Apple News
Apple awarded U.S. trademarks for ‘Reality Composer’ and ‘Reality Converter’
A Virginia federal judge has directed the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to grant Apple federal trademarks for its augmented reality software-development tools, “Reality Composer” and “Reality Converter.” On Friday, U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema ruled that the two names are sufficiently distinctive to qualify for trademark protection, overturning a prior USPTO decision denying the trademarks.
Reuters:
Turkish visual-effects company Zero Density challenged Apple’s applications for federal trademarks covering the two phrases at the USPTO, arguing that they were not entitled to trademark protection because they merely describe the software’s function. Zero Density also said Apple’s trademarks would cause confusion with its own “Reality”-related marks.
A USPTO tribunal agreed with Zero Density in 2023 that Apple’s marks were too descriptive to receive trademark protection. Apple sued last year to overturn the decision, arguing its phrases were unique “made-up terms” that “do not describe the underlying software development tools.”
Brinkema agreed with Apple and overturned the USPTO’s decision on Friday.
“Although the term ‘Reality’ is likely descriptive of augmented reality software to the consumers to whom Apple advertises this product, the term stretches beyond its descriptive meaning when combined with ‘composer’ and ‘converter,'” Brinkema said.
MacDailyNews Note: Apple’s Reality Composer and Reality Composer Pro for Mac, are applications for creating interactive augmented reality (AR) experiences. It allows users to build, test, and simulate AR scenes for iOS and iPadOS apps using a drag-and-drop interface, requiring no prior 3D or coding experience. Features include placing 3D objects in real-world environments, adding animations, physics, and spatial audio, and previewing scenes in real-time. It’s designed for developers, designers, and hobbyists creating AR content for iPhone, iPad, or visionOS apps, and integrates with Xcode for app development.
Reality Converter is a Mac app that converts and customizes 3D models into USDZ format for AR use. Users can drag and drop common 3D file formats (e.g., .obj, .gltf, .usd), customize textures and materials, edit metadata, and preview objects under various lighting conditions. It’s aimed at developers and 3D artists who need to prepare optimized 3D assets for AR apps on Apple platforms.
Both tools target developers, designers, and creators building AR experiences, with Reality Composer focusing on scene creation and Reality Converter on asset preparation, primarily for iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS applications.
More info here.
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Apple is clearly on its way to becoming a major Hollywood player
Mark Gurman for Bloomberg News:
The F1 film starring Brad Pitt is undoubtedly a hit. It was a globally marketable property, generating more than $500 million in theaters worldwide. The movie also helped affirm Apple’s decision to get into the film and TV business.
It’s no secret that Apple TV+ started off slow: The service entered an already-crowded field when it launched in 2019, and then Covid and the writers’ strike hampered production. But Apple is now clearly on its way to becoming a major name in Hollywood entertainment — with the F1 film contributing to that.
In terms of dollars and cents, the film may be less of a breakthrough. It had a massive budget, and the theatrical run of the Warner Bros.-distributed movie won’t likely be a big moneymaker for Apple. The main question will be whether it results in more TV+ subscriptions. If it can do that, it will all be worth it.
MacDailyNews Take: Apple already is a major name in Hollywood entertainment.
Those who can wrap their heads around Apple’s massive cash mountain and the company’s unparalleled ability to generate cash can clearly see who the winner will be. The most talented producers, writers, directors, editors, actors, etc. are attracted to exactly what Apple has and makes in vast abundance: Cash. The king.
Like bears to honey, it’s happening already. — MacDailyNews, January 3, 2018
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Apple reportedly developing a stripped-down ChatGPT rival
Apple has established a new “Answers”team to develop a streamlined competitor to ChatGPT, aimed at providing users with access to general knowledge. Bloomberg News reports that earlier this year, Apple quietly created the “Answers, Knowledge and Information” (AKI) team. According to reporter Mark Gurman, this group is working on various in-house AI services to build a ChatGPT-like search experience.
Mark Gurman for Bloomberg News:
Right now, Apple Intelligence doesn’t offer search capabilities. The system focuses on summarizing notifications, rewriting text, generating Genmoji images and cleaning up photos. Soon, it will also be able to translate messages and calls. But it lacks anything resembling the conversational, AI-powered search experiences available from ChatGPT or Google’s Gemini.
Meanwhile, Siri remains frustratingly inconsistent at answering questions. Sure, it can handle some basic queries. But it often has to hand off other request to ChatGPT — and only through a stripped-down interface. Too often, it simply punts users to a generic Google web search, which is even more irksome when you’re using a screen-less device like the HomePod.
Apple’s own head of services, Eddy Cue, even testified in court that AI-based search is the future. He confirmed that Apple is exploring partnerships — including with startup Perplexity — to move toward a more modern search experience.
Despite philosophical reservations among some Apple leaders, the company is clearly heading in that direction. Earlier this year, Apple quietly formed a new team called Answers, Knowledge and Information, or AKI. This group, I’m told, is exploring a number of in-house AI services with the goal of creating a new ChatGPT-like search experience.
MacDailyNews Take: If there’s one thing Apple needs in regard to both generative AI and Siri, it’s “Answers.”
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Apple is ready to open its wallet to catch up in AI – CEO Cook
Apple CEO Tim Cook announced on Thursday that the iPhone maker is prepared to increase spending to compete in artificial intelligence, potentially by constructing additional data centers or acquiring a major AI player, marking a shift from its traditional fiscal frugality.
Apple has struggled to keep pace with rivals such as Microsoft and Alphabet’s Google, both of which have attracted hundreds of millions of users to their AI-powered chatbots and assistants. That growth has come at a steep cost, however, with Google planning to spend $85 billion over the next year and Microsoft on track to spend more than $100 billion, mostly on data centers.
