as betas go, but you should still be careful — appleinsider.com/…

Regulatory Rundown

• 🇪🇺 A mixed month for Apple in the EU:
  • Apple Loses Major EU Antitrust Appeal as Court Upholds DMA Gatekeeper Rules — www.macobserver.com/… (iOS, the App Store, and iMessage remain gatekeepers)
  • Apple Watch, Meta Glasses, AirPods get reprieve from EU replaceable battery law — appleinsider.com/…
• 🇨🇳 Apple clears biggest hurdle to bringing Apple Intelligence to China — www.cultofmac.com/… (Regulators approved a Chinese version of Apple Intelligence powered by models from Baidu & Alibaba)
  • Note this is about Apple Intelligence as it exists now in OS 26, not the new SiriAI — daringfireball.net/…
• 🇬🇧 Apple files a strong opposition to proposals from the UK Competition and Markets Authority: UK is asking for ‘highly intrusive’ controls over App Store, says Apple — appleinsider.com/…

Legal Latest

• 🇺🇸 Masimo -v- Apple: Apple’s $634M payment to Masimo now set in stone after Judge tosses appeal — appleinsider.com/… (This case finally appears to be over 🤞)
• 🇺🇸 Apple -v- Epic: this case continued to rumble on:
  • Following the Supreme Court decision to hear Apple’s case, Apple & Epic jointly filed a request for a short delay in the on-going case under Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers where the parties were due to start proceedings to agree on an acceptable commission, and the judge agreed to a short delay, giving Apple a deadline to formally ask for the case to pause for the SCOTUS case, and Epic a deadline a few days later to reply — www.macobserver.com/…
    • The fact that this was a joint filing made it look like Apple and Epic were starting to cooperate, at least a little
  • Apple filed their request: Apple Uses New Court Ruling to Pause Epic Games Case — www.macobserver.com/…
    • “Apple has cited a newly paused securities fraud lawsuit to support its request to delay further proceedings in its legal battle with Epic Games while the US Supreme Court reviews part of the dispute.” — The Mac Observer
  • Epic Games Fights Apple Request to Pause App Store Fee Battle — www.macobserver.com/… (turns out they’re not!)
  • Related:
    • Google and Epic give up fighting — third-party Android app stores are coming next week — www.theverge.com/…
    • 🇧🇷 Fortnite Makes its Return to Brazilian iPhones via Epic Games Store — www.macobserver.com/…
• 🇺🇸 DOJ -v- Apple: Apple Wins Court Battle to Access FBI, CIA, NASA Documents in DOJ Case — www.macobserver.com/…
  • DOJ Asks Court to Reverse Apples Document Discovery Win — www.macobserver.com/…
• 🇺🇸 Apple Wins Major iCloud Lawsuit After Judge Dismisses $32.8 Billion CSAM Case — www.macobserver.com/…
  • “Apple has won a proposed class action lawsuit that accused the company of failing to stop child sexual abuse material from being stored and shared through iCloud after a US federal judge ruled that the claims fall under legal protections provided by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.” — The Mac Observer
• 🇺🇸 Apple’s $250 Million Siri Settlement Approved, iPhone Users Could Get up to $95 — www.macobserver.com/…

Apple HR & Acquisition News

• SigLens acquisition targets one of Apple’s biggest headaches: Buggy apps — www.cultofmac.com/… (the company is a small startup called SigScalr with one significant product, the powerful debugging tool SigLens)
• PlasmaSolve bought by Apple to help make thin & durable device enclosures — appleinsider.com/…
  • “Czech company PlasmaSolve has been acquired by Apple, likely for its software that helps optimize manufacturing of scratch-resistant metallic coatings.” — Apple Insider
• Note: The reason we know about these acquisitions is that they are European companies, so Apple have to report the deals to the EU, who record them in a public register. Apple are likely making even more similar purchases in the US and other countries around the world that we never hear about.

