In Nasdaq trading today, shares of Apple Inc. (AAPL) rose $0.48 to $333.74 to hit a new all-time closing high. Apple’s all-time intraday high was also set today at $334.98.
Apple’s 52-week low stands at $201.50.
Today’s trading volume for AAPL shares was 63,196,563 versus Apple’s average trading volume of 54,686,906 shares.
Apple’s PE Ratio currently stands at 40.40.
Apple currently has a market value of $4.902 trillion, making it the world’s second-most valuable company.
The top five U.S. publicly-traded companies, based on market value:
MacDailyNews Take: To the moon, Alice. To the moon!
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Apple has once again become the world’s most valuable publicly traded company, surpassing Nvidia in a notable shift that reflects evolving investor priorities in the artificial intelligence era.
With a market capitalization of approximately $4.88 trillion, Apple edged past Nvidia, which stood at roughly $4.86 trillion following a 3.5% decline in its shares. This marks the first time Apple has reclaimed the top spot since April 2025, highlighting a broader rotation away from pure AI infrastructure plays toward companies with proven ecosystems and more durable revenue streams.
The move underscores growing confidence in Apple’s strategy. While the company was once viewed as lagging in the generative AI race due to more modest spending on foundational models, investors are now rewarding its focus on practical integration, services growth, and hardware upgrades. Apple’s upgraded Siri assistant, rolled out last month, aims to leverage the vast personal data within its privacy-focused iOS ecosystem to deliver more intelligent and personalized experiences.
“Apple is less exposed to the capital expenditure intensity plaguing some AI leaders and is better positioned to monetize AI through its services, ecosystem lock-in, and recurring hardware cycles,” analysts told Reuters. This re-rating emphasizes earnings stability over speculative upside.
The development arrives as CEO Tim Cook prepares to transition leadership to hardware expert John Ternus in September. It could frame Cook’s tenure positively, showcasing Apple’s ability to adapt and maintain dominance even as the tech landscape shifts.
Nvidia, which briefly became the first company to exceed $5 trillion in valuation last October, remains a powerhouse. Its GPUs continue to fuel the majority of the AI boom. However, today’s reversal signals that market leadership is fluid, with investors broadening their focus beyond chipmakers amid concerns over high AI spending levels.
Apple is not without challenges. Recent price hikes on products to counter rising costs could impact demand in price-sensitive markets. Still, its resilient Services segment and loyal user base provide a strong buffer.
What This Means Moving Forward
• For Investors: The race between Apple and Nvidia highlights the importance of diversified AI exposure — infrastructure (Nvidia) versus application and consumer integration (Apple).
• Market Implications: Expect continued volatility as sentiment swings between AI capex winners and consumer tech giants.
MacDailyNews Take: Apple’s return to the summit reaffirms its enduring strength in consumer technology. While Nvidia could reclaim the lead quickly if AI enthusiasm reignites, today’s milestone celebrates a company that has repeatedly proven its ability to innovate and lead through cycles. In the AI-driven future, Apple’s blend of hardware, software, and services may prove to be the most valuable combination of all.
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Apple has quietly shut down a popular workaround that let customers finance new iPhones through T-Mobile or Verizon while still receiving fully unlocked devices.
For years, savvy buyers exploited a quirk in Apple’s sales process. They could stack generous carrier promotions — like massive trade-in credits or bill credits — on installment financing through Apple’s website or stores, and walk away with an iPhone that was carrier-unlocked from day one. This allowed them to use the phone on any network, switch carriers mid-contract, insert international eSIMs while traveling, or even resell the device at a premium before paying it off.
That loophole is now closed for T-Mobile and Verizon customers. Starting recently, any iPhone financed through these carriers’ installment plans will remain locked to the carrier until the balance is paid in full. This brings T-Mobile and Verizon in line with AT&T’s long-standing policy.
How the Loophole Worked
Carriers frequently offer deep discounts to attract customers, such as $1,100 off select iPhone models. Previously:
• AT&T-financed phones bought via Apple were locked.
• T-Mobile and Verizon versions were delivered unlocked, even when financed through their respective Equipment Installment Plans or Device Payment Programs.
Buyers took full advantage by financing through Apple’s site, claiming the carrier promo, and ending up with a flexible, unlocked flagship phone. Some used it to jump ship to cheaper MVNOs, while others flipped the devices for profit.