Apple, in contrast, has leaned on outside data center providers to handle some of its cloud computing work, and despite a high-profile partnership with ChatGPT creator OpenAI for certain iPhone features, has tried to grow much of its AI technology in-house, including improvements to its Siri virtual assistant. The results have been rocky, with the company delaying its Siri improvements until next year.
During a conference call after Apple’s fiscal third-quarter results, analysts noted that Apple has historically not done large deals and asked whether it might take a different approach to pursue its AI ambitions.
“We’re very open to M&A that accelerates our roadmap. We are not stuck on a certain size company, although the ones that we have acquired thus far this year are small in nature,” Cook said. “We basically ask ourselves whether a company can help us accelerate a roadmap, and if they do, then we’re interested.”
Apple also said on Thursday it plans to spend more on data centers, an area where it typically spends only a few billion dollars per year… Kevan Parekh, Apple’s chief financial officer, did not give specific spending targets but said outlays would rise. “It’s not going to be exponential growth, but it is going to grow substantially,” Parekh said during the conference call. “A lot of that’s a function of the investments we’re making in AI.”
MacDailyNews Take: None of this should be surprising to regular readers of MacDailyNews as we told you even before WWDC24, that Apple’s initial GenAI moves would be vaporware designed to buy time for “data center buildouts and investments that will be required.”
Apple was caught flat-footed, due to a lack of vision on the part of leadership… So, the only solution is to partner with a [Google, OpenAI, Baidu, etc.] for the real GenAI stuff while pretending (marketing) really hard that some on-device AI Apple has whipped up in a few months is “insanely great Apple innovation” that’s at the heart of Apple’s 2024’s AI announcements when it’s really just an adjunct… Watch Apple make a big show of its on-device AI at WWDC and run many ads touting it from June onwards.
Apple hopes to buy time for the data center buildouts and investments that will be required for them to someday own their own AI technology and not have to license it from the likes of [Google, OpenAI, Baidu, etc.].
This is what happens after a decade plus with a caretaker CEO at the helm after he hits the last page of his iteration playbook, yet attempts to stay in the game for too long. – MacDailyNews, April 1, 2024
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Apple CEO Cook tells staff AI is ‘ours to grab’ in rare all-hands meeting
After Apple’s Q325 earnings report, CEO Tim Cook held an unusual all-hands meeting, giving a pep talk to employees about the company’s promising artificial intelligence outlook and an “exciting” product pipeline.
Mark Gurman for Bloomberg News:
The executive gathered staff at Apple’s on-campus auditorium Friday in Cupertino, California, telling them that the AI revolution is “as big or bigger” as the internet, smartphones, cloud computing and apps. “Apple must do this. Apple will do this. This is sort of ours to grab,” Cook told employees, according to people aware of the meeting. “We will make the investment to do it.”
The iPhone maker has been late to AI, debuting Apple Intelligence months after OpenAI, Alphabet Inc.’s Google, Microsoft Corp. and others flooded the market with products like ChatGPT. And when Apple finally released its AI tools, they fell flat.
But Cook struck an optimistic tone, noting that Apple is typically late to promising new technologies.
“We’ve rarely been first,” the executive told staffers. “There was a PC before the Mac; there was a smartphone before the iPhone; there were many tablets before the iPad; there was an MP3 player before iPod.” But Apple invented the “modern” versions of those product categories, he said. “This is how I feel about AI.”
The meeting included Craig Federighi, senior vice president of software engineering, who discussed the future of Apple’s Siri voice assistant… “The work we’ve done on this end-to-end revamp of Siri has given us the results we needed,” the engineering executive told employees. “This has put us in a position to not just deliver what we announced, but to deliver a much bigger upgrade than we envisioned. There is no project people are taking more seriously.”
“The product pipeline, which I can’t talk about: It’s amazing, guys. It’s amazing,” Cook said. “Some of it you’ll see soon, some of it will come later, but there’s a lot to see.”
MacDailyNews Take: Really, after finally waking up, what else are Cook and Federighi going to say?
But, after WWDC24’s embarrassing vaporware video charade and the middling “Apple Intelligence” stuff that has shipped to date, at this point we’ll believe it when we see it.
Real artists ship. – Steve Jobs
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Apple’s flagship iPhone 17 Pro Max said to sport three significant advantages over iPhone 17 Pro
Rumors suggest that Apple’s top-tier iPhone 17 Pro Max could feature three significant advantages compared to the smaller iPhone 17 Pro model.
Joe Rossignol for MacRumors:
Specifically, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is expected to have…
• A larger 6.9-inch display (vs. 6.3-inch display on the iPhone 17 Pro)
• Even longer battery life (an approximately 5% thicker design may allow for a 5,000 mAh or higher battery capacity)
• A smaller Dynamic Island compared to the Pro model (however, this rumor is disputed)
MacDailyNews Take: One and two are a given, although the larger display is, for some people, considered a disadvantage in terms of pocketability and reachability. We also doubt the third rumor that the pro Max will get its own smaller Dynamic Island than the iPhone 17 Pro.
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Analysts and investors want answers to Apple’s floundering AI strategy
On Thursday, Apple announced third-quarter iPhone sales that exceeded Wall Street’s forecasts, driven by a tariff-related demand surge and a recovering China market. Despite the strong iPhone performance easing some concerns, analysts and investors remain focused on clarity regarding Apple’s struggling AI strategy.
Apple reported net sales in China of $15.36 billion finally seeing growth again in China.
On the company’s conference call on Thursday, CEO Tim Cook said:
We did grow in Greater China by 4% during the quarter versus the previous quarter. It was driven by an acceleration by iPhone, although we also had substantial growth on the Mac year over year. From a as you know, the government has placed certain subsidies that affect some of our products, not all of them, but there are some of them. And I think that had some effect. It was the first full quarter of the subsidy playing out… it cut in during a portion of the previous quarter.
