In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg News’ Mark Gurman highlights two notable Apple developments: a new AI tool being tested in retail stores and previously undisclosed plans for the now-defunct Mac Pro.

AI Recording and Transcription for Genius Bar Appointments

Apple is piloting an AI-powered system called Live Notes at select retail stores. The tool allows Genius Bar employees to record conversations with customers using an iPad. AI then transcribes and summarizes the discussion, automatically adding it to the employee’s notes and the official repair session record.

Key details of the pilot include:

• Opt-in only — Both the employee and customer must agree before recording begins.

• Goal — Reduce manual note-taking so staff can focus more on customer service and problem-solving rather than typing during appointments.

• Integration — Transcripts feed directly into Apple’s internal Genius Bar system for better documentation and follow-up.

This initiative reflects Apple’s broader push to integrate AI across its ecosystem, including retail operations, to improve efficiency while maintaining a personal touch in customer interactions. Privacy safeguards via the opt-in requirement appear designed to address potential concerns.

Apple Once had Bigger Plans for the Mac Pro

Apple discontinued the Mac Pro earlier in 2026, but new reporting reveals the company once had far more ambitious plans for the high-end desktop. Gurman notes that Apple developed — but ultimately shelved — “M2 Extreme” and “M3 Extreme” chip variants specifically intended for the Mac Pro.

These ultra-powerful chips were part of an effort to deliver even greater performance for professional users who rely on the modular, expandable workstation. The decision not to release them contributed to the product’s eventual discontinuation, as Apple shifted focus amid changing market demands and the rise of more portable high-performance options like Mac Studio and MacBook Pro configurations.

The revelations underscore the evolving nature of Apple’s Mac lineup, where even flagship products like the Mac Pro face tough strategic trade-offs in an AI-driven computing era.

MacDailyNews Take: Not everything makes it to market. Conditions change. As always, retail and pro desktop innovations continue to shape the company’s customer and professional user experiences.

In the end, Mac Pro was a waste of aluminum. – MacDailyNews, March 30, 2026

For the vast majority of professional users (video editors, photographers, 3D artists, developers, and those running AI/ML workloads) the Mac Studio is the superior choice overall. It delivers an excellent balance of performance, price, compact size, and modern features. The Mac Studio covers 90% (or more) of what the Mac Pro once offered, but at a fraction of the cost and with newer silicon, and the promise of regular updates. The discontinued Mac Pro was only preferable, or truly necessary, in the rare cases that demand heavy internal PCIe expansion that cannot be adequately handled externally via Thunderbolt; a very niche market. – MacDailyNews, March 27, 2026

Apple’s Mac Pro is a dead end. Mac Studio is the high-end Mac future now. Bring on the M5 Ultra Mac Studio and rename it “Mac Pro.” – MacDailyNews, November 17, 2025

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In Nasdaq trading today, shares of Apple Inc. (AAPL) rose $0.48 to $333.74 to hit a new all-time closing high. Apple’s all-time intraday high was also set today at $334.98.

Apple’s 52-week low stands at $201.50.

Today’s trading volume for AAPL shares was 63,196,563 versus Apple’s average trading volume of 54,686,906 shares.

Apple’s PE Ratio currently stands at 40.40.

Apple currently has a market value of $4.902 trillion, making it the world’s second-most valuable company.

The top five U.S. publicly-traded companies, based on market value:

1. NVIDIA (NVDA) – $4.912T
2. Apple (AAPL) – $4.902T
3. Alphabet (GOOGL) – $4.231T
4. Microsoft (MSFT) – $2.925T
5. Amazon (AMZN) – $2.659T

Selected companies’ current market values:

• Taiwan Semi (TSM): $2.252T
• Tesla (TSLA): $1.488T
• Meta Platforms (META): $1.695T
• Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A): $1.087T
• Walmart (WMT): $906.425B
• Advanced Micro Devices (AMD): $909.696B
• Intel (INTC): $552.056B
• Cisco (CSCO): $473.938B
• Netflix (NFLX): $310.883B
• SoftBank (SFTBF): $220.206B
• IBM (IBM): $275.786B
• Dell (DELL): $254.787B
• Disney (DIS): $166.045B
• Sony (SONY): $122.428B
• Adobe (ADBE): $90.177B
• Spotify (SPOT): $98.65B
• Nokia (NOK): $69.447B
• Hewlett-Packard (HPQ): $20.961B
• SiriusXM (SIRI): $9.937B
• BlackBerry (BB): $6.06B
• Sonos (SONO): $1.727B
• Liquidmetal (LQMT): $0.181B
• RealNetworks (RNWK) was delisted from U.S. exchanges on December 21, 2022 and is no longer publicly traded.