Apple made the change without fanfare or press release. It was first spotted by users on Reddit’s r/tmobile subreddit and confirmed via an updated FAQ on Apple’s iPhone purchase pages. The new language states clearly:
“If you choose to finance an iPhone through the AT&T Installment Plan, T-Mobile Equipment Installment Plan, or Verizon Device Payment Program, your iPhone will be locked to the carrier until paid in full.”
Why Apple Made the Change
Apple has offered no official explanation. However, the timing suggests it was responding to abuse of the system—particularly resale of subsidized but unlocked phones. The change also likely pleases carriers, who want to ensure customers remain committed during promotional periods and installment terms.
Note for current buyers: There may be a temporary mismatch. Some checkout flows still indicate T-Mobile and Verizon phones as unlocked. Always double-check the fine print before completing a purchase.
Workarounds That Still Work
The policy shift only affects carrier-financed devices. You can still get an unlocked iPhone immediately by:
• Buying it outright (no financing).
• Financing through Apple Card Monthly Installments — these remain unlocked from activation.
• Purchasing directly from third-party retailers or carriers with full upfront payment.
Once a carrier-financed phone is paid off, it will unlock automatically per standard carrier policy.
MacDailyNews Take: This update reflects Apple’s ongoing efforts to balance customer flexibility with carrier partnerships in a competitive wireless market. If you’re planning an upgrade soon, review your financing options carefully to avoid surprises.
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In Nasdaq trading today, shares of Apple Inc. (AAPL) rose $5.76 to $333.26 to hit a new all-time closing high. Apple’s all-time intraday high was also set today at $334.68.
Apple’s 52-week low stands at $201.50.
Today’s trading volume for AAPL shares was 59,624,981 versus Apple’s average trading volume of 54,664,537 shares.
Apple’s PE Ratio currently stands at 40.40.
Apple currently has a market value of $4.895 trillion, making it the world’s second-most valuable company.
The top five U.S. publicly-traded companies, based on market value:
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In Nasdaq trading today, shares of Apple Inc. (AAPL) rose $12.64 to $327.50 to hit a new all-time closing high. Apple’s all-time intraday high was also set today at $328.72.
Apple’s 52-week low stands at $201.50.
Today’s trading volume for AAPL shares was 58,741,821 versus Apple’s average trading volume of 54,375,570 shares.
Apple’s PE Ratio currently stands at 39.70.
Apple currently has a market value of $4.810 trillion, making it the world’s second-most valuable company.
The top five U.S. publicly-traded companies, based on market value:
MacDailyNews Take: Gaudy (yet still woefully undervalued)! To the moon, Alice. To the moon!
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OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, the AI for newbies who don’t know better alternatives exist, is stepping into consumer hardware with its first device: a movable, screen-free smart speaker designed as an always-on AI companion for the home. According to a Bloomberg News report, the product — still in development — aims to control smart-home devices, play media, answer questions, handle messages, and leverage ChatGPT’s capabilities.
This sounds innovative on paper, especially with the promise of a more “humanlike” AI presence. But let’s be clear: Amazon, Google, and Apple pioneered this category years ago. OpenAI isn’t breaking new ground here — it’s trying to catch up to a market these giants have dominated for nearly a decade.
Apple’s HomePod mini
The Smart Speaker Revolution Started Long Before ChatGPT
Amazon lit the fuse in 2014 with the original Echo and Alexa. What began as a cylindrical speaker that could play music, set timers, and answer basic questions quickly evolved into a full ecosystem. Echo devices now control lights, thermostats, door locks, and more — exactly the smart-home hub role OpenAI envisions. Amazon iterated relentlessly with cheaper Dots, portable versions, and premium models, shipping hundreds of millions of units and embedding Alexa into countless third-party devices.
Google followed in 2016 with Google Home (later Nest Audio and similar), emphasizing superior search integration and natural language understanding powered by its vast data resources. These speakers became central to many households for information, entertainment, and automation. Apple entered the fray in 2018 with the HomePod, focusing on premium audio quality and tight integration with its ecosystem, later adding the more affordable HomePod mini.
