pronunciation: Apple as /’eɪ-pəl/

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Hello native English speakers.
I have a question about the pronunciation of the word ‘apple’. I’ve been always taught that it should be pronounced as /’æpl/. But recently I heard a few of my friends, who learn in different schools, pronounce the word like /’eɪpl/. I was quite surprised at that and asked them why they say the word that way. The answer was that both versions are fine according to their teachers. Of course, I asked my teacher and her reply was that the only way of pronouncing this word she’d seen in the dictionaries is the one with an ‘æ’ sound. Nonetheless, she told me she had seen people who insist there’s nothing wrong saying ‘apple’ with an ‘eɪ’ sound. She also added that although she’s never heard a native say something like that, she wouldn’t be surprised if there are dialects in which this pronunciation is used. Have you ever heard native speakers say /’eɪpl/?
Thank you in advance.