US investors will soon get access to SK Hynix, another memory maker riding the AI boom

In Brief Posted: 4:57 PM PDT · July 1, 2026 Image Credits:Brian Heater Apple reportedly has plans to release several new iPad Pros and a new MacBook Pro in the first half of next year. The company is currently working on four models of the new tablet with faster chips, Bloomberg reported. It is also developing a new “entry-level” MacBook Pro, which is internally referred to as K104, the outlet writes. The company is also targeting that same period for the release of its first M7 processor. The last time Apple released an iPad Pro was in October of last year. In March, the company released a new high-end MacBook Pro and also the budget laptop MacBook Neo, albeit the Neo uses the A18 chip, originally designed for the iPhone. This anticipated new MacBook is expected to be full-fledged Pro. The apparent product plans come amidst whisperings of other upcoming releases (including, perhaps, a foldable phone) as the company preps for its post-Tim Cook-as-CEO era while also battling supply chain issues that Cook says have forced it to raise its prices. Those price hikes have been substantial in some cases. The MacBook ​Pro with 1 terabyte of storage recently jumped from $1,699 to $1,999, for instance. So if the company is working on more budget friendly laptops and tablets, this would be a good time to introduce them. Apple did not immediately respond to our request for more information. Topics Subscribe for the industry’s biggest tech news Latest in Hardware

Micron, the Boise, Idaho-based memory chip maker, has captured Wall Street’s heart. Whether the love affair endures will heavily depend on how long the AI-driven supply crunch for memory chips lasts. Micron promises that it has shored up its position for the long term, which would allow it to withstand a sudden drop in demand or overcapacity of supply. And Wall Street has become a believer, helping Micron briefly surpass the market valuation of Meta and Tesla for the first time on Thursday, though it floated back down by Friday to nearly match them. Specifically Micron closed Friday’s trading with a market cap close to $1.27 trillion, while Meta was at $1.39 trillion and Tesla was at $1.42 trillion. Micron’s stock has soared over 236% in the past month alone, closing Friday at $1,132 a share. In comparison, it spent years upon years before mid-2025 at below $100 a share. It’s a dizzying rise for a company that most consumers associated with the tiny memory cards that, back in the day, were commonly needed to boost PCs, smartphones, or other device storage. Wall Street isn’t sweating over that product line. Micron is benefiting from the AI data center buildout boom that has created a shortage of system memory chips, both DRAM and NAND, which Micron makes, particularly High-Bandwidth Memory (HBM). A single AI server requires magnitudes more memory than a laptop. AI system makers like Nvidia, as well as the hyperscalers building their own systems, are buying up large quantities of memory, such as Microsoft, Amazon AWS, Google, Meta and Oracle. This is forcing all the other companies who need memory to hoard it as well, from PC makers like Dell and HP, to other kinds of device makers. This lack of supply, which has been dubbed RAMageddon, is predicted to persist into 2027. And it’s already driving up the price of consumer electronics like Apple products and Xbox consoles. With the whole tech industry clamoring for more memory, Micron’s delivered blockbuster third-quarter earnings last week. Revenue quadrupled year-over-year to $41.45 billion, and profits skyrocketed from $1.88 billion to $28.2 billion over the same period. Micron also provided a positive outlook, forecasting fourth-quarter revenue of between $49 billion and $51 billion. And Wall Street, which has been eager to find more public AI-related companies that may do as well as Nvidia, became even more enamored. The historic problem for memory chip makers like Micron and Samsung is that building out manufacturing facilities to increase capacity is a time-consuming, expensive endeavor. And demand often falls just as companies can increase capacity, creating a glut and subsequent price drop. Micron got ahead of any AI bust chatter by emphasizing a series of long-term supply agreements, including with Nvidia and AI lab Anthropic, that would presumably protect it. The company said in its earnings presentation that it has signed 16 strategic customer agreements across the data center, consumer, and auto market segments, which it expects to fundamentally transform its business model. That seemed to convince a number of analysts that this company could be another long-term, profitable investment. In a research note, William Blair tech analyst Sebastien Naji noted demand growth continues to outpace the rate that new cleanroom space can come online. “Given the strong likelihood of continued ASP growth in the coming quarters and improving revenue visibility thanks to a rapidly expanding set of long-term agreements (SCAs) with key customers, we see potential for more durable earnings growth and reiterate our Outperform rating,” Naji wrote. Whether Micron really can sustain itself for long-term without a bust cycle remains to be seen. But for a brief moment on Thursday, this U.S. company was more valuable than some of the industry’s giants. When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence. Ki