The also the other things I would say are the that the installed base hit a record high in Greater China, and we set an all time record for the iPhone installed base. The iPhone upgraders in Mainland China set a record for the June. And according to World Panel, which was formerly known as Kantar, iPhone had the top three models in urban China, which is extraordinary. Also, you look at the other products, Mac, iPad, and Watch, the majority of customers that are buying in China Mainland were new to the product.
So lots of good things there. And the other thing I would point out, which is an interesting point, the MacBook Air was the top selling laptop model in all of China, and the Mac Mini was the top selling desktop model in in all of China. So overall, a positive very positive quarter.
While Apple’s iPhone sales momentarily pushed concerns aside, analysts still want answers to the tech giant’s floundering AI plan.
“AI is the elephant in the room. While Apple is expanding its AI investments internally, the reality is its not moving the needle and patience is wearing thin about investors,” according to Wedbush analysts. “It’s clear to us the innovations around AI are not going to come from Apple Park…it has to be external partnerships and significant M&A looking ahead.”
The analysts added that they believe Apple should acquire Perplexity to catalyze its AI strategy.
“The AI Revolution is the biggest technology trend in 40 years and right now Apple is watching this from a park bench drinking lemonade while every other Big Tech company is racing ahead like F1 drivers building out its AI strategy and monetization plan,” the analysts said. “Time is ticking for Cook to find the answer.”
The company’s AI struggles were on full display at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June, where AI announcements were widely seen as underwhelming compared to competitors like Google. Plus a Bloomberg report from July found that Apple might bench its own generative AI technology and instead use either Anthropic or OpenAI’s tech to power a Siri update due next year.
MacDailyNews Take: Regarding AI, during the conference call, Cook said:
We’re making good progress on a more personalized Siri, and we do expect to release the features next year as we had said earlier. Our focus from an AI point of view is on putting AI features across the platform that are deeply personal, private, and seamlessly integrated. And, of course, we’ve done that with more than 20 Apple intelligence features so far from visual intelligence to cleanup to writing tools and all the rest.
We are significantly growing our investment. We did during the June. We will again in the September. I’m not putting specific numbers behind that at this point, but you can probably tell in the guidance that things are moving up. We are also reallocating a fair number of people to focus on AI features within the company that are you know, we have great, great team, and we’re we’re putting all of our energy behind it.
In terms of other products, I you know, I don’t want to really comment on specific other products, but we have an exciting road map ahead. And I could not be more excited about it…
I the way that we look at AI is that it’s one of the most profound technologies of our lifetime. And I think it will affect all devices in a significant way. What pieces of the chain are commoditized and not commoditized, I wouldn’t want to really talk about today because that gives away some things on our strategy…
We’ve acquired around seven companies this year, and that’s companies from all walks of life, not all AI oriented. And so we’re doing one think of it as one every several weeks. We’re very open to M and A that accelerates our road map. We are not stuck on a certain size company, although the ones that we have acquired thus far this year are small in nature.
But we basically ask ourselves whether a company can help us accelerate a road map. If they do, then we’re interested, but we don’t have anything to share specifically today.
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Apple TV+ celebrates season two premiere of ‘Platonic’ starring Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne
On Wednesday, July 30 at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, Apple TV+ celebrated the world premiere of the highly anticipated second season of “Platonic,” the critically acclaimed half-hour comedy starring and executive produced by Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne. The 10-episode sophomore season will premiere globally on Apple TV+ on Wednesday, August 6, 2025 with the first two episodes, followed by one episode weekly until October 1, 2025.
Attendees at the “Platonic” season two premiere included stars and executive producers Rogen and Byrne, alongside cast members Luke Macfarlane and Carla Gallo, as well as co-creators, directors, co-writers and executive producers Nick Stoller and Francesca Delbanco.
Tre Hale, Beck Bennett, executive producer Conor Welch, Carla Gallo, Luke Macfarlane, executive producer Rose Byrne, executive producer Seth Rogen, co-creator/co-writer/director Nick Stoller, Max Matenko, co-creator/co-writer/director Francesca Delbanco, Sophia Kopera, Rachel Rosenbloom, Andrew Lopez and Sophie Leonard attend the season two global premiere of the Apple TV+ series “Platonic” at the Hammer
Museum on July 30, 2025 in Los Angeles.
“Platonic” season two picks up with everyone’s favorite pair of best friends (played by Rogen and Byrne) as they contend with new midlife hurdles, including work, weddings and partners in crises. The duo tries their best to be each other’s rock, but sometimes rocks break things. The season two cast also includes Luke Macfarlane and Carla Gallo, and introduces Aidy Bryant, Kyle Mooney, Beck Bennett and Milo Manheim as guest stars.
“Platonic” is produced by Sony Pictures Television, where Nick Stoller’s Global Solutions has an overall deal. Byrne, Stoller, Delbanco and Conor Welch executive produce, along with Rogen, Evan Goldberg and James Weaver for Point Grey Pictures.
In addition to “Platonic,” Rogen stars in Apple TV+’s celebrated, hit comedy “The Studio,” which recently landed 23 Emmy Award nominations, including Outstanding Comedy Series, making it the most-nominated freshman comedy series in history. Rogen wrote, directed and executive produced “The Studio” alongside Goldberg. Byrne also stars in Apple TV+’s dark comedy “Physical.”
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 580 wins and 2,787 award nominations and counting, including multi-Emmy Award-winning comedy “Ted Lasso” and Oscar Best Picture winner “CODA.”
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, 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 $9.99 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, Mac or iPod touch can enjoy three months of Apple TV+ for free.
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Despite record third quarter results, Apple remains in the investor doghouse
Apple stock slid Friday despite the company’s better-than-expected June-quarter results, showing that it’s still in the investor doghouse.
