2026-02-26 23:28:52
Samsung this week debuted pre-orders for its newest line of Galaxy products, including the S26 smartphones and Galaxy Buds4. You can find a few early launch discounts on some of these products, plus discounts on Samsung's most popular monitors and TVs, with notable markdowns on products like The Frame TVs.
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2026-02-26 22:06:04
Apple CEO Tim Cook today teased "a big week ahead," with announcements starting Monday. His post included an #AppleLaunch hashtag with a colorful Apple logo, along with a short video that ultimately shows an Apple logo on the lid of a Mac.
Apple is reportedly planning a three-day stretch of product announcements from Monday, March 2 through Wednesday, March 4, with up to five new products expected to be unveiled, including a lower-cost MacBook, an iPhone 17e, and more.
Other possible products include an iPad Air with an M4 chip, an iPad 12 with an A18 chip and Apple Intelligence support, a MacBook Air with the M5 chip, and MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips. We are also waiting for long-awaited updates to the Apple TV and HomePod mini, but it is unclear if those are coming next week.
Apple already invited selected journalists and content creators to an "Apple Experience" in New York, London, and Shanghai on Wednesday, March 4 at 9 a.m. Eastern Time. During these in-person gatherings, attendees will likely receive hands-on time with the new products that Apple unveils between Monday and Wednesday next week.
A big week ahead. It all starts Monday morning! #AppleLaunch pic.twitter.com/PQ9gM2Gl2r
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) February 26, 2026
2026-02-26 19:48:55
Apple has agreed to pay Samsung twice as much for the LPDDR5X memory chips that it needs for ongoing iPhone 17 production, claims a report from Korean outlet Dealsite.
According to the report's sources, Apple recently held emergency meetings with Samsung's semiconductor division to negotiate delivery volumes of RAM for the first half of this year. The 12GB LPDDR5X modules used in the iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro have already roughly doubled in price since early 2025, rising from around $30 to approximately $70.
Samsung is said to have originally planned to push for a 60% price increase on LPDDR5X modules supplied to Apple. Instead, however, Samsung opened with a 100% markup as a negotiating tactic – and Apple apparently accepted it on the spot.
If the publication's industry sources are accurate, Apple's immediate acceptance just goes to show how desperate smartphone makers have become to lock down memory supply. Chipmakers like SK Hynix and Micron have been redirecting production capacity toward high-bandwidth memory (HBM) for AI servers, and that has left mobile DRAM in extremely short supply.
Samsung's own mobile division isn't immune to the squeeze, either. The same report says initial Galaxy S26 production is using a 50/50 split of LPDDR5X from Samsung's semiconductor division and Micron, with both suppliers planning steep price increases after the first batch. Samsung is expected to raise Galaxy S26 pricing partly in response, while attempting to offset costs by using its in-house Exynos 2600 chip in roughly 30% of units.
Despite the cost pressure, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo recently said Apple's current plan is to keep iPhone 18 Pro starting prices flat. On a recent earnings call, Apple CEO Tim Cook acknowledged that rising chip prices would have "a bit more of an impact" on gross margins, but the company still expects year-on-year revenue growth of 13% to 16% this quarter.
2026-02-26 19:02:03
Apple Maps has been updated with a new guide called "2026 Formula 1 Tracks Around the World," ahead of the new season which is being streamed exclusively on Apple TV in the United States.
Spotted by 9to5Mac within the Apple TV Formula 1 Channel, the guide offers an immersive way to explore the circuits, starting with Albert Park in Australia, with more 3D circuit experiences to be added as the season progresses.
The Albert Park circuit map highlights turn numbers, grandstands, and a three-dimensional model of the F1 pit building. The experience also doubles as a navigation tool for those attending the Australian Grand Prix, with walking directions to key locations.
The track is rendered with realistic kerbs, clearly labelled 3D grandstands and footbridges, and all 14 turns. Temporary pop-up locations pinpoint entrance gates and essential amenities, including restrooms, water stations, first aid points, and merchandise stands, with step-by-step walking directions to individual grandstands.
Several other tracks have been upgraded with new 3D graphics, but not yet to the extent of Albert Park. For a preview of what's changed, it's worth visiting the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Miami International Autodrome in Florida, the Circuit de Monaco, the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain, Silverstone in the UK, the Red Bull Ring in Austria, and more.
The 2026 F1 season kicks off in Australia on March 8. Last October, Apple and Formula 1 announced a five-year partnership including exclusive streaming rights in the U.S. The partnership allows Apple TV to provide comprehensive coverage of Formula 1, including all practice, qualifying, Sprint sessions, and Grands Prix.
At the time, Apple said it planned to "amplify" the sport across Apple News, Apple Maps, Apple Music, and Apple Fitness+. For example, the Apple Sports app will feature live updates for every qualifying, Sprint, and race for each Grand Prix across the season, along with real-time leaderboards, season driver and constructor standings, Live Activities, and widgets.
2026-02-26 16:50:17
Apple is in talks with major Indian banks as it prepares to introduce Apple Pay in the country sometime in the middle of 2026, reports Bloomberg.
Apple is said to be in discussions with ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, and Axis Bank, according to people with knowledge of the matter who spoke to the publication.
The report corroborates a story in January by Business Standard that said Apple Pay was preparing to go live in the Indian market before the end of the year. The Times of India also earlier reported the India plans for Apple Pay.
Today's report says Apple is talking through the plan with global payment networks Mastercard and Visa. UPI dominates digital payments in India, and Apple Pay is expected to support the state-backed payments interface, which allows customers to instantly transfer money and bills.
Apple Pay launched more than 10 years ago, and is already available across 89 markets globally. Late last year, India's central bank approved new rules that allow biometric authentication like Touch ID and Face ID for digital payments. The country's authentication methods previously relied on one-time passwords sent over SMS messages.
The timing comes at a good moment for Apple in India. The company recorded its highest quarterly shipments in the country during Q3 2025, reaching 5 million units and securing fourth place in the market for the first time, according to IDC data. Apple is also rapidly expanding its retail presence in India, with a sixth store opening in Mumbai on Thursday.
2026-02-26 08:31:40
Some customers are having problems with the App Store, Mac App Store, and iTunes Store, according to Apple's System Status page.
The three services have been experiencing issues since 7:22 p.m. Eastern Time. Not all users are affected, but if you've been having trouble accessing or downloading apps, the outage is the reason why.
We'll update this article when the problems have been resolved.