Tata Electronics, an Indian electronics and semiconductor manufacturer and a key supplier to Apple and Tesla, among other tech giants, confirmed a data breach weeks after files purportedly obtained from the company appeared on a hacker forum. The confirmation comes as the hacker forum listing claims to offer more than 630GB of data allegedly stolen from Tata Electronics, comprising over 204,300 files. A review of a sample of the files by TechCrunch found what appear to be Apple supplier specifications and Tesla manufacturing documents. The authenticity, provenance, and completeness of the data could not be independently verified. Founded in 2020, Tata Electronics has emerged as a key player in India’s push to expand electronics manufacturing and semiconductor production. The company operates facilities across India and employs more than 75,000 people, per its parent company’s website. Tata has forged partnerships with global companies including Apple, ASML, Intel, Qualcomm, and Tesla as manufacturers diversify supply chains beyond China and increasingly turn to India as an alternative production hub. Cybersecurity researcher Rajshekhar Rajaharia told TechCrunch that the data advertised on the forum included Outlook email conversations, SAP-related information, and documents purportedly linked to some of Tata Electronics’ customers, including Apple and Tesla. A Tata Electronics spokesperson confirmed the incident in a statement to TechCrunch, saying the company had identified a cybersecurity incident on some of its systems “a few weeks ago” and had immediately activated its response protocols. The spokesperson added that the incident had “no impact on our operations across businesses, which remain unaffected.” However, the company declined to answer questions about the nature of the compromised data, the number of affected individuals or organizations, whether customers had been notified, and whether any information belonging to clients such as Apple and Tesla was exposed. Reuters reported that Tata Electronics informed some employees at its iPhone assembly operations last week about the data breach. The report also said Apple was investigating the incident and that a ransom demand had been made to Tata Electronics. The breach comes as Tata Group assumes a growing role in global technology supply chains. The company entered iPhone manufacturing in 2023 through the acquisition of the India operations of Taiwanese contract manufacturer Wistron, a longtime Apple supplier. Tata Electronics later acquired a 60% stake in the Indian unit of Pegatron, another major Apple manufacturing partner. Tata also signed a semiconductor supply deal with Tesla in 2024, highlighting its expanding relationships with some of the world’s largest technology companies. Apple and Tesla did not respond to TechCrunch’s requests for comment. When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence. Jagmeet covers startups, tech policy-related updates, and all other major tech-centric developments from India for TechCrunch. He previously worked as a principal correspondent at NDTV. You can contact or verify outreach from Jagmeet by emailing mail@journalistjagmeet.com. View Bio

Moneycontrol.com Apple Set to Launch iPhone 18 Pro Series in September 2026 The CSR Journal

It’s been called RAMageddon: AI’s insatiable demand for hardware has caused a worldwide shortage of memory chips. Now outgoing Apple CEO Tim Cook is warning its customers that your next Mac, iPhone, or iPad could be more expensive thanks to surging memory and storage chips costs. In a recent interview, Cook told the WSJ that price increases are “unavoidable,” in spite of efforts to absorb chip costs that have increased fourfold since last year. He described the situation as “unsustainable.” Cook didn’t name which products will be affected or when prices will rise, but he’s raised the alarm about the impacts of RAMageddon before. In April, after delivering record quarterly sales, he said that these higher costs could impact Apple’s next business results. Incoming CEO John Ternus also warned about the issue that same month. If Apple raises prices, the iPhone seems almost certain to be impacted, memory supply experts told the Financial Times. The company is expected to launch its next iPhone in September, which gives it the opportunity to announce increased prices. Of course, Apple sells many other devices that contain memory (DRAM) and storage (NAND) chips, including the Apple Watch, Mac, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro. It’s not clear how much more expensive any of these products will be, although research firm TechInsights gave the WSJ its estimate. It said Apple would need to add another $270 to the next iPhone Pro to keep its profit margin intact. The iPhone 17 Pro starts at $1,099. So far AI has not been a particular boon to Apple. The company is already under pressure to figure out its AI strategy for its devices. It even paid a $250 million settlement earlier this year to end a false advertising lawsuit filed after it failed to deliver the AI features it promised two years ago. The company’s Worldwide Developers conference held earlier this month showed progress on fulfilling those previous AI promises, including an overhaul of Siri. Of course, more on-device processing could mean more need for memory — a trajectory that seems destined to end with consumers paying more for Apple products. When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence. Kirsten Korosec is a reporter and editor who has covered the future of transportation from EVs and autonomous vehicles to urban air mobility and in-car tech for more than a decade. She is currently the transportation editor at TechCrunch and co-host of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast. She is also co-founder and co-host of the podcast, “The Autonocast.” She previously wrote for Fortune, The Verge, Bloomberg, MIT Technology Review and CBS Interactive. You can contact or verify outreach from Kirsten by emailing kirsten.korosec@techcrunch.com or via encrypted message at kkorosec.07 on Signal. View Bio

