Tis' the season of product recalibration at Apple, with its labyrinthine supply chain now leaking the kind of atypical product specifications that would have attracted a serious flak at any other time. Such is the upheaval currently permeating through the entire global consumer electronics industry, however, that Apple's growing litany of compromises now barely raises any eyebrows. Apple's so-called MacBook Ultra won't launch with a brand-new silicon We reported recently that Apple has significantly revamped its silicon-related plans, settling on the launch of the M5 Ultra and the base M6 later this year, and then jumping straight to the base […]

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Apple was, until recently, the last bastion of price stability, even as a tsunami of memory-induced price hikes has continued to sweep across wide swathes of the global consumer electronics sphere. Alas! No longer. Apple now appears to have surrendered to the inevitable price hikes after trying to swim against the tide for a few quarters. Apple's Tim Cook had warned that the June-ending quarter would see a "substantial" increase in memory costs, and now the company appears to be capitulating to the inevitable price hikes Apple's Tim Cook has just declared to the Wall Street Journal that price increases […]

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Apple had pretty much made it clear during WWDC 2026 that having more RAM in any device will help you keep it for longer while enjoying a truckload of features. While the company won’t have issues bringing 12GB of memory to the pricier iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, the base model is where Apple could be torn as it combats the ongoing DRAM shortage. Fortunately, there’s still a way to bring the same RAM count to the standard version, but it’ll require one compromise. However, if you really think about it, buyers should have no issues in […]

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Apple’s base iPhone 17 has taken the smartphone industry by storm, with its aggressive pricing and stacked features being two key factors behind why it was the best-selling smartphone globally for Q1 2026, at least according to Counterpoint Research. Now, just imagine if it were $100 cheaper, what sort of reception would this handset garner from the public? There would be utter chaos and rightfully so, which is why Apple should keep this model around even after the base iPhone 18 launches in early 2027. While it’s an excellent strategy, there will be a newfound problem that Apple needs to tackle. […]

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Apple’s launch strategy for this year is going to be a little different, as the base iPhone 18 isn’t going to be a part of the lineup, with the company delaying the unveiling to early 2027. It turns out that the device’s absence from the September keynote is part of a bigger plan to maintain healthier margins during the DRAM shortage, at least that’s what a tipster wants you to believe. The base iPhone 17 is already the best-selling smartphone in the world, with Apple expected to dominate markets by keeping it around for longer With Apple previously claimed by Weibo […]

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Apple has been making the most of the ongoing memory 'chipflation' by freezing the prices of its sprawling portfolio of products in a bid to gain market share. But this does not mean that the iPhone manufacturer is immune to the ongoing biting cost surges. As a matter of fact, despite recent corroborative commentary, you should not count on the base iPhone 18 sporting a 12GB RAM, especially as memory costs are slated to make up a whopping 45 percent of a given iPhone's Bill of Materials (BOM) by next year. LPDDR5, which made up just 10 percent of a […]

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There is, thankfully, a lot more to the camera setups within the upcoming Apple iPhone 18 Pro duo and the iPhone 20 than variable aperture bragging rights, as per the latest tidbits from a notable Weibo-based tipster (image source: Vovalenard). Apple iPhone 18 Pro duo/iPhone 20 to get a super-large main camera sensor, dedicated optical image stabilization for the ultra-wide lens, and a 200MP telephoto camera We reported a few days back that Apple was experimenting with a 200MP camera sensor, possibly for the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, enabling near-lossless cropping (to a certain extent) in the […]

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Apple's seemingly limitless splurge on mobile DRAM is now producing real-world consequences. Despite its best efforts to paper over the emerging flaws in its strategy, the Cupertino-based tech giant is now being forced to pinch pennies by severely downgrading the base iPhone 18 model, as per a new analysis published by Schrödinger Intel. Apple's upcoming base iPhone 18 might get an enhanced version of the M12 display tech that debuted back in 2023 We reported yesterday that the base iPhone 18, which is slated to launch in the spring of 2027 alongside the iPhone 18e and the iPhone Air 2, […]

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Later this year, Apple is rumored to alter its launch strategy with the launch of the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the highly anticipated iPhone Fold. While we should expect the entire lineup to comprise the premium materials, early 2027 could witness a major change to this approach. According to the latest rumor, the base iPhone 18 could be the center of cost-cutting, as Apple looks to reduce its manufacturing bill since DRAM and SSD cost increases are forcing an entire re-assessment of launches. The base iPhone 18 could resemble the low-cost iPhone 18e due to manufacturing […]

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If you have the kind of market heft that Apple currently commands, you quickly become accustomed to getting your own way. It is, therefore, a rare supplier indeed that is able to stand its ground against Apple, and Largan appears to have done just that. Apple allegedly receives a rare rebuke for demanding an increased supply of the variable aperture lens destined for the iPhone 18 Pro lineup According to the Asian publication Economic Daily, the supplier of variable aperture lens for the iPhone 18 Pro lineup, Largan, has reportedly rejected an Apple request to increase order volume. Largan has […]

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Android smartphone makers are currently embroiled in maintaining their margins while contemplating which features will be removed from future devices because of the DRAM crisis. Looking at the success of the iPhone 17, it appears that, irrespective of the component shortage, Apple is destined to win by a mile when it announces its iPhone 18 series, which is probably why a tipster mentions that the upcoming flagship series will largely remain unchanged from the current models. The iPhone 18 lineup is only expected to increase in ‘size’, and going by previous rumors, Apple will increase the thickness to accommodate a bigger […]

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The fate of the Dynamic Island and its corresponding pill-shaped, in-display cutout on the upcoming Apple iPhone 18 lineup has been the subject of a lot of consternation in the tech-savvy circles over the past few months, with tipsters often contradicting each other in a relatively haphazard manner. Now, however, there appears to be a growing consensus that the Dynamic Island on the iPhone 18 series will indeed sport reduced dimensions, constituting a significant cosmetic change for a series that had been largely written off as fairly iterative. Apple iPhone 18 lineup to sport a smaller Dynamic Island Ice Universe, […]

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Apple's iPhone 20, which is expected to debut in 2027 and commemorate 20 years since the first iPhone launched all the way back in 2007. It might not be able to sport the look and feel of a seamless slab of glass if the latest tidbits from a well-known Weibo-based tipster end up as prescient and the Cupertino giant fails to make a last-minute breakthrough. Apple is reportedly facing difficulties related to the under-display Face ID module and selfie camera sensors According to a veritable onslaught of previous leaks, Apple was apparently gunning for an all-screen design for the iPhone […]

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