Apple all-time high (AAPL) via NASDAQ here.

MacDailyNews Take: To the moon, Alice. To the moon!

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The post Apple shares hit new all-time closing and intraday highs appeared first on MacDailyNews.

Update for the virtual camera system that's chock-full of new features. ($49.99 annual subscription, free update, 159.7 MB, macOS 12.3+)

In Nasdaq trading today, shares of Apple Inc. (AAPL) rose $5.76 to $333.26 to hit a new all-time closing high. Apple’s all-time intraday high was also set today at $334.68.

Apple’s 52-week low stands at $201.50.

Today’s trading volume for AAPL shares was 59,624,981 versus Apple’s average trading volume of 54,664,537 shares.

Apple’s PE Ratio currently stands at 40.40.

Apple currently has a market value of $4.895 trillion, making it the world’s second-most valuable company.

The top five U.S. publicly-traded companies, based on market value:

1. NVIDIA (NVDA) – $5.023TT
2. Apple (AAPL) – $4.895T
3. Alphabet (GOOGL) – $4.325T
4. Microsoft (MSFT) – $2.980T
5. Amazon (AMZN) – $2.688T

Selected companies’ current market values:

• Taiwan Semi (TSM): $2.109T
• Meta Platforms (META): $1.683T
• Tesla (TSLA): $1.469T
• Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A): $1.055T
• Walmart (WMT): $913.508B
• Advanced Micro Devices (AMD): $816.833B
• Dell (DELL): $253.543B
• Intel (INTC): $487.421B
• Cisco (CSCO): $431.883B
• Netflix (NFLX): $313.073B
• SoftBank (SFTBF): $223.341B
• IBM (IBM): $206.051B
• Disney (DIS): $173.009B
• Sony (SONY): $124.819B
• Spotify (SPOT): $98.404B
• Adobe (ADBE): $93.544B
• Nokia (NOK): $57.897B
• Hewlett-Packard (HPQ): $22.077B
• SiriusXM (SIRI): $10.54B
• BlackBerry (BB): $5.357B
• Sonos (SONO): $1.679B
• Liquidmetal (LQMT): $0.135B
• RealNetworks (RNWK) was delisted from U.S. exchanges on December 21, 2022 and is no longer publicly traded.

Apple all-time high (AAPL) via NASDAQ here.

MacDailyNews Take: Onward amd upward, Cupertino soldiers!

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In Nasdaq trading today, shares of Apple Inc. (AAPL) rose $12.64 to $327.50 to hit a new all-time closing high. Apple’s all-time intraday high was also set today at $328.72.

Apple’s 52-week low stands at $201.50.

Today’s trading volume for AAPL shares was 58,741,821 versus Apple’s average trading volume of 54,375,570 shares.

Apple’s PE Ratio currently stands at 39.70.

Apple currently has a market value of $4.810 trillion, making it the world’s second-most valuable company.

The top five U.S. publicly-traded companies, based on market value:

1. NVIDIA (NVDA) – $5.147T
2. Apple (AAPL) – $4.810T
3. Alphabet (GOOGL) – $4.526T
4. Microsoft (MSFT) – $2.939T
5. Amazon (AMZN) – $2.743T

Selected companies’ current market values:

• Taiwan Semi (TSM): $2.195T
• Meta Platforms (META): $1.667T
• Tesla (TSLA): $1.483T
• Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A): $1.073T
• Walmart (WMT): $913.03B
• Advanced Micro Devices (AMD): $871.377B
• Intel (INTC): $518.281B
• Cisco (CSCO): $469.977B
• IBM (IBM): $273.502B
• Dell (DELL): $275.78B
• Netflix (NFLX): $310.925B
• SoftBank (SFTBF): $218.098B
• Disney (DIS): $166.688B
• Sony (SONY): $122.34B
• Spotify (SPOT): $99.839B
• Adobe (ADBE): $91.669B
• Nokia (NOK): $65.958B
• Hewlett-Packard (HPQ): $22.653B
• SiriusXM (SIRI): $10.487B
• BlackBerry (BB): $6.286B
• Sonos (SONO): ~$1.98B
• Liquidmetal (LQMT): ~$0.135B
• RealNetworks (RNWK) was delisted from U.S. exchanges on December 21, 2022 and is no longer publicly traded.

Apple all-time high (AAPL) via NASDAQ here.

MacDailyNews Take: Gaudy (yet still woefully undervalued)! To the moon, Alice. To the moon!

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OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, the AI for newbies who don’t know better alternatives exist, is stepping into consumer hardware with its first device: a movable, screen-free smart speaker designed as an always-on AI companion for the home. According to a Bloomberg News report, the product — still in development — aims to control smart-home devices, play media, answer questions, handle messages, and leverage ChatGPT’s capabilities.

This sounds innovative on paper, especially with the promise of a more “humanlike” AI presence. But let’s be clear: Amazon, Google, and Apple pioneered this category years ago. OpenAI isn’t breaking new ground here — it’s trying to catch up to a market these giants have dominated for nearly a decade.

The Smart Speaker Revolution Started Long Before ChatGPT

Amazon lit the fuse in 2014 with the original Echo and Alexa. What began as a cylindrical speaker that could play music, set timers, and answer basic questions quickly evolved into a full ecosystem. Echo devices now control lights, thermostats, door locks, and more — exactly the smart-home hub role OpenAI envisions. Amazon iterated relentlessly with cheaper Dots, portable versions, and premium models, shipping hundreds of millions of units and embedding Alexa into countless third-party devices.

Google followed in 2016 with Google Home (later Nest Audio and similar), emphasizing superior search integration and natural language understanding powered by its vast data resources. These speakers became central to many households for information, entertainment, and automation. Apple entered the fray in 2018 with the HomePod, focusing on premium audio quality and tight integration with its ecosystem, later adding the more affordable HomePod mini.

By the time OpenAI is targeting a potential 2027 launch for its device, smart speakers will have been mainstream for over a dozen years. The core features OpenAI highlights — voice interaction, media playback, smart-home control, and AI assistance — are table stakes that consumers already expect.

What’s New (or Not So New) with OpenAI’s Approach?

The Bloomberg News description by Mark Gurman positions OpenAI’s speaker as a “new type of home computer for the AI era,” movable and screen-free for ambient use.

Earlier reports suggest possible camera integration for environmental awareness, object recognition, and even facial recognition for purchases — features that echo (pun intended) what existing devices already offer or are evolving toward. Many current smart speakers and displays already include cameras, microphones that listen continuously (with privacy toggles), and advanced AI for proactive suggestions.

OpenAI’s edge is presumably its cutting-edge language models, potentially enabling more conversational, context-aware interactions than today’s assistants. Yet even here, competitors aren’t standing still: Google has integrated Gemini, Amazon continues enhancing Alexa with generative AI, and Apple is finally significantly deepening Siri with on-device intelligence in its ecosystem.

Privacy Concerns Loom Large, Especially Versus Apple

One area where OpenAI’s entry raises fresh questions is privacy. An always-listening, camera-equipped AI companion that processes conversations, surroundings, and potentially personal interactions could amass intimate data about users’ daily lives. OpenAI has faced broader scrutiny over how it handles training data and user inputs with its models, and a device that lives in the home would amplify those risks — including potential data sharing, advertising uses, or breaches.

In contrast, Apple has long positioned itself as a privacy leader in the smart speaker space. HomePod devices prioritize on-device processing where possible, use randomized identifiers instead of linking data to user accounts, and offer straightforward controls to delete Siri history. Apple’s ecosystem design generally minimizes cloud transmission and avoids using customer data for ad targeting in the same way its competitors do. OpenAI, as a newer hardware player heavily reliant on cloud-based AI, will need to earn similar trust — something that could prove challenging given the always-on nature of the proposed companion.