The Cupertino, Calif.-based company late Thursday said it earned $1.57 a share on sales of $94.04 billion in the fiscal third quarter ended June 28. Analysts polled by FactSet had expected earnings of $1.43 a share on sales of $89.35 billion. On a year-over-year basis, Apple earnings rose 12% while sales climbed 10%.
Patrick Seitz for Investor’s Business Daily:
For the current quarter, Apple expects its total revenue to increase by a mid- to high-single-digit percentage year over year. Analysts had been modeling for sales to rise 2.8% to $97.6 billion in the fiscal fourth quarter.
In morning trades on the stock market today, Apple stock fell more than 1% to 205.22, as the broader market retreated on the latest tariff news. It is down about 17% for the year and is dwelling in a “death cross” chart pattern.
“Despite the beat and slightly higher September-quarter guidance than we estimated, we remain concerned on second-half (2025) momentum, given lack of exciting iPhone cycle and AI differentiation,” Barclays analyst Tim Long said in a client note.
Other concerns include potential smartphone market share loss in China from new Huawei handsets and folding-screen devices. Plus, Apple faces the possible loss of traffic acquisition cost, or TAC, payments from Google as the default search engine on the iPhone.
In addition, Apple has faced delays in rolling out new artificial intelligence features, such as an upgraded Siri digital assistant.
Wedbush Securities analyst Daniel Ives said Apple’s efforts in AI to date have not moved the needle much and “patience is wearing thin” among investors.
Ives believes Apple’s internal development efforts on AI are not doing the job and the company needs to make a significant acquisition, such as Perplexity
“The AI Revolution is the biggest technology trend in 40 years and right now Apple is watching this from a park bench drinking lemonade while every other Big Tech company is racing ahead like F1 drivers building out its AI strategy and monetization plan,” Ives said in a client note. “The status quo is clearly not working” at Apple.
MacDailyNews Take: Again, as we wrote earlier this morning, “The stock price is still rangebound… A notable AI acquisition or some other meaningful AI news would break that constraint.” More here.
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Apple TV+ unveils trailer and lineup for global K-pop song battle series ‘KPOPPED’
Apple TV+ on Friday debuted the trailer for the eight-part song battle series “KPOPPED,” starring PSY, the international chart-topper who helped bring K-pop to the world with his global sensation “Gangnam Style,” and three-time Grammy Award-winning superstar and executive producer Megan Thee Stallion. From executive producers Lionel Richie and Miky Lee, the show brings together some of the biggest names in Western music and top K-pop idols for unexpected, high-energy reinterpretations of iconic hits. All episodes of “KPOPPED” are set to debut globally on Friday, August 29th on Apple TV+.
Hosted by actor and comedian Soojeong Son (“Servant,” “Search Party”), each episode finds Western chart-toppers teaming up with celebrated K-pop groups to reimagine one of their biggest songs, culminating in bold, collaborative stage performances. With just a short window to rehearse, these partners deliver electrifying renditions for a live audience in Seoul, who vote for the standout “K-popped” performance of the night. After the song battle winner is determined, the K-pop idols close out the episode with an exciting performance.
Featured artists include:
• K-pop acts: Billlie, ITZY, Kep1er, JO1, ATEEZ, STAYC, Kiss of Life, and BLACKSWAN
• Western artists: Megan Thee Stallion, Patti LaBelle, Spice Girls’ Mel B and Emma Bunton, Vanilla Ice, Taylor Dayne, Kesha, Eve, J Balvin, Kylie Minogue, TLC, Boy George, Jess Glynne, Ava Max, and Boyz II Men
These legendary and rising artists trade stages and styles across eight episodes, offering a fresh spin on hit tracks including “Savage,” “Wannabe,” “Ice Ice Baby,” “Lady Marmalade,” “Can’t Get You Out of My Head,” “Motownphilly,” “Waterfalls,” and more.
The series is executive produced by Moira Ross, Richie, Lee, Megan Thee Stallion and Greg Foster, alongside Harry H.K. Shin and Jake Hong, with producer Ki-woong Kim for CJ ENM Co., Ltd., with its unparalleled expertise in music variety shows and content production. Chris Culvenor, Paul Franklin, Wes Dening and David Tibballs executive produce for Eureka Productions (a Fremantle company), alongside Bruce Eskowitz.
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 your 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 earned 580 wins and 2,787 award nominations and counting, including multi-Emmy Award-winning comedy “Ted Lasso” and historic Oscar Best Picture winner “CODA.”
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, 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 $9.99 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, Mac or iPod touch can enjoy three months of Apple TV+ for free.
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Apple delivers solid results with China rebound, but where’s its AI strategy? – Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives
Daniel Ives, Wedbush’s Managing Director and Senior Equity Research Analyst, in a new note to clients regarding Apple’s Q325 results recognized the company’s strong performance in China and double-digit growth in iPhone, Mac, and Services, but asks “where is Apple’s AI strategy?”
Philip Elmer-DeWitt for Apple 3.0:
Daniel Ives, Wedbush: Cupertino Delivers Solid Results With China Rebound; Where is AI Strategy?
Apple reported solid FY3Q25 June results featuring solid beats across the board driven by double-digit growth in iPhone, Mac, and Services while noting a strong rebound in the China region, which saw 4% y/y growth in the quarter… iPhone revenue came in much stronger than expected at $44.58 billion (up 13% y/y) well above the Street’s $40.29 billion estimate as the company set a June quarter record for upgraders while seeing broad-based growth for its iPhone 16 family including double-digit growth across emerging markets… Solid September directional guidance… AI is the elephant in the room. Outperform. $270.
MacDailyNews Take: Yup. As heard on Apple’s conference call, it seems that Cook is still trying to buy time in AI by dangling the hopes of possible, maybe, you-never-know acquisitions and an AI Siri coming real soon now (next year, two years after he disingenuously played a vaporware marketing video of a nonexistent AI Siri).
