Do we like Apple?
Makes iPhones, Macs, wearables and software, and runs the App Store. Based in Cupertino, California.
Our score: 5 out of 10. Mixed. Well-made products and a real climate push, but a long run of court and regulator losses over App Store control, tax and green marketing.
Apple is now run by John Ternus. He took over on 1 September 2026 after Tim Cook's 15 years as CEO, and Cook stays on as executive chairman. Ternus joined Apple in 2001 and came up through hardware. Reports say his biggest job is fixing Apple's shaky AI strategy.
The App Store is where most of the trouble is. A US judge found Apple willfully broke a court order in the Epic Games case. Apple's request to the Supreme Court for a pause was turned down in May 2026. The Supreme Court has since agreed to hear Apple's challenge on the contempt standard.
It's not just the US. The EU Commission fined Apple €500m in 2025 over App Store steering rules. Then on 28 October 2026 South Korea's regulator fined it about $15.5m over payment rules and ordered changes. A US jury also awarded $5.7bn to Taction in a patent case, and Apple says it will appeal.
On tax, Europe's top court upheld the Commission's finding in 2024 that Ireland's tax rulings gave Apple unlawful state aid. On the environment, a German court stopped it advertising the Apple Watch as 'CO2 neutral'. A US class action over the same claim was dismissed, and Apple has since dropped the label from some product pages.
Why a 5? Apple has real climate targets and publishes progress reports. But we can't back a company that keeps losing rulings on how it treats developers, customers and tax authorities, and that is still fighting them. Mixed, then.