Just three companies have traditionally dominated the business for memory chips: Micron, Samsung and SK Hynix.

For years, this trio pumped out more chips than Frito Lays. So much so, there was a glut, and memory was relatively cheap.

That was the good old days. Along came the AI boom, and the glut turned into a drought, and — as we all know — Apple jacked up prices.

Things have gotten so bad, Apple is reportedly lobbying the White House for permission to buy memory chips from a Chinese company with ties to the Chinese military.

It’s a risky move, politically and culturally.

Also in today’s newsletter:

  • One manufacturer of license plate cameras is marketing a sensor upgrade that could tie your iPhone, AirPods or Apple Watch to the vehicle you’re traveling in. It has the potential to be a privacy nightmare.

  • Apparently, some people question why Apple is caught up in the RAM crisis when most of its chips use unified memory. Unfortunately, it’s a distinction without a difference.

  • Apple’s Preview app is good for light PDF editing, but Wondershare PDFelement is a big gun — and it’s considerably cheaper than other pro-level PDF tools.

  • 🔥 DEAL OF THE DAY: Here’s a super rare deal on Apple’s Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Numeric Keypad. It’s not the biggest savings, but this keyboard never goes on sale (it’ll drop to 20% off in cart.)

  • New OLED screens are coming that will put older displays to shame.

  • Ugreen makes nice stuff, and we put its latest mini charger and power banks to the test. Here’s why our reviewer now counts them part of his everyday carry.

  • Today’s the day in Apple history when customers got their hands on the first iPhone. I had mine in my hands for a nanosecond before my kids grabbed it from me and immediately figured it out, despite it being novel technology at the time.

— Leander Kahney, EIC.

Apple could buy banned Chinese memory chips to keep your iPhone’s price down

Apple might be lobbying the White House to buy chips from a Pentagon-blacklisted Chinese company called CXMT.

Why Apple silicon Macs aren't immune to RAM price hikes

Despite what's sometimes claimed on social media, Apple cannot escape memory prices that have doubled in recent months. Here's why.

Your iPhone could soon be spotted by license plate cameras

SignalTrace adds Bluetooth and Wi-Fi tracking to license plate cameras, letting police link your iPhone to your car without a warrant.

A message from Wondershare PDFelement

Why Apple's Preview is no longer enough for modern PDF workflows

Wondershare PDFelement helps Mac users do far more than simply view PDFs.

Why you should expect much richer Apple OLED display colors soon

Upcoming Apple OLED panels target a wider color gamut. That will soon make for much-richer hues on MacBook Pro, iPad Pro and iMac.

Here’s when Apple could unveil its first foldable iPhone

Apple’s rumored foldable iPhone could steal the spotlight at a September launch event that now has two likely dates.

A message from the Cult of Mac Deals team

Nab a sweet 25% discount on Apple Pencil (USB-C)

You may not need all the bells and whistles of Apple Pencil Pro. So it's a good thing you can grab this great Apple Pencil USB-C deal.

2028 M7 Ultra Mac Studio could stay cooler under pressure

Apple’s 2028 Mac Studio refresh could pair the M7 Ultra chip with a redesigned cooling system to sustain higher performance.

Apple's Vision Pro VP could jump ship to OpenAI's hardware team

The person who led Vision Pro hardware engineering for nearly a decade is apparently be leaving Apple for OpenAI.

Still using an Intel Mac? Here are 6 reasons it’s time to upgrade.

If you’ve been holding on to an Intel Mac, new features in macOS Golden Gate make the case for upgrading a whole lot stronger.

Ugreen’s latest charger and power banks prove smaller is better [Review]

After weeks of testing, Ugreen’s Nexode Air charger and MagFlow Air power banks have become staples in my everyday carry.

Today in Apple history: Fans line up to get their hands on the very first iPhones

On June 29, 2007, the first iPhone launch date arrived. Apple fans lined up to buy the original iPhone, offering a preview of things to come.

Cult of Mac’s buyback program

We pay top dollar for used Apple gear

Sell your old iPhone, iPad, MacBook and more through Cult of Mac. Free shipping, fast payment!

A message from Wispr Flow

10x the context. Half the time.

Speak your prompts into ChatGPT or Claude and get detailed, paste-ready input that actually gives you useful output. Wispr Flow captures what you'd cut when typing. Free on Mac, Windows, and iPhone.

Try Wispr Flow free

Tweets of the day

Maury (@copperthumb) on Threads

The Apple Newton in the Apple TV series, For All Mankind. This version appears in S5. Like the iPhone IRL, the Newton changes over time as the season progress in the show. (📸 photo credit: Variety/Hunter Ingram/Apple)

Wallpaper of the day

One more thing ...

❝

It’s that easy. It’s that simple. Isn’t that great? Alright. I could play with this for a long time.

— Steve Jobs, showing off the first iPhone at Macworld, 2007.

Today’s poll

Results from last Friday’s poll:

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