As we just wrote earlier this morning, “The stock price is still rangebound. AAPL is up less than 2% after an all-time record third quarter. A notable AI acquisition or some other meaningful AI news would break that constraint.” More here.
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Apple smashes Wall Street on top and bottom lines
Apple today announced financial results for its fiscal 2025 third quarter ended June 28, 2025. The Company posted quarterly revenue of $94.0 billion, up 10 percent year over year, and quarterly diluted earnings per share of $1.57, up 12 percent year over year.
“Today Apple is proud to report a June quarter revenue record with double-digit growth in iPhone, Mac and Services and growth around the world, in every geographic segment,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, in a statement. “At WWDC25, we were excited to introduce a beautiful new software design that extends across all of our platforms, and we announced even more great Apple Intelligence features.”
“We are very pleased with our record business performance for the June quarter, which generated EPS growth of 12 percent,” said Kevan Parekh, Apple’s CFO, in a statement. “Our installed base of active devices also reached a new all-time high across all product categories and geographic segments, thanks to our very high levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty.”
Apple’s Q325 revenue figures:
• Total Revenue: $94.00 billion
• Earnings Per Share (EPS): $1.57
Apple’s Q325 revenue by product line:
• iPhone Revenue: $44.582 billion
• Mac Revenue: $8.046 billion
• iPad Revenue: $6.581 billion
• Services Revenue: $27.423 billion
• Wearables, Home, and Accessories Revenue: $7.404 billion
For Apple’s fiscal third quarter of 2025, ending June 29, 2025, the LSEG consensus expectations for total revenue and earnings per share (EPS) called for:
• Total Revenue: $89.54 billion
• Earnings Per Share (EPS): $1.43
Analysts’ consensus for revenue by product line, based on available data from sources, expected:
• iPhone Revenue: $39.8 billion to $40.06 billion
• Mac Revenue: $7.16 billion to $7.30 billion
• iPad Revenue: $6.78 billion to $7.07 billion
• Services Revenue: $26.8 billion to $26.96 billion
• Wearables, Home, and Accessories Revenue: $7.78 billion
Apple’s board of directors has declared a cash dividend of $0.26 per share of the Company’s common stock. The dividend is payable on August 14, 2025 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on August 11, 2025.
Apple will provide live streaming of its Q3 2025 financial results conference call beginning at 2:00 p.m. PT on July 31, 2025, at apple.com/investor/earnings-call. The webcast will be available for replay for approximately two weeks thereafter.
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Saudia Airlines joins AirTag luggage tracking program, now backed by 30 airlines
Launched with iOS 18.2, the Share Item Location feature allows users to share a live tracking link for AirTags or other Find My-compatible accessories, including with airlines to assist in recovering lost luggage. Airliner Saudia this week joined the list of official partners.
Saudia, the national flag carrier of Saudi Arabia, has announced the implementation of Apple’s Share Item Location feature to privately and securely locate lost or delayed bags containing an AirTag or Find My network accessory and reunite them with the airline’s guests.
As part of this initiative, guests can generate a secure Share Item Location link through the Find My app on their iPhone, iPad, or Mac. This link can then be submitted via Saudia’s dedicated digital portal. For added peace of mind, location sharing ends automatically once the baggage is recovered, can be stopped manually at any time, and expires after seven days.
In a statement, Abdulgader Attiah, Chief Data and Technology Officer of Saudia Group, said, “As part of our ongoing commitment to digital transformation, we are elevating the guest experience through cutting-edge technology and innovative solutions. This integration of Apple’s Share Item Location feature underscores our dedication to providing world-class service and setting new standards in the aviation industry.”
Share Item Location is built on the Apple Find My network, a crowdsourced network of over one billion Apple devices that use Bluetooth wireless technology to detect missing devices or items nearby and report their approximate location back to the owner. The entire process is end-to-end encrypted and anonymous, so no one else, not even Apple or Find My network accessory manufacturers, can view an item’s location or information.
Guests can access this feature by ensuring their Apple device is updated to iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, or macOS 15.2 or later.
The full list of airlines that support Apple’s Share Item Location feature:
• Aer Lingus
• Ajet
• Air Canada
• Air India
• Air New Zealand
• American Airlines
• Austrian Airlines
• Breeze Airlines
• British Airways
• Brussels Airlines
• Cathay Pacific
• China Airlines
• Delta
• Eurowings
• Finnair
• Iberia
• JetBlue
• KLM
• Lufthansa
• Pegasus
• Porter
• Quantas
• Saudia
• Singapore Airlines
• Swiss Air Lines
• Sun Express
• Turkish Airlines
• United Airlines
• Virgin Atlantic
• Vueling
MacDailyNews Note: To use this feature:
- Launch the Find My app on your device.
- Tap Items, tap the item that you want to share location updates for, then tap Share Item Location.
- Follow the onscreen instructions to create and share a temporary webpage and tap Done.
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What the analysts expect for Apple’s earnings due after the bell today
For Apple’s fiscal third quarter of 2025, ending June 29, 2025, the LSEG consensus expectations for total revenue and earnings per share (EPS) are as follows:
• Total Revenue: $89.54 billion.
• Earnings Per Share (EPS): $1.43
Analysts’ consensus expectations for revenue by product line, based on available data from sources, are:
• iPhone Revenue: $39.8 billion to $40.06 billion
• Mac Revenue: $7.16 billion to $7.30 billion
• iPad Revenue: $6.78 billion to $7.07 billion
• Services Revenue: $26.8 billion to $26.96 billion
• Wearables, Home, and Accessories Revenue: $7.78 billion
As usual, iPhone and Services are expected to be key revenue drivers, while other segments like Mac, iPad, and Wearables are expected to show varied performance due to seasonality and product cycles.
