The past week was a whirlwind for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), with news ranging from product discontinuation to market share shifts, AI regulation support, and a public spat with a tech giant. Here's a quick rundown of the top stories that kept the tech giant in the headlines.

Apple To Discontinue iPhone 17 Plus for Ultraslim Version

According to a report by Ming-Chi Kuo, a renowned analyst at TF Securities, Apple plans to phase out the iPhone 17 Plus model, which currently accounts for only 5-10% of total new iPhone shipments. In its place, the company intends to introduce an ultra-slim variant in the second half of 2025. Kuo believes that the Plus model has become redundant due to the comprehensive coverage of high-end market segments by the standard, Pro, and Pro Max models. Read the full article here.

Apple's Market Share Drops in China

Apple's market share in China has dropped to 14% in Q2 2024, a decrease of two percentage points from the same period last year, according to data from Canalys. The iPhone maker fell from third place to sixth in the country, while Huawei Technologies saw a significant surge in smartphone shipments, with a 41% year-on-year increase in the same quarter. This surge is largely attributed to the launch of Huawei's new Pura 70 series in April. Read the full article here.

Apple Pledges Support for Biden's AI Regulations

Along with other industry giants such as OpenAI Inc., Amazon.com, Alphabet Inc., Meta Platforms Inc., and Microsoft Corp., Apple has committed to the voluntary artificial intelligence (AI) safeguards set by President Joe Biden's administration. The tech giant has pledged to test their AI systems for potential discriminatory tendencies, security flaws, or national security risks. This commitment comes amid controversy stirred by Tesla Inc. CEO Elon Musk over Apple's plan to integrate OpenAI's chatbot application, ChatGPT, into its voice-command assistant on iPhones. Read the full article here.

Apple to Integrate A18 Chip for AI Features

Apple is reportedly planning to integrate its A18 chip into its upcoming entry-level iPhones and iPads to enable them to run Apple Intelligence, the company's suite of AI features. This news follows speculations surrounding the specifications of the upcoming fourth-generation iPhone SE, which is likely to be powered by the A18 chip, the same chip anticipated to power the entire iPhone 16 lineup. Read the full article here.

Zuckerberg Criticizes Apple's "Soul-Crushing" Tactics

Meta Platforms, Inc. CEO Mark Zuckerberg criticized Apple in an interview on Tuesday, expressing his desire to avoid the iPhone maker's "soul-crushing" tactics by releasing the largest open-source AI model ever. Zuckerberg expressed his aspiration to steer his own technological "destiny" and evade the "soul-crushing" strategies of Apple. Read the full article here.

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This story was generated using Benzinga Neuro and edited by Rounak Jain