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A view of the Bluey balloon during the 2022 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (Photo by Michael Loccisano\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n Getty Images<\/small><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n Taking a look back at this week\u2019s news and headlines from across the Apple world, including iPhone 18 Pro pricing, iPhone 17 US success, more MacBook Neo laptops, macOS 27 will look better, EU forces more change, hiding your location for privacy, and Bluey is going to take over your iPhone.<\/p>\n Apple Loop is here to remind you of a few of the many discussions around Apple in the last seven days. You can also read my weekly digest of Android news here on Forbes.<\/p>\n Appel looks set to hold the iPhone 18 Pro steady and match the iPhone 17 Pro last year, but that\u2019s only one part of the pricing story, as Forbes contributor Janhoi McGregor discusses. While the top tier of the 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max will stay locked in (around $1,099 for the iPhone 18 Pro, $1,199 for the 18 Pro Max), it’s the lower tiers that could absorb the rising price of memory and storage:<\/p>\n “If this strategy sounds familiar, it\u2019s because Samsung did something very similar earlier this year with the Galaxy S26. The Korean company held the Galaxy S26 Ultra\u2019s price flat in the U.S. while raising the cost of the base Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26 Plus. The Ultra, which is Samsung\u2019s best-selling model, was protected. Everything else absorbed the hit.”<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Following its look at global smartphone sales last week, Counterpoint Research has taken a closer look at the US market<\/a>, one of Apple\u2019s strongholds during the first quarter. Unsurprisingly, iPhone sales are rising, and the market share is growing:<\/p>\n “Apple\u2019s Q1 2026 iPhone sales volume in the US was up 1.3% YoY, outperforming the country\u2019s overall smartphone market, which declined 5.7% YoY\u2026 Apple\u2019s share of volume grew by 4% YoY, as Android device sales declined 14.4% YoY. Apple\u2019s success was driven by the iPhone 17 series, which experienced carryover demand from supply limitations in Q4 2025 due to global demand for the latest iPhone lineup.”<\/p>\n<\/section>\n MacBook Neo availability is improving, with the shipping times via the Apple Store dropping by a week. Ordering this week should see delivery, at least in the US. This isn’t the only movement on the MacBook Neo, as Apple decides to open the production lines for a second significant production run. Zac Hall looks at the impact of the decision<\/a>:<\/p>\n “As a result, it\u2019s now asking suppliers to prepare capacity for 10 million units of the debut version of the Neo, up from an initial estimate of 5 million to 6 million, my sources tell me. Delivery times for the laptop have ballooned to as much as four weeks as Taiwan\u2019s Quanta and Foxconn rush to fill orders from factories in Vietnam and China.”<\/p>\n<\/section>\n The latest version of macOS has drawn significant criticism for its updated user interface. While Aqua is not going away, Apple is set to address concerns that, while not rolling back to a flatter and more information-dense look, should improve clarity. Mark Gurman has more<\/a>:<\/p>\n “In the grand scheme of things, this problem isn\u2019t catastrophic, and I still think Liquid Glass has been a net positive for the company despite some of the criticism online. In some ways, it\u2019s a rare instance of Apple\u2019s software feeling more futuristic than its hardware. Upcoming Mac releases \u2014 including a high-end OLED touch-screen MacBook \u2014 should help the interface look far better over time\u2026 With the next update, Apple aims to address the shadows and transparency quirks.”<\/p>\n<\/section>\n iOS 26.5 introduces several extra features for European markets to comply with the EU Digital Markets Act. These are primarily to allow third-party manufactuers to interface with Apple\u2019s proprietary technology, which the EU see as anti-competitive due to Apple\u2019s market share. Peripherals can now access proximity pairing, iPhone notifications and live activities. Juli Clover has more<\/a>, as well as Apple\u2019s objections to the regulations:<\/p>\n “Apple has warned that the Digital Markets Act (DMA) is forcing it to make “concerning changes” to its products and services in the EU, and exposing customers to new risks while also disrupting the way that Apple products work together. In September, Apple urged European regulators to scrap the DMA, and in November, it shared a study it commissioned that found the DMA has not resulted in lower prices for consumers.:<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Apple has rolled out a new privacy feature in iOS 26.5, It helps mask a user\u2019s precise location from network providers, offering a larger footprint on the order of a small neighbourhood. It\u2019s not open to everyone, though, as Ryan Christoffel points out<\/a>:<\/p>\n “The feature requires an Apple-made cellular modem like the C1 and C1X. So it\u2019s currently limited to iPhone Air, iPhone 17e, and iPhone 16e. The M5 iPad Pro offers support too. Later this year, iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Ultra are both rumored to pack an Apple cellular modem\u2014the C2. So the new flagships should all support Limit Precise Location.”<\/p>\n<\/section>\niPhone 18 Pro Pricing Expected To Stay Steady<\/h2>\n
iPhone 17 Finds More Success In The US<\/h2>\n
Apple Commits To More MacBook Neo Laptops<\/h2>\n
Making macOS Look A Little Bit Better<\/h2>\n
EU Opens Up Apple\u2019s Peripherals<\/h2>\n
Where Am I? Close By\u2026.<\/h2>\n
And Finally…<\/h2>\n