MacDailyNews Take: We’ll have the results today, Thursday, July 31, 2025, as soon as they are available, right around 1:30pm PDT / 4:30pm EDT – just check our homepage at that time.
Following shortly thereafter, at 2pm PDT / 5pm EDT, we’ll provided live notes of Apple’s fiscal Q325 conference call with analysts – again, just check our homepage around that time.
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Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg: Personal superintelligence is now in sight
In an era where artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming the fabric of human existence, the pursuit of superintelligence — AI systems that surpass human cognitive capabilities — stands as one of the most profound and consequential endeavors of our time. In an essay published Wednesday, Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg explores Meta’s vision to harness superintelligence not merely as a technological milestone, but as a catalyst for accelerating human discovery, solving global challenges, and redefining the boundaries of what is possible. By grounding its approach in collaboration, ethical responsibility, and a commitment to amplifying human potential, Meta aims to chart a path toward a future where superintelligence serves as a trusted partner in humanity’s quest for knowledge and progress.
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO and chairman of Meta Platforms:
Over the last few months we have begun to see glimpses of our AI systems improving themselves. The improvement is slow for now, but undeniable. Developing superintelligence is now in sight.
It seems clear that in the coming years, AI will improve all our existing systems and enable the creation and discovery of new things that aren’t imaginable today. But it is an open question what we will direct superintelligence towards.
In some ways this will be a new era for humanity, but in others it’s just a continuation of historical trends. As recently as 200 years ago, 90% of people were farmers growing food to survive. Advances in technology have steadily freed much of humanity to focus less on subsistence and more on the pursuits we choose. At each step, people have used our newfound productivity to achieve more than was previously possible, pushing the frontiers of science and health, as well as spending more time on creativity, culture, relationships, and enjoying life.
I am extremely optimistic that superintelligence will help humanity accelerate our pace of progress. But perhaps even more important is that superintelligence has the potential to begin a new era of personal empowerment where people will have greater agency to improve the world in the directions they choose.
As profound as the abundance produced by AI may one day be, an even more meaningful impact on our lives will likely come from everyone having a personal superintelligence that helps you achieve your goals, create what you want to see in the world, experience any adventure, be a better friend to those you care about, and grow to become the person you aspire to be.
Meta’s vision is to bring personal superintelligence to everyone. We believe in putting this power in people’s hands to direct it towards what they value in their own lives.
This is distinct from others in the industry who believe superintelligence should be directed centrally towards automating all valuable work, and then humanity will live on a dole of its output. At Meta, we believe that people pursuing their individual aspirations is how we have always made progress expanding prosperity, science, health, and culture. This will be increasingly important in the future as well.
The intersection of technology and how people live is Meta’s focus, and this will only become more important in the future.
If trends continue, then you’d expect people to spend less time in productivity software, and more time creating and connecting. Personal superintelligence that knows us deeply, understands our goals, and can help us achieve them will be by far the most useful. Personal devices like glasses that understand our context because they can see what we see, hear what we hear, and interact with us throughout the day will become our primary computing devices.
We believe the benefits of superintelligence should be shared with the world as broadly as possible. That said, superintelligence will raise novel safety concerns. We’ll need to be rigorous about mitigating these risks and careful about what we choose to open source. Still, we believe that building a free society requires that we aim to empower people as much as possible.
The rest of this decade seems likely to be the decisive period for determining the path this technology will take, and whether superintelligence will be a tool for personal empowerment or a force focused on replacing large swaths of society.
Meta believes strongly in building personal superintelligence that empowers everyone. We have the resources and the expertise to build the massive infrastructure required, and the capability and will to deliver new technology to billions of people across our products. I’m excited to focus Meta’s efforts towards building this future.
MacDailyNews Take: Sounds overly and disingenuously altruistic, but as least he’s attempting to think ahead.
Here’s the thing:
Meta is to privacy as Chernobyl is to nuclear power. – MacDailyNews, December 19, 2024
Now, by the time it matters, Apple (even Tim Cook’s slow, reactive Apple) will do smart glasses better than Meta and, importantly, they will work better with billions of iPhones, iPads, Macs, AirPods, Apple TVs, etc.
Someday, hopefully sooner than later, we’ll look back at holding up slabs of metal and glass to access AR as unbelievably quaint. — MacDailyNews, July 28, 2017
The Apple Glasses will be the key as holding up slabs of glass as “windows” is suboptimal. When we’re running in a race, for example, we don’t want to have to hold an iPhone or even glance at an Apple Watch, but with a pair of Apple Glasses constantly overlaying time, pace, splits, etc. it’ll be ideal! — MacDailyNews, September 6, 2019
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Microsoft joins Nvidia in exclusive $4 trillion market value club
Microsoft has officially joined the elite $4 trillion market-cap club, becoming the second company to achieve this milestone following NVIDIA’s historic entry earlier this month on July 9, 2025. For decades, Microsoft has been a cornerstone of the tech industry, delivering consistent and profitable growth. However, this unprecedented surge, driven by a remarkable 8-9% climb in shares after stellar fiscal Q4 earnings, marks a new era for the tech giant.
The rally stems from robust performance in Azure, the integration of Copilot AI, and an ambitious $30 billion capital expenditure plan for AI infrastructure, signaling Microsoft’s aggressive push into the AI-driven future.
In contrast, Apple lags as a distant third, struggling to keep pace in the $4 trillion race. Its market cap, currently at $3.16 trillion, reflects a company that missed the AI revolution’s early wave. While competitors like NVIDIA and Microsoft capitalized on AI hardware and software advancements, Apple’s leadership has been criticized for its lack of vision and innovation. The absence of a charismatic figure to steer bold initiatives, coupled with a cautious approach to AI integration, has left Apple playing catch-up. Its recent stock performance, with only a modest 0.4% gain over the past month, underscores investor concerns about its ability to reclaim its former dominance in a rapidly evolving tech landscape.
