Apple plans a 'high-end' Ultra line, including iPhone Fold, report says
Apple introduced its lowest-priced MacBook yet last week: the $599 MacBook Neo (which is $499 for anyone who claims the Apple education discount.) But the company is working on new products at the pricier end of the spectrum too.
Apple will likely call this line "Ultra", According to a new report from Bloomberg's Apple insider Mark Gurman. As Gurman points out, the company already has a number of high-end items that bear this name — including the Apple Watch Ultra, CarPlay Ultra and its Ultra chips, the company's most expensive chipset.
The iPhone Fold, the next generation of AirPods, and the touchscreen MacBook would all be products in the "Ultra" line, Gurman says.
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It's possible that Apple won't go with the Ultra name, Gurman notes, but they are working on a line of high-end products — above and beyond its current premium products, the iPhone Pro and the MacBook Pro.
All three products are expected to carry a premium price, even for their base models. For example, Apple's forthcoming foldable smartphone, the iPhone Fold, which Gurman says could carry the "Ultra" name, is expected to launch at a starting price of around $2,000.
The next-generation AirPods will reportedly include "computer-vision cameras" so that Siri can use visual data for its AI assistant feature. Gurman believes these AirPods could carry the "Ultra" name, and they would certainly be a higher-end product than the current AirPods Pro.
Meanwhile, Apple may present its long-rumored touchscreen MacBook as a separate entity from the MacBook Pro line of laptops. Gurman reports that they could opt for the Ultra name or call the touchscreen MacBook something different, but the point remains: Apple appears to want the touchscreen MacBook alongside the MacBook Pro, not as a replacement.
According to Gurman, the touchscreen MacBook may be priced even higher than the recently announced M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro models. The M5 Max MacBook Pro currently has a starting price of $3,599.
There is reportedly debate within Apple about whether to manufacture a foldable iPad. A high-end "Ultra" version of the iMac is also under discussion. All of which fits Apple CEO TIm Cook's strategy of multiple pricing tiers for proven products, in order to capture the entire spectrum of its market — the MacBook Neo being proof that this strategy is in progress.