Apple Services & Original Content Highlights

• EA SPORTS Madden NFL 27 Arcade Edition brings authentic gridiron action to Apple Arcade on August 6 — 📣 Apple PR
  • Madden football returns to Mac for the first time in 19 years — appleinsider.com/…
• Apple TV:
  • Lots of sports content coming to Apple TV this summer:
    • ⚾ Apple and Major League Baseball announce August “Friday Night Baseball” schedule — 📣 Apple PR
    • ⚽ MLS Returns to Apple TV with Six Matches and New Fan Features — www.macobserver.com/…
    • ⚽ Leagues Cup kicks off tomorrow, August 4, on Apple TV — 📣 Apple PR (US & Mexican leagues)
    • Related: 🇧🇪 🇩🇰 🇳🇱 🇯🇵 🇵🇱 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🇨🇭 Apple Sports Adds Seven New Soccer Leagues and Match Formations — www.macobserver.com/…
      • Belgian Pro League
      • Danish Superliga
      • Dutch Eredivisie
      • Japanese J1 League
      • Polish Ekstraklasa
      • Scottish Premiership
      • Swiss Super League
  • Apple going big at Comic Con with a 2-hour panel and show preview — appleinsider.com/…
    • Dark Matter season 2 being previewed
    • Apple TV uploads full Comic-Con panels for Matchbox […] — www.macobserver.com/…
      • Matchbox The Movie
      • Widow’s Bay
      • Dark Matter Season 2
  • ‘Widow’s Bay’ & ‘Pluribus’ lead Apple’s record-breaking charge for 2026 Emmy Awards — appleinsider.com/…
• Apple Maps:
  • Apple Maps will be at the core of Ford’s electric vehicles in 2027 — appleinsider.com/… (📣 Apple PR)
    • Also an announcement of a new MapKit for Automotive SDK, allowing deeper integration without CarPlay Ultra
  • 🇺🇸 🇨🇦 Apple released the rules for their controversial up-coming ads in Apple Maps in the US & Canada:
    • Apple Maps ads exclude home services, political ads, and more — appleinsider.com/…
    • Apple Maps ads will ban plumbers, crypto ATMs and bail bonds — www.cultofmac.com/…
• Great Wall Motor’s Haval Prepares for Apple Car Key Support — www.macobserver.com/… (An important brand from a major Chinese manufacturer)
• 🇬🇧 Apple Wallet Prepares to Add Support for Manchester’s Bee Card — www.macobserver.com/…
• Apple Care:
  • 🇨🇦 Apple Introduces Expanded AppleCare+ Subscriptions in Canada — www.macobserver.com/…
  • 🇬🇧 🇫🇷 🇩🇪 🇦🇺 AppleCare One expands to four more countries — appleinsider.com/… (was US only)