By the time OpenAI is targeting a potential 2027 launch for its device, smart speakers will have been mainstream for over a dozen years. The core features OpenAI highlights — voice interaction, media playback, smart-home control, and AI assistance — are table stakes that consumers already expect.
What’s New (or Not So New) with OpenAI’s Approach?
The Bloomberg News description by Mark Gurman positions OpenAI’s speaker as a “new type of home computer for the AI era,” movable and screen-free for ambient use.
Earlier reports suggest possible camera integration for environmental awareness, object recognition, and even facial recognition for purchases — features that echo (pun intended) what existing devices already offer or are evolving toward. Many current smart speakers and displays already include cameras, microphones that listen continuously (with privacy toggles), and advanced AI for proactive suggestions.
OpenAI’s edge is presumably its cutting-edge language models, potentially enabling more conversational, context-aware interactions than today’s assistants. Yet even here, competitors aren’t standing still: Google has integrated Gemini, Amazon continues enhancing Alexa with generative AI, and Apple is finally significantly deepening Siri with on-device intelligence in its ecosystem.
Privacy Concerns Loom Large, Especially Versus Apple
One area where OpenAI’s entry raises fresh questions is privacy. An always-listening, camera-equipped AI companion that processes conversations, surroundings, and potentially personal interactions could amass intimate data about users’ daily lives. OpenAI has faced broader scrutiny over how it handles training data and user inputs with its models, and a device that lives in the home would amplify those risks — including potential data sharing, advertising uses, or breaches.
In contrast, Apple has long positioned itself as a privacy leader in the smart speaker space. HomePod devices prioritize on-device processing where possible, use randomized identifiers instead of linking data to user accounts, and offer straightforward controls to delete Siri history. Apple’s ecosystem design generally minimizes cloud transmission and avoids using customer data for ad targeting in the same way its competitors do. OpenAI, as a newer hardware player heavily reliant on cloud-based AI, will need to earn similar trust — something that could prove challenging given the always-on nature of the proposed companion.
Challenges Ahead for the Newcomer
OpenAI enters a crowded, mature market where hardware margins are thin, privacy concerns run high, and user loyalty to existing ecosystems (Amazon for shopping, Google for search, Apple for seamless device handoff) is strong. Building reliable hardware at scale, managing always-listening microphones and potential cameras responsibly, and competing on price (rumored $200–$300 range) won’t be trivial.
History shows that smart speakers succeeded because they solved simple, everyday problems affordably and reliably — not because they promised revolutionary AI companionship. OpenAI’s version may feel more “alive” thanks to advanced models, but it risks being perceived as a me-too product unless it delivers truly standout experiences that justify switching or adding yet another device to the home.
MacDailyNews Take: In the smart speaker space, OpenAI following well-trodden footsteps laid by Amazon, Google, and Apple. The real test will be whether ChatGPT can make the familiar feel fresh enough to stand out — while addressing privacy headwinds that Apple has long navigated more cautiously.
Our prediction is that it won’t.
OpenAI has always been skeevy, from eschewing its open source roots to Sam Altman to desperately overpaying for a washed Jony Ive. Just plain skeevy.
If ever a Skynet would arise, we expect it would spring from the diseased loins of OpenAI. – MacDailyNews, July 13, 2026
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In Nasdaq trading today, shares of Apple Inc. (AAPL) rose $1.99 to $317.31 to hit a new all-time closing high. Apple’s all-time intraday high was also set today at $323.45.
Apple’s 52-week low stands at $201.50.
Today’s trading volume for AAPL shares was 41,376,714 versus Apple’s average trading volume of 54,682,654 shares.
Apple’s PE Ratio currently stands at 38.42.
Apple currently has a market value of $4.660 trillion, making it the world’s second-most valuable company.
The top five U.S. publicly-traded companies, based on market value:
MacDailyNews Take: To the moon, Alice. To the moon!
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Juno Temple, Abbie Hern, Jeremy Swift, Jason Sudeikis, and Brendan Hunt attend a press conference and welcome fans to the “Ted Lasso” Night fan event at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City to celebrate the fourth season of the Apple TV series. Season four of “Ted Lasso” premieres globally on Apple TV on Wednesday, August 5, 2026.
