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Soooo…. (Breathe in)

MacBook Pro has M5 Pro or Max chip, and used to have M3 Ultra but that’s too old now

Mac Studio has M4 Max or M3 Ultra chip, because apparently they are not too old for power users

Mac Mini has M4 or M4 Pro, because why update the Mini, right?

Mac Pro has M2 Ultra because that’s just a zombie at this point (actually discontinued where so live)

Sooo… I assume that MacBook Ultra will come with at least an option for an Ultra chip? Which then also goes into Studio.

Will you be able to get a Pro with an Ultra chip, or an Ultra with a Pro chip? Who knows…

This naming scheme of using Pro and Ultra both for chips and for Macs is getting increasingly ridiculous…
 
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I don’t see the point of a touchscreen on a Mac. I used touchscreen Windows laptops for years, pretty much from the dime they were first introduced with Windows 8 up until just a couple of years ago when I got my first Mac.
Windows 8 introduced a brand new tile-based UI to make it more touch friendly, and even so I rarely found myself using the touchscreen.

Makes more sense if they make detachable keyboard or one that folds around.
 
All I want is a macbook Air with 120hz. I will pay for it. I dont care about the price. I just want a super small and thin and light with a M series chip and 120hz. Why cant Apple give it to me.

This remains my frustration as well.

The MBAs have all the specs and power I need or want, except for the screen.

Personally, I'd like a 120hz OLED screen on them.
I wish they'd give us BTO options for it.

These panels will do fine for me (14" & 16" versions sell for under $300 as full blown products on Jungle site)

1772987190195.png
 
Probably good to make any such MacBook an 'ultra' in that it implies there will still be the 'pro' option. Some make like the extras of the ultra but many won't want to pay for extra features they don't need. Options are good.
 
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[...]
Gurman revealed the information in his latest "Power On" newsletter. While Apple has been widely expected to launch new M6-series MacBook Pro models with OLED displays, touchscreen functionality, and a new, thinner design in the fourth quarter of 2026 for some time, Gurman today turned that rumor on its head with the suggestion that this is an all-new kind of MacBook rather than a MacBook Pro.

Instead of succeeding the newly announced M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pros, the "MacBook Ultra" will be a new, top-tier Apple laptop. Gurman added that the device is likely to sit above the current M5 MacBook Pros, rather than replace them, suggesting that they will remain on sale.

This would enable a markedly higher price point for the new machines. Gurman noted that when Apple brought OLED displays to the iPhone X in 2017 and the iPad Pro in 2024, it simultaneously raised price by around 20%. As a result, Gurman believes a similar price increase on account of the MacBook's first ever OLED display may be likely and help move the MacBook Pro further upmarket.
[...]

So, despite MacRumors publishing at least three articles to the contrary by Juli Clover, this might not be such a bad time to buy a new MacBook Pro after all.
 
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Apple’s reason is to market it to get more money, but user wise, what’s the benefit? Maybe drop this TV Show business and get back to focusing on hardware for user benefit.
I wouldn't hold my breath. According to the link below (admittedly a couple of years old), Apple makes 8% of their revenue on Mac hardware and 22% on services, which includes Apple TV+ (again, it's a couple of years old). It doesn't break it down per service though, but it makes sense, right? You buy a Mac once every few years, but you pay for services every month.

 
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Bit like the Apple Watch Ultra I guess? Same processor etc as other watches but has a new redesigned case, bigger battery and extra sensors. I can't see them getting an Ultra chip in a laptop but I could be wrong.
 
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I wouldn't hold my breath. According to the link below (admittedly a couple of years old), Apple makes 8% of their revenue on Mac hardware and 22% on services, which includes Apple TV+ (again, it's a couple of years old). It doesn't break it down per service though, but it makes sense, right? You buy a Mac once every few years, but you pay for services every month.

Oh, I don’t see them doing so, just suggesting it is all.
 
Timmy continuing to fragment any lineup he can. As long as they don't make the Pro line worse, it's fine.

This isn't fragmentation, this is "consumer choice".

More choices and more price points are a good thing.

Agree with @DavidSchaub on this one. Steve Jobs' four product vision (desktop + laptop x home + professional) made sense in 1998, when the personal computer market was still seeing a lot of first-time buyers, especially among consumers. In a mature and saturated market, like it is today, it's better to have more choices at different price points.

