Apple accounted for roughly 90% of all Edge AI-capable smartwatch shipments in the first quarter of 2026, according to new data from Counterpoint Research . That dominance came as Edge AI penetration across the broader smartwatch market grew 70% year-over-year, reaching 25% in the first quarter of 2026, according to Counterpoint's Global Smartwatch Shipments Tracker . "Edge AI" refers to artificial intelligence that runs directly on a device's own chip rather than being processed on remote servers. On the Apple Watch, that means the onboard Neural Engine handles tasks like recognizing an irregular heartbeat or detecting a fall in the moment, without sending data to a paired iPhone or the cloud first. Anshika Jain, Principal Analyst at Counterpoint Research, said: Brands have been continuously upgrading their smartwatch hardware to make devices more AI-capable. Edge AI integration enables real-time health insights and faster responses while helping ensure data privacy. Currently, Edge AI penetration remains limited to leading brands, with Apple solely accounting for ~90% of Edge AI smartwatch shipments in Q1 2026. Health and fitness monitoring remains the main use case for Edge AI on smartwatches. Counterpoint's data shows blood pressure monitoring shipments doubling and sleep apnea detection tripling year over year, with brands now apparently setting their sights on diabetes detection next. Apple's head start traces back to 2023, when it introduced the S9 chip with a 4-core Neural Engine built specifically for on-device machine learning in the Apple Watch. Huawei only followed with comparable silicon in 2025, launching its own Kirin W80 chip to power its "Celia" voice assistant locally, and Qualcomm isn't entering the race until this year with its Snapdragon Wear Elite platform. Google is also said to be readying its own Tensor-based wearable chip, though it has yet to ship. Counterpoint notes that a software-driven alternative to dedicated NPUs is also emerging, with Ambiq's Apollo platform running AI inference on vector-core silicon via Arm's Helium extensions rather than purpose-built neural hardware. This approach remains a niche compared to Apple's dedicated-chip strategy, but it could eventually help cheaper smartwatches offer some Edge AI features without the silicon Apple has spent years building into its devices. Counterpoint only classifies a smartwatch as Edge AI-capable if it has a neural engine or NPU on board and at least one of its health, safety, or interaction features actually runs its inference on that chip, rather than merely including the hardware. Related Roundup: Apple Watch 11 Tag: Counterpoint Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Caution) This article, " Apple Watch Accounts for 90% of AI Smartwatch Shipments " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums
The bill of materials for the iPhone 18 Pro Max is expected to rise by nearly $300 compared to the iPhone 17 Pro Max, according to a new Counterpoint Research analysis. The estimate covers the 1TB storage model. NAND flash costs for the device are said to exceed $250 on their own, a figure that would cover roughly half of the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max's entire estimated component cost. DRAM pricing is also climbing sharply, with both components facing pressure from a broader memory chip shortage tied to surging demand for AI hardware. Apple's expected shift to a 2nm chip is described as the second-largest contributor to the cost increase. The ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ is rumored to debut the A20 Pro, manufactured on TSMC's N2 process, which reportedly carries a steep premium in wafer pricing over the current N3P node used for the A19 Pro. Early yield ramp costs on a new process node typically add to per-unit chip pricing as well. Counterpoint says display costs and other miscellaneous components may actually decline compared to the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max, partially offsetting the memory and chip increases. Camera costs are expected to rise slightly, which the firm attributes to new technology, likely a reference to the variable-aperture main camera rumored for the Pro models. The report arrives weeks after Apple raised prices on 14 products , including every Mac and iPad , along with the Apple TV , HomePod , HomePod mini , and Vision Pro. Apple attributed those increases to the same memory chip shortage cited in the Counterpoint report, saying that the "supply-demand imbalance" driven by AI data center buildouts had made further price increases necessary. iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods pricing was left unchanged in that round of hikes, but the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ lineup is widely expected to be next. The Wall Street Journal previously reported that the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ could start as high as $1,399, citing estimates that Apple's DRAM cost per unit could climb from $39 to $145 and its flash storage cost from $13 to $51. Apple CEO Tim Cook told the outlet that the company is "still working through" which devices will see price increases. Separately, IDC has estimated a $200 increase to the Pro and Pro Max models specifically, while Weibo leakers have separately suggested Apple could raise its Chinese starting price for the lineup by around 11%. To manage the higher costs without giving up margin entirely, Apple is expected to apply different retail price increases across storage tiers rather than a flat increase across the lineup, concentrating the impact on higher-capacity models. Even with an average $200 retail price rise, Counterpoint still expects the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max to land at a slightly lower gross margin than the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max achieved in 2025. The ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max are expected to launch alongside Apple's first foldable iPhone in the fall. Related Roundup: iPhone 18 Pro Tag: Counterpoint This article, " iPhone 18 Pro Max Component Costs Could Rise Nearly $300 " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums
Meta's Facebook and Instagram both use "addictive design" that could fall foul of the European Union's new Digital Services Act, and the European Commission has already preliminarily found Meta's iPhone apps are in breach of its rules. Instagram and Facebook's design may break the EU's rules In a press release shared today, July 10, the European Commission put Meta on notice. A few core aspects of Meta's smartphone apps are at the core of the Commission's investigation. Meta now has the right to defend itself. But if the Commission's preliminary findings are confirmed, Meta will be on the hook for a fine "proportionate to the nature, gravity, recurrence and duration of the infringement." Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