Ahead of the highly anticipated fourth season of the global phenomenon “Ted Lasso,” Apple TV hosted a weekend of events in celebration of the series in Coach Ted Lasso’s hometown of Kansas City. Emmy Award-winning star and executive producer Jason Sudeikis, along with series stars Juno Temple, Brendan Hunt, Jeremy Swift, and Abbie Hern, were in attendance for a press conference at CPKC Stadium, a special “Ted Lasso” Night fan event, and a screening of the fourth season’s debut episode at Regnier Extreme Screen in Kansas City.
Jeremy Swift, Juno Temple, Jason Sudeikis, Abbie Hern and Brendan Hunt attend a press conference and welcome fans to the “Ted Lasso” Night fan event at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City to celebrate the fourth season of the Apple TV series. Season four of “Ted Lasso” premieres globally on Apple TV on Wednesday, August 5, 2026.
The 10-episode fourth season of “Ted Lasso” will premiere on Apple TV with the first episode on August 5, followed by one new episode every Wednesday through October 7, 2026. In season four, Ted returns to Richmond, taking on his biggest challenge yet: coaching a second division women’s football team. Throughout the course of the season, Ted and the team learn to leap before they look, taking chances they never thought they would.
Season four marks the return of fan favorites, including Emmy Award winner Hannah Waddingham, Juno Temple, Emmy Award winner Brett Goldstein, Brendan Hunt and Jeremy Swift, alongside new additions Tanya Reynolds, Jude Mack, Faye Marsay, Rex Hayes, Aisling Sharkey, Abbie Hern and Grant Feely.
“Ted Lasso” season four adds Emmy Award winner Jack Burditt as executive producer under a new overall deal with Apple TV. Jason Sudeikis stars and executive produces alongside Hunt, Joe Kelly, Jane Becker, Jamie Lee, and Bill Wrubel. Goldstein serves as writer and executive producer alongside Leann Bowen. Sarah Walker and Phoebe Walsh serve as writers and producers for season four, and Sasha Garron co-produces. Bill Lawrence executive produces via his Doozer Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television and Universal Television, a division of NBCUniversal content. Doozer’s Jeff Ingold and Liza Katzer also serve as executive producers. The series was developed by Sudeikis, Lawrence, Kelly,, and Hunt, and is based on the preexisting format and characters from NBC Sports.
Following its global debut on Apple TV, “Ted Lasso” broke records and quickly earned praise from fans and critics all over the world. The first season became the most Emmy Award-nominated comedy series, and the series went on to land rare back-to-back Outstanding Comedy Series Emmys for its first two seasons on air.
The first three seasons of “Ted Lasso” are now streaming globally on Apple TV.
Apple TV offers premium, compelling drama and comedy series, feature films, groundbreaking documentaries, and kids and family entertainment, and is available to watch across all of a user’s favorite screens. After its launch on November 1, 2019, Apple TV became the first all-original streaming service to launch around the world, and has premiered more original hits and received more award recognitions faster than any other streaming service in its debut. To date, Apple Original films, documentaries and series have been honored with 850 wins and 3,734 award nominations and counting including multi-Emmy Award-winning and history-making comedies “The Studio” and “Ted Lasso,” global cultural phenomenon “Severance,” Apple’s most-viewed drama “Pluribus,” Academy Award Best Picture winner “CODA” and Academy Award winner “F1,” the highest-grossing sports feature of all time.
MacDailyNews Note: Apple TV is available on the Apple TV app in over 100 countries and regions, on over 1 billion screens, including iPhone, iPad, Apple TV 4K, Apple Vision Pro, Mac, popular smart TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, VIZIO, TCL and others, Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices, Chromecast with Google TV, PlayStation and Xbox gaming consoles, and at tv.apple.com, for $12.99 per month with a seven-day free trial for new subscribers. For a limited time, customers who purchase and activate a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV 4K or Mac can enjoy three months of Apple TV for free.
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While many Big Tech peers chase high-risk AI growth, Apple stands out for its stability and resilience. The company is projected to grow free cash flow in 2026 — a rarity among its counterparts — positioning its stock as a defensive haven traditionally reserved for consumer staples, utilities, and healthcare names.
“No one admits they like or want to buy more AAPL,” Mizuho Securities analyst Jordan Klein wrote Friday. “But I get why more folks [are] looking at AAPL as a hedge or long idea.”