We who spend our time in online enthusiast forums may not see a big deal in spending an extra $200 for an upgraded capability, but that granularity matters to a lot of people.
 
Sorry, I don’t see it happening. Apple will continue to sell macOS-based MacBook that doesn’t have any touchscreen and iPad with iPadOS for touch-based operating system.
 
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All I want is a macbook Air with 120hz. I will pay for it. I dont care about the price. I just want a super small and thin and light with a M series chip and 120hz. Why cant Apple give it to me.

People thought in year or two the MacBook Air will have OLED but that does not seem to be the case.
 
A touch screen laptop is a terrible idea!

macOS isn’t design for touch and should stay that way don’t need macOS destroyed just so it works better on a touch screen!
 
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Dear me.

By time Cook retires we’ll have 10 iphone models, 15 macbooks, seven Apple watches etc etc

Running out of excuses for the price hikes. Some of this lineup will need go faster stripes soon

Let’s be honest 3k Macbook Pros should be getting OLED displays
 
Soooo…. (Breathe in)

MacBook Pro has M5 Pro or Max chip, and used to have M3 Ultra but that’s too old now
The MBP never had an Ultra chip.
Mac Studio has M4 Max or M3 Ultra chip, because apparently they are not too old for power users

Mac Mini has M4 or M4 Pro, because why update the Mini, right?
The Mini will be updated to the M5 and M5-Pro, and the Studio will be upgraded to the M5-Max only since it is more powerful that the M3-Ultra. Then when the next Ultra chip is available, they will stick that in the Studio.
Mac Pro has M2 Ultra because that’s just a zombie at this point (actually discontinued where so live)
Apple doesnt really care about the MacPro, so it will probably be discontinued.
Sooo… I assume that MacBook Ultra will come with at least an option for an Ultra chip? Which then also goes into Studio.
Based on your logic of both being called Ultra, then the Apple Watch shoudl also get the Ultra chip. Just look at the size and weight of the Ultra’s heat sink in the Studio compared to the Max if you still think they are going to cram an Ultra chip in a MBP; its only a good idea if you're nostalgic for the days of 5 hour battery life.
Will you be able to get a Pro with an Ultra chip, or an Ultra with a Pro chip? Who knows…
You have never been able to get a MBP with an Ultra chip. No one knows it its a new computer line, or just a MBP option like nano-coating. If its a new computer it will probably have the same chips as the MBP.
This naming scheme of using Pro and Ultra both for chips and for Macs is getting increasingly ridiculous…
People overthink things, its not that confusing.
 
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Apple's MO is usually to bring in new features in the high end laptops and mobile devices and then propagate it down when the costs are reduced.
So it makes sense to add it to the top end units. If that means a new top of the line category then so be it. But it also means I won't be buying it. My max price point is 2.5K and I usually prioritize ram and ssd size over everything else.
It's weird though that touchscreen is so elusive. My work Lenovo laptop has one and it only costs 800. Piece of **** in many ways and to be honest I rarely if ever use the touch screen.
 
I once regarded my purchase of the 16in M1Max/32GB MBP as being a tad Ultra 😉

Not seen anything since that tempted me but I am wondering what might prompt me to upgrade ...

Reflecting on the wow factors when coming from the (mid-2015) 15in MBP, there was a v obvious bump in snappy performance and the headroom in RAM for multiple apps; I also appreciated the larger and better screen. Since I use my existing MBP as a luggable [mostly at home & v occasionally on a longish trip away] and I have yet to discover limits to its oomph, I've decided it's only the bigger and better screen that would have that wow factor.

Other than that, it's just battery (just over 80%) and age (compatibility with O/S and AI) that might prompt me. Mind, the relative who benefitted from a cascaded (mid-2015) 15in MBP is probably looking forward to me doing an upgrade 😉

I would probably go M*Pro
 
That would actually be a good compromise. Keep the MacBook Pros the way they are and introduce this as a MacBook Ultra. And it will make it easier to make it disappear again when Apple realizes that nobody needs OLED, a touchscreen or a thinner and lighter design.
iPhone X all over again. A way to charge more money.
 
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