Top Stories: iPhone Ultra Rumor, Reverse Wireless Charging Still Planned, and More

Saturday February 11, 2023 5:00 am PST by MacRumors Staff

We're into a bit of a quiet period for Apple following the flurry of product announcements and launches kicking off 2023, but that doesn't mean we aren't still seeing lots of news and rumors about what's coming up in the future.

top stories 11feb2023
iPhone rumors continue to circulate about both this year's iPhone 15 lineup and potentially the iPhone 16 lineup for 2024, while we also heard some rumors about Apple's Mac plans and an upcoming return of the new Home app architecture that got pulled from iOS 16.2 due to widespread issue, so read on for all the details on these stories and more!

Apple Considering New High-End iPhone Alongside Pro and Pro Max

Apple has discussed selling a new top-of-the-line iPhone "Ultra" model alongside the Pro and Pro Max in 2024 at the earliest, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Based on this timeframe, the device would be part of the iPhone 16 lineup or later.

Gurman speculated that the Ultra model could feature additional camera improvements, a faster chip, a larger display, and perhaps a portless design without Lightning or USB-C. He said the device would be pricier than the iPhone 14 Pro Max, which starts at $1,099.

Apple Still Working to Allow iPhone to Wirelessly Charge AirPods and Other Devices

Apple is reportedly continuing development on a reverse wireless charging feature that would allow the iPhone to charge other devices like AirPods.

With the iPhone 12, an FCC filing hinted at reverse wireless charging capabilities that might be hidden inside the hardware, but Apple has never enabled this functionality in the years since and it's unclear exactly when the feature would be available, if ever.

Apple May Not Launch New Mac Studio With M2 Ultra Chip Due to Similarity With Upcoming Mac Pro

Apple released the all-new Mac Studio desktop computer in March 2022 with M1 Max and M1 Ultra chip options, which offer impressive performance. In fact, the higher-end model with the M1 Ultra chip is the fastest Mac ever, until the Apple silicon Mac Pro arrives.

Unfortunately, the Mac Studio might not be updated with an M2 Ultra chip this year, as it would make the computer too similar to the upcoming Mac Pro with the same chip. We're also hearing that a new 27-inch display with mini-LED backlighting and 120Hz ProMotion may not launch in the first quarter of this year as previously predicted.

iPhone 15 Pro 'Buttonless Design' Rumors: What We Know

The upcoming iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are rumored to feature a "buttonless" design with solid-state volume and power controls. Here is everything we know about this rumor so far.

Instead of moving, the solid-state buttons would provide haptic feedback when pressed, like the trackpad on modern MacBooks. The devices would have two additional Taptic Engines to power this functionality.

Apple to Re-Release New HomeKit Architecture in iOS 16.4

Apple in its upcoming iOS 16.4 update will re-introduce the revamped HomeKit architecture it originally pulled in December due to widespread issues.

Backend code for the Matter smart home standard indicates that Apple is ready to re-introduce the updated Home architecture in iOS 16.4. It was originally released with the iOS 16.2 update, only to be pulled a week after launch because of bugs and installation issues.

iPhone 14 Pro Over 20% Faster Than Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra in Benchmarks

Samsung's newly announced Galaxy S23 Ultra hasn't quite hit the market yet, but unearthed benchmarks for the device suggest Apple still has the world's fastest mobile processor by a considerable margin.

Geekbench scores reveal that that the iPhone 14 Pro's A16 Bionic chip offers up to just over 20% faster CPU performance than Samsung's Galaxy S23 Ultra with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip.

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Top Rated Comments

Synthetic

8 months ago

Going through with the Mac Pro is such an awful idea at this point. Cool it's a Mac Studio in a way bigger now totally unneeded case. Cut your losses, consider the Studio as the new Pro, and be done with it. I can't help but feel they'll be way less criticized going that route than releasing the Pro. The Pro makes as much sense as Apple building its own car. Stop that. Better off buying some electric start-up. And please let me know if there's something I'm missing here. I honestly don't mind if I'm told I'm wrong.

Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Mad Man

Apple needs to simplify its product lineup and naming - current naming sucks to distinguish the too many too similar products.

Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)

And I totally get it's symbolic, and it'll sting to have to tell everyone your dropping it. But you have to be honest with yourself and your customers. The king is dead, long live the king.

It’s a symbolic product in some ways. But a bigger problem is who is gonna wanna buy it if it lacks the modularity of the predecessor? It’s what got them in trouble in the first place. How is this even competing in the target industry where it matters which is CGI? So much of that industry has been consumed by HP, Dell, Linux and Windows. Their workflows demands customization.

Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)

cocoua

Mmm? It is not clear to you than Max is better than Pro and that Ultra is better than Max but less than Pro?
Now, Extremme would be better than Pro and Max but less than Ultra, and Atomic would be much better than Ultraman.
It feels Groucho is in the Apple execs board