“Analysts estimate Meta Platforms, Oracle, and Amazon will have negative free cash flow in 2026 because of their AI investments. Meanwhile, Apple is expected to produce $143 billion in free cash flow, up from $109 billion last year, per FactSet. Its capital expenditures will likely decline in 2026.
“[Apple] has definitely been out of favor, but carries a lot less direct near-term execution risk,” Klein wrote.”
But Apple is one of the few high-profile tech names that isn’t a primary consumer or supplier of AI compute, and that differentiation has value… If Apple’s share price is any indication, plenty of investors want to keep at least some money away from the AI trade.
Just wait until Apple begins to release Apple Intelligence features underpinned with — but privacy-protected from — Google Gemini and things like Siri begin to actually work as well as, or even better than, people expect them to work in 2026. The sky’s the limit for Apple stock!
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On June 8th 2026 at WWDC 2026, Apple announced the iOS 27 Developer Beta, which is set for consumer release in September 2026. iOS 27 was announced alongside macOS Golden Gate, iPadOS 27, visionOS 27, watchOS 27, and tvOS 27. Aimed to be a like a “Snow Leopard” sort of release, this new version brings […]
Back in 2017 I picked up an Apple Watch Series 3, which wound up going along for the ride through several iPhone upgrades. Fast forward to 2023; the Series 3 battery was on it’s way out, animations were stuttery, and despite wearing it for the better part of 6 years, I didn’t get much use […]
Before Apple ever had their own custom in-house silicon with the debut of the A4 chip on the iPhone 4, there were Samsung chips. The first few iOS devices relied on these early chips, while every device since the first iPad sports a chip made by Apple. These are the known as the “A-Series” SOCs, […]
This page details the full hardware profile of the Apple Silicon “A5X” SOC. Name: Apple A5X MFG: Samsung Released: March 16th, 2012 Codename:APL5498 Part Number:S5L8945 Fabrication Process: 45-Nanometer Transistor Count: – CPU ISA: ARMv7 (32-Bit) . RAM Information: Memory Bus Width: 128-Bit Total channels: 4 Bit per channel: 32-Bit Memory Type: LPDDR2-800 (400 MHz) ~Bandwidth: […]
This page details the full hardware profile of the Apple Silicon “A5” series of chips. There are three different variations in existence. Name: Apple A5 MFG: Samsung Released: March 11th, 2011 Codename: APL0498 Part Number: S5L8940 Fabrication Process: 45-Nanometer or 32nm High-K dielectric metal gate. Transistor Count: – CPU ISA: ARMv7 (32-Bit) . RAM Information: […]
This page details the full hardware profile of the Apple Silicon “A18 Pro” chip. Name: “Apple A18 Pro” MFG: TSMC Released: September 9th, 2024 Codename: APL1V07 Part Number: T8140 Fabrication Process: 3 Nanometer N3E FinFET Transistor Count: (TBA) CPU ISA: ARMv9.2-A . RAM Information: Memory Bus Width: 64-Bit Total channels: 4 Bit per channel: […]
If you frequently use WhatsApp for voice and video calls, dealing with loud background noise is about to get much easier. A new software update is bringing system-level microphone controls directly into the active call screen. Instead of forcing you to swipe away from your conversation to find the right audio settings, the app now […]
Getting people to switch their phone setup remains a top goal for Apple. According to new research from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, a solid chunk of buyers are still making the leap from rival devices. The firm looked closely at people who bought a new iPhone in the US during the first few months of […]
The European Commission just told Google to stop giving its own artificial intelligence assistant special treatment on smartphones. Regulators declared that the company must give competing software the same system permissions currently used by Gemini. This order falls under the Digital Markets Act, forcing the tech giant to open up deep phone controls that were […]
The chipmaker TSMC recently made a major announcement regarding its manufacturing efforts in the United States. While the company originally planned to build eight plants in Arizona, a new wave of investment might push that number up to 12. This expansion could mean more chips for Apple devices will be made domestically, but there are […]
The horror comedy show Widow’s Bay is officially the most popular Emmy-nominated series among American streaming audiences right now. The Apple show easily claimed the top spot in viewer interest during this awards season. According to recent streaming data, it completely outpaced other heavily nominated shows in pure viewer engagement. It achieved this high rank […]
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