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Apple Planning to Launch Two New 'Ultra' Products in the Next Year

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Apple has decided to market two of its new products over the next year as "Ultra" devices, Macworld reports.

Apple-Logo-Black.jpeg

Citing sources familiar with the matter, the report claims that Apple's first foldable iPhone will be called the "iPhone Ultra." The device will become the highest end option in the lineup.

The iPhone Ultra will not be considered part of the iPhone 18 iPhone lineup, despite arriving alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. This would be just like how the iPhone Air is not considered to be part of the iPhone 17 series. Although Apple is hoping to ship the iPhone Ultra alongside the iPhone 18 Pro, it may launch a few weeks later and with scarcer availability.

Moreover, Apple is apparently planning to release a "MacBook Ultra" later this year or in early 2027. It will feature an OLED panel and a touchscreen, sitting above the MacBook Pro in the lineup at a "significantly" higher price point. While the device was originally intended to launch later this year, it is now likely pushed back by several months due to memory supply chain shortages.

Apple already offers M-series Ultra chips, the Apple Watch Ultra, and CarPlay Ultra. "Ultra" branding for the foldable iPhone and OLED MacBook was previously rumored by Bloomberg, which added that "AirPods Ultra" could also be on the way.

Article Link: Apple Planning to Launch Two New 'Ultra' Products in the Next Year
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2026/04/27/apple-planning-to-launch-two-new-ultra-products/
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I never thought I wanted touch screen on my MacBook but I got a HP laptop from work with a touch screen now and I occasionally catch myself trying to tap the screen. I wasn't even aware I was using the feature but apparently I am. Mainly to open something from the dock when the mouse is too far away though or when I need to show something to someone else and slide through a PDF but I think that's about it.
 
contacos said:
I never thought I wanted touch screen on my MacBook but I got a HP laptop from work with a touch screen now and I occasionally catch myself trying to tap the screen. I wasn't even aware I was using the feature but apparently I am. Mainly to open something from the dock when the mouse is too far away though or when I need to show something to someone else and slide through a PDF but I think that's about it.
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My wife's primary computer is a Surface Pro 9 with a keyboard and she uses the touch all the time, even when it's in laptop mode.

Artemiz said:
The word Ultra has lost all meaning with Apple.
What’s next? Ear Tips Ultra? Lanyard Ultra?
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The naming is pretty lame. Has a lot of 12 year old boy drinking too much Mt. Dew energy.
 
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Marketing names are almost never leaked this far in advance and are the easiest and quickest things to change prior to launch.
Let’s not forget “MacBook Neo” leaked less than 24 hours before it launched, and “Apple Vision Pro” was a complete surprise. Same with “iPhone Air”, even during the event there were still websites calling it the “iPhone 17 Air”.

Keeping this in mind I’m pretty sure that MacWorld and even Gurman are either being fed bad information, or just making their own guesses in relation to what the products will be named.
After “Neo” I’m quite certain that Apple will not introduce a new line of iPhone that is quite different from all of the others and simply call it “Ultra”. It will likely have its own specific name that marks it as the one and only iPhone that folds without saying it blatantly. My guess is still “iPhone Duo” or something along those lines.
As for the MacBook, it’s just a new MacBook Pro. Come on, the iPad Pro received OLED and didn’t get an entirely new name because of it, Apple isn’t going to create an entirely new MacBook name simply because it now has OLED. That’s ridiculous.
 
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Uh, oh. How are people going to over-diagnose this and come up with a complaint?

People have made careers out of Apple using the “Pro” monicker and complaining because it stands for “professional” and no real “professional” would use an iPhone.
 
Keeping the MacBook Pro the MacBook Pro seems good, but adding something beyond that would really make it a MacBook for a small niche, maybe even smaller than the Vision Pro and Mac Pro markets.

There are already many things in the current MacBook Pro I don’t need. I just need the 16” screen and the performance. It’s nice that’s got really great speakers and screen, but it’s overkill. A MacBook Neo-type screen and speakers would be enough for most people. Adding other features like OLED and Touch is another thing most people won’t need. And even if you want a touch MacBook Pro are people gonna pay something like $ 3000 for the base 14” model? I don’t think so. There are ChromeBooks with touch that cost less than $ 1000 and work fine.
 
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Bokito said:
Keeping the MacBook Pro the MacBook Pro seems good, but adding something beyond that would really make it a MacBook for a small niche, maybe even smaller than the Vision Pro and Mac Pro markets.

There are already many things in the current MacBook Pro I don’t need. I just need the 16” screen and the performance. It’s nice that’s got really great speakers and screen, but it’s overkill. A MacBook Neo-type screen and speakers would be enough for most people. Adding other features like OLED and Touch is another thing most people won’t need. And even if you want a touch MacBook Pro are people gonna pay something like $ 3000 for the base 14” model? I don’t think so. There are ChromeBooks with touch that cost less than $ 1000 and work fine.
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I suspect Apple is okay with the MacBook ultra being for a very small niche. Products like the are often ways of testing both new tech and consumer interest. Then, especially as prices for some tech might drop, they may decide what aspects to move into the more mainstream products.
 
justanotherdave said:
Uh, oh. How are people going to over-diagnose this and come up with a complaint?

People have made careers out of Apple using the “Pro” monicker and complaining because it stands for “professional” and no real “professional” would use an iPhone.
Click to expand...

Anything for an opportunity to slag on Apple. Apparently an empowering feel-good thing for many here.
 
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WarmWinterHat said:
My wife's primary computer is a Surface Pro 9 with a keyboard and she uses the touch all the time, even when it's in laptop mode.



The naming is pretty lame. Has a lot of 12 year old boy drinking too much Mt. Dew energy.
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But a Surface is different. You can flip the whole screen to basically turn it into a tablet right? my HP Laptop cannot be flipped into a convertable, its literally just a laptop with a touch screen
 
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