Contributor Forbes Janhoi McGregor notes that Appel looks like it will keep the iPhone 18 Pro steady and compete with last year’s iPhone 17 Pro, but that’s just one part of the pricing story. The top tier of the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max will remain fixed at roughly $1,099 and $1,199, respectively, while the lesser levels may be able to withstand the growing cost of memory and storage:
“If this strategy sounds familiar, it’s because Samsung did something very similar earlier this year with the Galaxy S26. The Korean company held the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s price flat in the U.S. while raising the cost of the base Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26 Plus. The Ultra, which is Samsung’s best-selling model, was protected. Everything else absorbed the hit.”
After examining smartphone sales throughout last week, Counterpoint The US market, one of Apple’s strengths during the first quarter, has been examined in more detail by research. It should come as no surprise that iPhone sales and market share are increasing:
“Apple’s Q1 2026 iPhone sales volume in the US was up 1.3% YoY, outperforming the country’s overall smartphone market, which declined 5.7% YoY… Apple’s share of volume grew by 4% YoY, as Android device sales declined 14.4% YoY. Apple’s success was driven by the iPhone 17 series, which experienced carryover demand from supply limitations in Q4 2025 due to global demand for the latest iPhone lineup.”
Apple Commits To More MacBook Neo Laptops
The availability of the MacBook Neo is getting better, and the Apple Store’s shipping times have decreased by one week. At least in the U.S., orders placed this week should be delivered. The MacBook Neo is not the only activity as Apple has chosen to flip the switches for a second major production run. Zac Hall examines the decision’s effects:
“As a result, it’s now asking suppliers to prepare capacity for 10 million units of the debut version of the Neo, up from an initial estimate of 5 million to 6 million, my sources tell me. Delivery times for the laptop have ballooned to as much as four weeks as Taiwan’s Quanta and Foxconn rush to fill orders from factories in Vietnam and China.”
Improving the Appearance of macOS
The new user interface of the most recent version of macOS has attracted a lot of criticism. Although Aqua won’t disappear, Apple plans to solve issues that should increase clarity without going back to a flatter, more information-dense design. More from Mark Gurman:
“In the grand scheme of things, this problem isn’t catastrophic, and I still think Liquid Glass has been a net positive for the company despite some of the criticism online. In some ways, it’s a rare instance of Apple’s software feeling more futuristic than its hardware. Upcoming Mac releases — including a high-end OLED touch-screen MacBook — should help the interface look far better over time… With the next update, Apple aims to address the shadows and transparency quirks.”
Apple’s peripherals are opened by the EU
In order to comply with the EU Digital Markets Act, iOS 26.5 adds a number of new capabilities for European markets. The main purpose of these is to enable third-party manufacturers to interface with Apple’s proprietary technology, which the EU views as anti-competitive because of Apple’s market share. iPhone notifications, live activities, and proximity pairing are now accessible through peripherals. In addition to Apple’s criticisms of the rules, Juli Clover has more:
“Apple has warned that the Digital Markets Act (DMA) is forcing it to make “concerning changes”to its goods and services in the EU, putting consumers at risk and upsetting the interoperability of Apple devices. Apple called on European regulators to abandon the DMA in September, and in November it released a research it commissioned that concluded the DMA had not reduced consumer pricing.
With iOS 26.5, Apple has introduced a new privacy feature: ‘Limit Precise Location’ that helps conceal a user’s exact location from network providers, providing a greater footprint than a small neighbourhood.
When enabled, Apple can restrict your location data, making it harder for carriers to know your precise location. Instead, carriers may only see, for example, “the neighborhood where your device is located, rather than a more precise location (such as a street address).”
The feature requires an Apple-made cellular modem like the C1 and C1X. So it’s currently limited to iPhone Air, iPhone 17e, and iPhone 16e. The M5 iPad Pro offers support too. However, as Ryan Christoffel notes, it’s not accessible to everyone:
“The feature requires an Apple-made cellular modem like the C1 and C1X. So it’s currently limited to iPhone Air, iPhone 17e, and iPhone 16e. The M5 iPad Pro offers support too. Later this year, iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Ultra are both rumored to pack an Apple cellular modem—the C2. So the new flagships should all support Limit Precise Location.”
Ahead of that hardware expansion, the feature now supports more carriers too. Here’s the updated list:
- Austria: A1
- Denmark: YouSee
- Germany: Telekom
- Ireland: Sky
- Thailand: AIS and True
- United Kingdom: EE, BT, and Sky
- United States: Boost Mobile
At launch only six carriers were on board, and now the total is 10. However, the expansion goes much beyond this list. Although all of these carriers have Limit Precise Location enabled by default, Apple now states that anyone in the EU or the UK can opt to activate it.
Lastly, Bluey is going to the Apple Arcade. Apple has declared that from next week, the well-known kid’s character will take over:
“The beloved characters from the Emmy-winning animated series Bluey are coming to Apple Arcade for a massive, limited-time crossover event starting May 21. Bluey and her family are taking over five fan-favorite games with exclusive updates across Crossy Road Castle, stitch., puffies., Suika Game+, and Disney Coloring World+. Best of all, families can dive into these new experiences together without interruptions from ads or in-app purchases.”
