Apple Could Launch Three New ‘Ultra’ Devices This Year

Apple is planning to launch at least three new “Ultra”-class devices this year, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman reports.

Writing in this weekend’s “Power On” newsletter, Gurman explained that while the low-end of Apple’s product lineups are now well-served by the Apple Watch SE, iPad 11, and MacBook Neo, there is “a more significant shift underway” toward higher-end, “Ultra” devices. Apple is planning to launch at least three such devices this year:

• iPhone Ultra: With a ~$2,000 price tag, large inner display, and under-display sensors, the first foldable iPhone will “cast a shadow over the rest of the lineup.”
• AirPods Ultra: Priced above the current AirPods Pro at the top of the lineup, the new AirPods will feature computer-vision cameras to feed Visual Intelligence data to Siri.
• MacBook Ultra: With a touch-enabled OLED display that will raise the overall price by up to 20%, the new machine will likely sit above the current M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pros, rather than replace them.

Gurman said that Apple “may not use the Ultra branding for all of them,” despite the name’s increasing prevalence across Apple’s product lines. Gurman noted that Apple did not adopt the Ultra name for the new Studio Display XDR. Apple already offers M-series Ultra chips, the Apple Watch Ultra, and CarPlay Ultra.

Further in the future, Gurman expects other product lines to expand into this “superpremium tier,” including the ‌iPad‌ and Mac. Such devices could include a high-end ‌iPad‌ with a foldable OLED display and a more powerful iMac with a larger display.