Apple Inc has alleged that a defendant in its trade secret case against OpenAI accessed proprietary power converter circuit schematics while employed at the artificial intelligence firm. The tech giant is asking a U.S. federal court to expedite proceedings based on new evidence.

The allegations emerged from a MacBook computer that OpenAI provided to Apple on August 21 as part of ongoing legal proceedings. According to the filing, the defendant used this access to train an AI agent using proprietary Apple information.

Legal Developments

Apple’s legal filing cites the discovery of these activities as grounds for accelerating the case timeline. The company contends that the misuse of its technical data represents a significant breach of confidentiality obligations.

The core of the dispute centers on the alleged extraction and utilization of sensitive hardware design data. Apple maintains that the defendant’s actions compromised its intellectual property rights during their tenure at OpenAI.

IDC projects global smartphone shipments will fall 16.7% in 2026, the steepest decline on record, while total market value rises 6.3% to $613 billion. Apple is best positioned to navigate the downturn, with its iOS market share expected to reach a record 23.6%.

The divergence between volume contraction and value expansion highlights a structural shift driven by cost pressures. Average selling prices are projected to surge 27.6% to $581, offsetting the volume drop. This price increase stems from a severe memory shortage, with NAND and DRAM costs rising more than 300% year over year.

Android Retreats, Apple Gains

Android shipments are expected to contract 24.3% as manufacturers cut lower-priced devices that have become harder to sell profitably. In contrast, Apple faces minimal volume pressure, with iOS shipments forecast to fall only 1.3%.

Huawei is also gaining ground. IDC expects HarmonyOS shipments to nearly triple to 51 million units as the company maintains disciplined pricing and captures share in China.

What the Numbers Show

The data reveals a stark concentration effect: while the broader market sheds volume, Apple’s near-flat shipment decline (-1.3%) against a massive industry drop (-16.7%) allows it to capture nearly four percentage points of additional market share. This suggests that premium brands are successfully passing on memory cost increases to consumers, whereas smaller vendors cannot absorb these costs or pass them on without losing sales.

Foldables Offer New Growth

Foldable smartphone shipments are expected to rise 12.6% in 2026 to 22.9 million units and accelerate another 18% in 2027. IDC forecasts Apple will ship more than 17 million foldable iPhones in 2027, capturing roughly 40% of global foldable shipments.

Apple’s entry into this category is projected to generate more than $45.7 billion in value, accounting for over half of the category’s total market value. Smaller Android vendors concentrated in entry-level devices face the greatest pressure as the market shifts toward fewer units and higher prices.