Challenges Ahead for the Newcomer

OpenAI enters a crowded, mature market where hardware margins are thin, privacy concerns run high, and user loyalty to existing ecosystems (Amazon for shopping, Google for search, Apple for seamless device handoff) is strong. Building reliable hardware at scale, managing always-listening microphones and potential cameras responsibly, and competing on price (rumored $200–$300 range) won’t be trivial.

History shows that smart speakers succeeded because they solved simple, everyday problems affordably and reliably — not because they promised revolutionary AI companionship. OpenAI’s version may feel more “alive” thanks to advanced models, but it risks being perceived as a me-too product unless it delivers truly standout experiences that justify switching or adding yet another device to the home.
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MacDailyNews Take: In the smart speaker space, OpenAI following well-trodden footsteps laid by Amazon, Google, and Apple. The real test will be whether ChatGPT can make the familiar feel fresh enough to stand out — while addressing privacy headwinds that Apple has long navigated more cautiously.

Our prediction is that it won’t.

OpenAI has always been skeevy, from eschewing its open source roots to Sam Altman to desperately overpaying for a washed Jony Ive. Just plain skeevy.

If ever a Skynet would arise, we expect it would spring from the diseased loins of OpenAI. – MacDailyNews, July 13, 2026

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In Nasdaq trading today, shares of Apple Inc. (AAPL) rose $1.99 to $317.31 to hit a new all-time closing high. Apple’s all-time intraday high was also set today at $323.45.

Apple’s 52-week low stands at $201.50.

Today’s trading volume for AAPL shares was 41,376,714 versus Apple’s average trading volume of 54,682,654 shares.

Apple’s PE Ratio currently stands at 38.42.

Apple currently has a market value of $4.660 trillion, making it the world’s second-most valuable company.

The top five U.S. publicly-traded companies, based on market value:

1. NVIDIA (NVDA) – $4.930T
2. Apple (AAPL) – $4.660T
3. Alphabet (GOOGL) – $4.302T
4. Microsoft (MSFT) – $2.904T
5. Amazon (AMZN) – $2.660T

Selected companies’ current market values:

• Taiwan Semi (TSM): $2.195T
• SpaceX (SPCX): $1.833T
• Tesla (TSLA): $1.483T
• Meta Platforms (META): $1.667T
• Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A): $1.073T
• Walmart (WMT): $913.03B
• Advanced Micro Devices (AMD): $871.377B
• Intel (INTC): $518.281B
• Cisco (CSCO): $469.977B
• Netflix (NFLX): $310.925B
• IBM (IBM): $273.502B
• Dell (DELL): $275.78B
• SoftBank (SFTBF): $218.098B
• Disney (DIS): $166.688B
• Sony (SONY): $122.34B
• Spotify (SPOT): $99.839B
• Adobe (ADBE): $91.669B
• Nokia (NOK): $65.958B
• Hewlett-Packard (HPQ): $22.653B
• SiriusXM (SIRI): $10.487B
• BlackBerry (BB): $6.286B
• Sonos (SONO): ~$1.98B
• Liquidmetal (LQMT): ~$0.135B
• RealNetworks (RNWK) was delisted from U.S. exchanges on December 21, 2022 and is no longer publicly traded.

Apple all-time high (AAPL) via NASDAQ here.

MacDailyNews Take: To the moon, Alice. To the moon!

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Audiofile Engineering’s Fidelia plays your music collection with bit-perfect accuracy and lets you shape the sound through Audio Units, equalization, and headphone virtualization. It’s not for everyone—but audiophiles will appreciate its depth.

Enables direct image editing in Pixelmator Pro for Apple Creator Studio subscribers. ($129.99 annual Apple Creator Studio subscription, various sizes, macOS 15.6+)

Brings new intelligence-based features to Final Cut Pro. ($299.99/$49.99/$49.99 new or $129.99 annually with Apple Creator Studio subscription, free update, various sizes, macOS 15.6+)