2026

APPLE AT THE START OF A NEW CHAPTER DRIVEN BY BIG DECISIONS

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As 2025 winds down, Apple's faithful can exhale... sort of. The year brought Liquid Glass interfaces that mesmerized, an iPhone Air that redefined slimline elegance, and M5 chips that signaled AI dominance. Yet, it wasn't without thorns: Siri's delays, executive churn, and tariff tremors tested the Cupertino faithful. What comes next? 2026 is just around the corner.

LOOKING AHEAD

There's no denying that 2025 was a great year for Apple. Indeed, revenue crested at $216 billion, but the innovation gap with Al frontrunners like OpenAl loomed large. Now, eyes turn to 2026, a year insiders dub "pivotal." Bloomberg's Mark Gurman forecasts at least 15 new products, from a crease-free foldable iPhone to Al-infused smart home hubs, all amid regulatory storms and a Siri renaissance. With Tim Cook's steady hand potentially nearing handover and John Ternus eyeing the throne, 2026 could echo Steve Jobs' audacity, or falter in execution.

Apple's iPhone empire, which shipped 232 million units in 2025 despite a sluggish upgrade cycle, faces reinvention in 2026. Forget the annual monotony and expect a staggered rollout that blends value plays with premium gambles. Spring kicks off with the iPhone 17e ($599), supplanting the 16e as the gateway drug to iOS. This entry-level refresh, arriving a year after its predecessor, should pack an A19 chip for fuller Apple Intelligence support, a Dynamic Island notch (ditching the old bezel), and a dual-camera array to fend off budget beasts. At 6.1 inches and featuring an improved battery via stacked sensors, it could sell 20 million units in emerging markets, per IDC forecasts.