Giannandrea leaves Apple, the Masimo dispute ends, Amazon acquires Globalstar – and the Siri question grows ever louder. An overview of Apple's news week from April 13th to 19th, 2026.
This week, Apple is on full display: operationally strong, legally sound, but strategically under pressure. The Apple Watch has finally shaken off the Masimo nightmare, Apple is bucking the market trend with double-digit growth in China, and Apple Business is launching as a new all-in-one platform for enterprises. At the same time, AI chief John Giannandrea is leaving the company, the Siri team is being sent to AI boot camp, and the first features of iOS 27 are leaking out. Here's everything important from seven action-packed days.
🔥 Story of the Week: Giannandrea leaves Apple – the end of an AI era
John Giannandrea, Apple's head of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning since 2018, is leaving the company this week. His final stock vesting occurred this week, marking the end of a long, orderly withdrawal, which Mark Gurman first confirmed in his Power-On newsletter.
The backstory is well-known: After the disappointing launch of Apple Intelligence and the repeated delays with the "new Siri," Apple drastically reduced Giannandrea's responsibilities in March 2025. Craig Federighi and Mike Rockwell took over key AI areas, and Giannandrea was effectively sidelined. His departure now is therefore less of a surprise than a final act.
The context in which this occurs is interesting. That same week, it was revealed that Apple is sending its Siri team to an AI coding bootcamp because the developers are internally considered lagging behind in the use of modern AI tools. At the same time, Apple is teasing AI improvements for WWDC 2026, and four new features from iOS 27 are leaking – including a Wallet upgrade.
The pattern is clear: Apple is streamlining internally to become faster operationally. The question is whether this will be visible in September and at the latest by WWDC 2026 in June.
📰 What else was important
Apple wins against Masimo – import ban proceedings ended (April 18)
The International Trade Commission has definitively ended its import ban proceedings against the Apple Watch. This brings to a close a years-long legal battle over the blood oxygen measurement feature. For Apple Watch owners in the US, this means that concerns about future hardware restrictions or renewed sales bans are no longer an issue.
Apple grows by 20 percent in China – despite shrinking market (April 17)
In Q1 2026, Apple's sales in China grew by 20 percent, while the overall market declined by 4 percent. The pricing strategy of the iPhone 17 generation is paying off – especially in a market where Huawei and its domestic competitors are exerting massive pressure. Apple is the only one of the five largest manufacturers to achieve significant growth.
Amazon buys Globalstar – Apple's satellite services are moving (April 14)
Amazon is acquiring Globalstar for $11.57 billion. Apple's satellite services for iPhone and Apple Watch will therefore run via Amazon Leo instead of Globalstar's own infrastructure. For users, nothing will change in the short term – but in the long term, this is a strategically sensitive move because Apple is now sourcing a critical service from a competitor.
BNP Paribas raises Apple price target to $300 (April 18)
The French investment bank has raised its price target to $300 – driven by the global storage crisis, which could disproportionately affect Apple, but is also seen as an opportunity. Apple is negotiating long-term supply contracts and has more stable inventory levels compared to its competitors.
Apple Business launches: New all-in-one platform (April 14)
With Apple Business, Apple consolidates several existing B2B offerings under one roof: device management, email, customer contact – plus advertising in Apple Maps. For smaller businesses, this is a serious productivity package that simultaneously further diversifies Apple's services revenue.
Hackers attack iCloud backups via fake Apple websites (April 14)
A hack-for-hire group attacked iCloud backups via nearly 1,500 fake Apple login pages. The phishing infrastructure was extensive and specifically targeted Apple users. Two-factor authentication remains the most important protection – scrutinize phishing emails impersonating Apple products especially carefully now.
India withdraws Aadhaar app mandate (18.04.)
