With the new MacBook Neo, Apple just bumped up its number of laptop categories to three, and it might just add a fourth before the year is out.
Following the Neo announcement, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that the rumored OLED touchscreen MacBook Pro expected later this year might not be a MacBook Pro at all. It could actually be something altogether new – a "MacBook Ultra" – positioned above the Pro as Apple's top-tier laptop.
The MacBook would be just the latest Apple product to carry the Ultra name, which already spans the Apple Watch Ultra and CarPlay Ultra (not forgetting Apple's top-end Ultra-designated silicon chips). And it might not stop there.
Gurman says new AirPods with camera sensors could launch as "AirPods Ultra" above the current Pro tier. And who knows – the foldable iPhone expected this fall may get the same treatment. Or perhaps Apple's 20th anniversary iPhone in 2027 follows suit. Either way, "Ultra" could become the company's premium tier across several product categories.
Four distinct MacBook lines would span a laptop range Apple has never attempted, with the $599 Neo at the bottom, the Air in the middle, the Pro at the high end, and the Ultra at the top – with M6 series chips, a new design, and an OLED touch panel, but likely putting its price north of $3,000.
The rumor could be awkward timing for anyone who just pre-ordered a MacBook Pro with M5 Pro or M5 Max chip. Those machines go on sale today, but Gurman's report suggests they won't be Apple's best laptops for long.
