Apple May Launch Three New ‘Ultra’ Devices This Year

Apple plans to launch at least three “Ultra”-class devices this year, according to Bloombergby Mark Gurman.

Writing in this weekend’s “Power On” newsletter, Gurman explained that while the low end of Apple’s products is now well served by the Apple Watch SE, iPad 11, and MacBook Neo, there is a “very important shift going on” to the high end, “Ultra” devices. Apple plans to launch at least three such devices this year:

• The iPhone Ultra: With a ~$2,000 price tag, a large internal display, and under-display sensors, the first foldable iPhone will “cast a shadow over the rest of the lineup.”
• AirPods Ultra: Priced more than the current AirPods Pro at the top of the list, 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 increase the overall price by up to 20%, the new machine will likely sit on top of the current M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pros, rather than replace them.

Gurman said Apple “may not be using the Ultra brand for everyone,” despite the name’s increasing presence in Apple’s product lines. Gurman noted that Apple did not use the Ultra name for the new Studio Display XDR. Apple already offers M-series Ultra chips, Apple Watch Ultra, and CarPlay Ultra.

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