· June 16, 2026 Apple’s plan to change a privacy feature that lets paying customers hide their real email addresses when creating online accounts could make it easier for apps and websites to block anonymous sign-ups. Apple’s Hide My Email is an iCloud+ feature that generates anonymous email addresses under the @icloud.com domain, which then forward messages to a person’s real email address. The reason these privately generated email addresses work is because they cannot be distinguished from regular Apple users, whose email addresses also use the @icloud.com domain. Apple said in a note to developers on Monday that in the coming weeks the company will move its anonymously generated email addresses to @private.icloud.com, effectively making it easier for apps and websites to know that an email address is private and block users from signing up. Existing addresses will continue to function and forward mail without interruption, Apple said in the note to developers. The company added that app and email providers would have to update their filtering to ensure that emails to customers who rely on the feature continue to go through. Several Apple users on Reddit criticized the change to the email domain, saying it would make it more difficult to use the service. Apple did not respond to a request for comment from TechCrunch about the change, or explain why it made the change. Earlier this year, TechCrunch reported that Apple turned over the real account information of a user who generated an anonymized email address using Hide My Email to send an allegedly threatening email to the girlfriend of the FBI director Kash Patel. The Trump administration has made efforts over the past year to unmask anonymous accounts, including those of Trump’s critics, by using subpoenas to demand that tech companies turn over information about their users. Topics When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence. Zack Whittaker is the security editor at TechCrunch. He also authors the weekly cybersecurity newsletter, this week in security. He can be reached via encrypted message at zackwhittaker.1337 on Signal. You can also contact him by email, or to verify outreach, at zack.whittaker@techcrunch.com. View Bio

The Apple iPhone Fold/Ultra may have been delayed to next year - GSMArena.com news GSMArena.com Apple's $1,999 Foldable Could Help Keep iPhone Prices In Check Forbes Apple iPhone Fold, iPhone Ultra or iPhone Ultra Fold? Here's what Apple's first foldable iPhone may be... Moneycontrol.com iPhone Ultra/Fold, touchscreen MacBook clues emerge in iOS 27 and macOS 27 betas 91mobiles.com iPhone Fold, touchscreen MacBook evidence mounts in iOS 27, macOS 27 AppleInsider

Hate phone snatching? Apple may have finally ‘cracked’ the problem, says the UK's Met Police TechRadar Make stolen phones unusable, Met Police urges tech giants BBC London police to Apple, Google and Samsung: ‘Make stolen phones … ' The Times of India Apple is making it almost impossible for thieves to resell your stolen iPhone India Today My phone was stolen. Apple’s new ‘kill switch’ wouldn’t have saved me The Independent

In Brief Posted: 9:22 AM PDT · June 9, 2026 Image Credits:Brian Heater Apple’s long-awaited foldable iPhone may be on track for a fall release, according to hidden files that researcher @M1Astra found in the iOS 27 developer beta. This could mean that when Apple unveils its newest hardware in September, we might finally see its take on the foldable. Even though Apple has no foldable phones yet, the iOS 27 code includes references to “foldState,” “mechanicalAngleDegrees,” “angleDegrees,” and “MGGetLogicalDeviceDisplayCount.” This suggests that the software can interpret if the phone is folded out, to what degree it’s been opened, and how many displays the device is using. The implication is that a possible foldable device would run iOS 27, which was unveiled at Monday’s WWDC keynote. While Samsung and Huawei (which is banned in the U.S.) have been making foldable phones for over five years, Apple’s first attempt will have high expectations to meet. For consumers, the thickness of foldable devices is important — the allure of a second screen may not be as compelling as the ease of sliding a phone into the pocket of your jeans (especially if you wear women’s clothing, which seems to be created with the idea that women do not carry stuff). But Apple has made its fair share of progress in condensing the iPhone to as small a device as possible. Last year, Apple unveiled its iPhone Air, which is only 5.6 millimeters deep (about the thickness of four dimes stacked). As a foldable, two iPhone Air screens would be about 11.2 millimeters deep, which is thinner than any Samsung foldable other than its newest two-screen model, the Galaxy Z Fold7. Topics Subscribe for the industry’s biggest tech news Latest in Hardware