Nvidia established the $4 trillion club as the first public company to surpass a $4 trillion valuation, with its shares rising 2.76% on July 9, 2025, fueled by insatiable demand for GPUs. The company reported a staggering $44.1 billion in revenue last quarter, a 69% year-over-year increase, driven by the surge in PC gaming and AI applications. Microsoft, following closely, reported an 18% revenue growth—the largest in three years—propelled by its software prowess. Strategic partnerships with OpenAI, Meta, and xAI, alongside advancements in Copilot AI and Azure cloud services, have transformed Microsoft into an AI powerhouse, cementing its place in this exclusive club that didn’t exist just weeks ago.
MacDailyNews Take: Congratulations, Microsoft, which, after 14 years of clueless comedy, finally rid itself of its albatross CEO back in 2014, got on with business, and didn’t miss the next paradigm shift.
As for Apple, any reasonably competent manager could have taken what Jobs handed them and iterated products for 15 years. Apple’s somnambulant Board only sees the remnants of Job’s work, competently managed, until now.
After what Steve Jobs built, a chimpanzee could run Apple profitably for many years. (Yes, even Steve Ballmer could do it.) — MacDailyNews, April 10, 2017
The problem, as is now plainly evident, is that when you do not have a visionary for coming up on 15 years, you miss the next paradigm shift. So, now, because non-visionary Tim Cook, a glorified operations manager, was wasting time, focus, and money blowing tens of billions on a failed EV project and an overpriced, non-selling AR/VR headset, Apple is way behind in genAI, struggling embarrassingly to catch up, and facing the prospect of a myopic, charisma-free, aging CEO selfishly clinging on for “at least another half-decade” because Apple’s BoD, half of which were stocked by Cook with loyalists* (Cook himself is the Board’s tie-breaking vote), has about as much vision as Cook himself.
Good times.
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Apple stock rebound looks elusive as AI challenges spark investor concerns
Apple’s fiscal Q325 earnings report due today after market close is not expected to provide the boost investors need to lift the iPhone maker’s slumping stock, which has fallen nearly 17% in 2025. Hampered by a weak artificial intelligence strategy, significant tariff exposure, and regulatory scrutiny over its lucrative default search deal with Alphabet subsidiary Google, a near-term recovery for Apple’s shares appears elusive.
Ryan Vlastelica for Bloomberg News:
The technology behemoth is expected to post profit and revenue growth that severely lags the industry when it reports its fiscal third-quarter results Thursday after the market closes.
“Apple’s embarrassing AI shows how it has lost its mojo with innovation, and the lack of innovation speaks to the lack of revenue growth, and that speaks to why we don’t see upside in the stock,” said Peter Andersen, founder and chief investment officer of Andersen Capital Management. “It is valued like a growth stock, but I’m very skeptical about the potential for a significant inflection in growth, and I think it will eventually lose that premium.”
Analysts expect the company to report a 2.4% rise in quarterly profits on a 4.1% gain in revenues, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The overall tech sector’s anticipated earnings growth is 16.8% on a 13% jump in revenue, according to Bloomberg Intelligence.
Apple’s failure to capitalize on AI is particularly important to investors, who are calling for a dramatic pivot in strategy. Many would like to see a management shakeup — or even a big acquisition, something Apple has historically shunned in favor of in-house development.
The problem is Apple’s in-house AI features, such as those unveiled at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June, have been delayed or underwhelmed. The company has reportedly considered using AI tech from outside companies to power a new version of its Siri digital assistant.
Apple’s failure to establish a firm AI strategy stands in contrast to its big-tech rivals, which have largely carved out niches in the technology and have put up impressive earnings this season.
After the market closed Wednesday, Microsoft Corp. reported significantly better-than-expected revenue on the back of strong cloud demand, while Meta Platforms Inc. — which has poached major AI talent from Apple with substantial pay packages — posted healthy results and gave a far better than anticipated outlook. Last week, Alphabet said that strong demand for its AI services boosted quarterly sales.
MacDailyNews Take: Frozen in oncoming headlights is where the buck stops.
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Apple’s iPhone exports from India dodge President Trump’s 25% tariffs for now
Apple’s iPhone exports from India to America are currently unaffected by President Donald Trump’s new 25% tariffs on the South Asian country. In April, the Trump administration excluded smartphones, computers, and other electronics from reciprocal tariffs, providing significant relief to companies like Apple and Nvidia Corp., as most of these devices are not manufactured in America.
Sankalp Phartiyal for Bloomberg News:
India currently accounts for more than a fifth of global iPhone production and has already surpassed China to become the top supplier of the device to the US market.
Apple has ramped up production in India over the past four years as it tries to diversify away from China in the aftermath of harsh coronavirus restrictions. The US tech giant’s expansion has become the poster child for Modi’s flagship ‘Make in India’ drive — the government has constantly used Apple’s growing manufacturing in the country as an example to woo global investors including Tesla Inc. and chipmakers such as Micron Technology Inc.
The US Commerce Department is currently probing sectors deemed vital to national security, such as semiconductors, under Section 232 in the Trade Expansion Act. Till those are complete, there will be no levies on smartphone exports to the US. That includes iPhones made in India.
The probes though, are widely expected to result in levies on a range of foreign-made products. Trump is already using that authority to tax imports of steel and aluminum.
Trump could also use 232 powers to levy duties on imports of iPhones into the US. That could drive Apple to squeeze suppliers, including those in India, and potentially force the tech giant to make iPhones pricey for US customers.
MacDailyNews Take: 25% on Indian imports to America is a bargaining chip, not an eternal tariff.