Main Stories

1. Apple sues OpenAI, alleging trade secret theft — sixcolors.com/…
   • Apple sues OpenAI, accuses ex-employees of stealing trade secrets — 9to5mac.com/… (Tang Tan)
     • “The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, alleges that Tan used insider knowledge of Apple’s confidential projects to grill job candidates in interviews and learn more confidential information. Additionally, Tan directed job candidates still working at Apple to bring actual Apple hardware components and samples for ‘show and tell’ sessions.” … “Furthermore, Apple says a candidate began ‘screenshotting and downloading files relating to a highly confidential Apple project’ hours before interviewing with Tan, who then ‘solicited more information about that same Apple project once the interview started. This became an ‘established pattern’, Apple says.”  …  “Tan also allegedly possessed and distributed an internal Apple ‘Need to Know’ document to new OpenAI hires before they gave their notice to Apple. The document included Apple’s departure security protocols. As part of its investigation, Apple found a ‘pattern by employees who depart for OpenAI of taking steps to evade the security processes intended to protect Apple’s confidential information.’”  …  “Apple also claims former engineer Liu exploited a security bug to download confidential engineering files after leaving the company.”  …  “Apple alleges that OpenAI had a trusted Apple partner carry out Apple’s proprietary metal-finishing technique, misleading the partner into believing it had Apple’s permission to do so.”
   • Apple Says More than 400 Former Employees Now Work at OpenAI — www.macobserver.com/…
   • OpenAI Says It Has ‘No Interest’ in Apples Trade Secrets — www.macobserver.com/…
   • After their first denial fell flat, OpenAI tried again, but notably, not emphatically — daringfireball.net/…
     • “… we’re not aware of any evidence that this complaint has merit …” — OpenAI
   • OpenAI blames email mixup for why it didn’t respond to Apple trade theft claims — appleinsider.com/…
     • Opinion: a good explanation of why this is not a credible defence — daringfireball.net/…
   • OpenAI and Apple legal battle escalates, poached employees warned about data deletion — appleinsider.com/…
   • District judge assigned to oversee Apple’s trade secrets lawsuit against OpenAI — appleinsider.com/…
     • Initially randomly assigned to a magistrate judge, but at someone’s request, reportedly Apple’s, changed to a U.S. District Judge Edward Davila.
   • Analysis:
     • A nice overview of Apple’s long history with OpenAI, and OpenAI’s long history of being sued by other tech companies, often over intellectual property — appleinsider.com/…
     • A good biography of Tang Tan, the former apple VP at the heart of this complaint — appleinsider.com/…
2. 🇺🇸 Apple Upgrade Lease Plan Launches for iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks in the US Today — www.macobserver.com/…
   • Overview:
     • Replaces the existing iPhone Upgrade program
     • Covers many more products, but not Apple’s entire range
     • Users can choose 12, 24, or 36 month leases
     • The old program was an instalment payment plan, so you owned the device at the end of the term, but this is a true lease, unless you buy out the remaining balance at the end of the term, you have to return the phone
     • Opinion by Bart: seems Ideally suited to people who upgrade on a regular cadence — you lock in for X years, pay a lot less total than the total price of the device, then enter a new lease for the latest model when the term ends, and repeat (just like leasing cars!)
   • Caveats:
     • US only! (like the old program)
     • AppleCare+ not included as standard, costs extra!
     • Like with all leases, ending it early is costly!
     • For reasons that don’t make sense to anyone, while the device is unlocked, users are limited to bill-pay contracts on the three major US cell providers (no pay-as-you-go options, and no MVNOs)
   • Apple Upgrade – New Program With Klarna for Leasing iPhones, Macs, iPads, and More for Near-Zero Interest — daringfireball.net/…
   • Apple Confirms iOS 27 Will Not Restrict Devices over Missed Lease Payments — www.macobserver.com/…
   • The New Apple Upgrade Program Has some Hidden Costs You Should Know About — www.macobserver.com/…
   • Analysis: nice overviews
     • Apple Upgrade Replaces and Extends iPhone Upgrade Program — tidbits.com/…
     • Apple Upgrade Trades Ownership for Lower Monthly Payments — www.macstories.net/…
     • I did the math on Apple Upgrade, one option clearly makes more sense — www.cultofmac.com/…
3. Apple’s Q3 2026 Earnings Call — 📣 Apple PR
   • 📊 The usual excellent diagrams from Jason Snell — sixcolors.com/…
   • One last time, this is Tim: Final transcript of Apple’s Q3 2026 earnings call — sixcolors.com/…
   • Apple Q3 2026 Earnings Results Revenue Hits $109.4 Billion (up 16%), EPS Jumps 29% — www.macobserver.com/…
   • A $0.27 dividend follows Apple’s strongest June quarter yet — appleinsider.com/…
   • iPhone and Mac drive Apple to record $109.4 billion quarter — www.cultofmac.com/…
   • Apple Earns $2.2 Billion in Tariff Refunds, More Still Coming — www.macobserver.com/…
   • Apple Hits 1.5 Billion Subscriptions but Misses Wall Street Expectations — www.macobserver.com/… (on services revenue)
   • High iPhone demand won’t be met by supply during September quarter — appleinsider.com/…
   • Tim Cook speculates that heavy Siri AI use may required an iCloud+ plan in the future — www.cultofmac.com/…
   • Apple blamed App Store rules changes imposed by regulators and a slowdown in the gaming market for denting Services growth — www.macobserver.com/…
   • Apple Spends a Massive $11.73 Billion on Research in Q3 2026 — www.macobserver.com/…
   • Tim Cook says goodbye to analysts & shareholders on his final Apple earnings call — appleinsider.com/…
   • Analysis: Nice overviews
     • John Voorhees — www.macstories.net/…
     • Adam Engst — tidbits.com/…
     • Jason Snell — sixcolors.com/…

Quick Stories

• Apple Invites update brings emoji replies and confetti to the party — appleinsider.com/…
• 🇺🇸 🇨🇦 [Apple’s Back to School 2026 deal offers up to a $150 gift card — www.cultofmac.com/…](https://www.cultofmac.com/news/apples-back-to-school-2026-deal

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.