Apple will not have to pre-install the government's Aadhaar app on iPhones after all. India is backing down from making it mandatory – a small but symbolically important victory for Apple's data privacy position in one of its key growth markets.
iOS 26.5 Beta 2 is here (April 13th)
Apple has released iOS 26.5 Beta 2, continuing the testing phase of the next point update. Visible changes are minimal, and the final release is expected in late May or early June – shortly before WWDC.
OpenAI Codex can now control the Mac (April 16th)
OpenAI's Codex agent on the Mac can now control desktop apps, generate images, and remember workflows. This represents a real productivity boost for developers – and further evidence of how quickly other agent-based systems are integrating with Apple's operating system, while Siri lags behind.
Apple TV is now bringing "The Savant" after all (April 19th)
Jessica Chastain's series "The Savant" is expected to premiere in July. Apple had abruptly pulled the September 2025 release after the series' themes overlapped with a current political event. Now, Chastain herself has confirmed to Variety: It's finally happening.
💡 Rumor of the week: iPhone 18 Pro in "Dark Cherry" – four colors leaked
A new leak reveals four color options for the iPhone 18 Pro – including, for the first time, a dark red called "Dark Cherry." This rumor is supported by the observation that Android manufacturers have already copied the color, which leakers interpret as indirect confirmation.
If this proves true, "Dark Cherry" would be the first truly vibrant color in the Pro lineup since the Deep Purple of the iPhone 14 Pro – and would fit well with the broader trend of Apple making bolder color choices again after the Cosmic Orange of the iPhone 17 Pro.
📊 Number of the week: 20 percent
Apple's growth in China in Q1 2026 was remarkably strong – in a market that simultaneously shrank by 4 percent. The gap between Apple's performance and the overall market thus stands at 24 percentage points. This figure puts many analysts' opinions about Apple's supposedly difficult position in China into perspective.
👎 Flop of the week: Apple's AI narrative
This week has made it painfully clear: While Apple shines operationally, its AI narrative remains its weak point. The CEO is leaving, the team is being retrained, the Siri app for iOS 27 is still a leak, OpenAI and Anthropic are simultaneously developing new Mac agents – and Apple's response awaits WWDC. Operationally, everything is running smoothly, but narratively, Apple is lagging behind.
🔭 What's coming next week
Apple's Q2 earnings are due on April 30th. Analysts expect solid revenue growth, driven primarily by iPhones and services. The most intriguing questions are how Tim Cook will interpret the China results and whether he'll announce a specific date for the Siri release. The new iOS 26.5 Beta 3 build is also expected to be released this week.
💬 My opinion: The clock is ticking, but not against Apple – not yet
Anyone who only read the headlines this week might think: Apple is on the defensive. AI chief gone, Siri team in boot camp, OpenAI and Anthropic are accelerating their efforts. True – and not true.
But at the same time, the hard numbers tell a completely different story. Apple is growing by double digits in China, while the market is shrinking. BNP Paribas raises its price target. Masimo is finished. Apple Business launches. The MacBook Neo is selling better than expected. Apple has rarely been in such a strong operational position as it is now.
The AI gap is real, but it's not critical—not yet. Apple's business model doesn't depend on having the best chatbot. It depends on selling billions of iPhones, iPads, and Macs, and on double-digit growth in its services business. Even if Siri remains weaker than ChatGPT and Claude for another six months, the iPhone 18 Pro will still sell.
What Apple needs isn't a revolution, but a clear, orderly transition. Giannandrea's departure could be exactly the liberating move the team needs internally. Federighi and Rockwell are closer to the product, closer to the hardware, and they know that WWDC 2026 has to be a turning point.
The clock is ticking. But it's not ticking against Apple yet. It's ticking for June 8th. The best products for you: Our Amazon storefront offers a wide selection of accessories, including those for HomeKit. (Image: Shutterstock / Prostock-studio)
📚 From our archive
- iOS 27: These are the new features Apple is planning for the iPhone
- iPhone 17 vs. iPhone 17 Pro: Which model is really worth it?