Negotiations with India continue. President Trump has frequently used tariffs as a negotiating tool to pressure trading partners into making concessions. Based on history, the 25% tariff on India is quite likely intended to push the Indian government to reduce its own tariffs and trade barriers, which are among the highest in the world for certain goods, along with pushing India to reduce its economic and military ties with Russia, particularly in the context of Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.
Trump has repeatedly criticized India for being one of Russia’s largest buyers of energy, alongside China, at a time when he and Western allies want Russia to face economic isolation due to its actions in Ukraine. India’s reliance on Russian crude oil has grown significantly, reportedly rising from less than 2% of its total imports before the Ukraine conflict to over 40% by June 2024. Trump’s moves, including threats of secondary tariffs of up to 100% on countries buying Russian oil, are clear messages to India to curtail these purchases in order to weaken Russia’s economy and war effort, bringing about an end to hostilities in Ukraine.
Trump has also highlighted India’s long-standing practice of buying a “vast majority” of its military equipment from Russia. Trump wants India to shift its defense procurement away from Russia and toward U.S. or American-allied Western suppliers, aligning with broader U.S. strategic goals of countering Russian influence.
President Trump has linked India’s trade with Russia to enabling “the killing in Ukraine,” suggesting he wants India to adopt a more overtly anti-Russia position, including supporting Western efforts to pressure Moscow into a ceasefire.
India would be wise to reduce its trade barriers with the U.S. while also reducing its energy and military equipment purchases from Russia.
Additionally, President Donald Trump just announced a 50% tariff on all imports from Brazil, effective August 1, 2025, as a response to Brazil’s treatment of former President Jair Bolsonaro and other concerns, such as alleged unfair trade practices. However, in April 2025, the Trump administration explicitly exempted smartphones, computers, and other electronics from reciprocal tariffs, providing relief to companies like Apple. Therefore, smartphones, including iPhones, are not subject to the 50% tariffs imposed on Brazilian imports at this time.
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[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]
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Apple releases new AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 beta firmware
Apple this week released updated beta firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4, enabling beta testers to try new AirPods features on iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS Tahoe. Currently, the firmware is exclusive to developers and public beta testers, requiring a device on iOS 26, iPadOS 26, or macOS 26 to install. The new firmware build is 8A5324b, replacing 8A5308b.
Ryan Christoffel for 9to5Mac:
This is up from the last release, 8A5308b, which arrived earlier in July.
Notably, AirPods beta firmware includes early access to iOS 26 features like:
• Automatic pausing when you fall asleep
• Studio-quality audio recording
• Camera remote
• Automatic switching for CarPlay
• Enhanced voice quality on calls
These latest changes are currently only available on AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4, but eventually at least a couple will be available for other AirPods models too.
MacDailyNews Note: How to install the AirPods Public Beta:
Ensure your iPhone is running the iOS 26 beta. Follow our detailed guide on installing the iOS 26 beta for step-by-step instructions.The AirPods public beta supports AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4. With iOS 26 installed on your iPhone, follow these steps to install the AirPods beta:
- Connect your AirPods to your iPhone.
- Open Settings.
- Tap your AirPods at the top of the screen. If they aren’t listed, go to Bluetooth, locate your AirPods in the device list, and tap the “i” next to them.
- Scroll to AirPods Beta Updates and toggle it on.
Once enabled, the AirPods public beta will install when your AirPods are in their charging case and near your iPhone.
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Apple among over sixty other companies backing President Trump’s plan to modernize U.S. healthcare
Apple, Amazon, Alphabet subsidiary Google, Anthropic (backed by Amazon), and OpenAI (backed by Microsoft) are among the companies that have committed to supporting the Trump administration’s plan to modernize U.S. healthcare through enhanced digital access and data sharing, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Wednesday.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is taking bold steps to modernize the nation’s digital health ecosystem with a focus on empowering Medicare beneficiaries through greater access to innovative health technologies
America’s healthcare system is plagued by complexity, high costs, and fragmentation—placing strain on patients, providers, and our national budget. Outdated infrastructure and disconnected data have made it harder — not easier — to get quality care and achieve positive long-term outcomes. Without competitive pressure, the system fails to reward the best ideas leveraging modern technology.
“For decades, bureaucrats and entrenched interests buried health data and blocked patients from taking control of their health,” said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., in a statement “That ends today. We’re tearing down digital walls, returning power to patients, and rebuilding a health system that serves the people. This is how we begin to Make America Healthy Again.”
“We have the tools and information available now to empower patients to improve their outcomes and their healthcare experience,” said CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz in a statement. “For too long, patients in this country have been burdened with a healthcare system that has not kept pace with the disruptive innovations that have transformed nearly every other sector of our economy. With the commitments made by these entrepreneurial companies today, we stand ready for a paradigm shift in the U.S. healthcare system for the benefit of patients and providers.”
The initiative advances a CMS Interoperability Framework, incorporating tools such as artificial intelligence assistants, digital check-ins, and chronic disease management apps, the agency stated.
Twenty-one networks pledged to meet CMS interoperability standards, eleven health systems and seven electronic health record (EHR) providers committed to supporting the plan, and thirty companies pledged to promote real health outcomes with technology over the coming months. The new tools will use secure digital identity credentials to obtain medical records from CMS Aligned Networks that meet the CMS data sharing criteria. The apps will assist in the delivery of key services to beneficiaries including:
• Diabetes and obesity management;
• The use of conversational AI assistants to help patients check symptoms, navigate care options, and schedule appointments, among other tasks; and
• Tools to “kill the clipboard” by replacing paper intake forms with seamless digital check-in methods; and more.
Over sixty companies have committed to delivering results by early 2026, with new applications expected to aid in diabetes and obesity management, provide AI-powered assistance for scheduling and symptom assessment, and replace paper intake forms with digital check-in processes, according to CMS.
MacDailyNews Note: The latest information on CMS’ Health Tech Ecosystem initiative visit is here.
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