Apple Gave Us the Neo, Now It Might Be Planning a High-En...

What’s Happening

So get this: The company might launch its most sophisticated MacBook ever, with its first OLED screen.

Apple went budget with the MacBook Neo. Now reportedly the company is preparing to go high end, and high price. (shocking, we know)

Apple is gearing up to launch a MacBook “Ultra” in the fall, outfitted with the first OLED display in MacBook history, according to a report from Bloomberg s Mark Gurman.

The Details

Gurman says the new laptop will have a touchscreen and new M6 chips. Last month, Bloomberg reported that Apple could be launching its first touchscreen MacBook — with a Dynamic Island.

The Dynamic Island is a feature on more recent iPhone models — iPhone 14 and later — that s shaped like a long horizontal pill atop the screen and shows alerts, notifications, timers and music. It if happens, the Ultra would be at the opposite end of the cost spectrum from the Neo, which Apple shipped earlier this month for $599 as a rival to Chromebooks and Windows laptops in the same price range.

Why This Matters

Gurman says the MacBook Ultra could cost 20 percent more than the new MacBook Pro (M5 series) , which Apple lists at $1,699 . (If you want to about the new Neo, CNET has been all over it — why students might love it , the colors we liked and didn t like and why the Neo is a fr is a game-changer . ) Gurman suggested that Apple might keep selling the M5 series MacBook Pro even after the Ultra launches.

This could have major implications for how we use technology going forward.

Key Takeaways

• Tech analyst Paolo Pescatore dropped adding the premium MacBook Ultra would “signal a clear shift in strategy” for Apple.
• “If this turns out to be the case, then Apple appears to be stretching the Mac further upmarket,” Pescatore told CNET.
• “The opportunity is to drive higher spending and keep premium users firmly within Apple s ecosystem.

The Bottom Line

“The opportunity is to drive higher spending and keep premium users firmly within Apple s ecosystem. The challenge will be avoiding confusion, especially if the lines between MacBook Pro and iPad Pro become even more blurred.

Is this a W or an L? You decide.