In the news: rumors about the MacBook Ultra, Vision Pro and iPhone Ultra

It’s been another busy week of Apple news this week, with new rumors about the touchscreen “MacBook Ultra” and foldable “iPhone Ultra”, as well as Apple’s 20th anniversary iPhone coming next year.

This week also saw news that Apple is shifting its focus away from the Vision Pro, so read on below for all the details on these stories and more!

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Apple will launch the “MacBook Ultra” with these six new features

While the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro were just updated with the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips last month, bigger changes are reportedly coming.

According to BloombergAccording to Mark Gurman, the high-end MacBook Pro models will get a major redesign by early 2027, and he said Apple could use the “MacBook Ultra” branding for them. If so, the MacBook Ultra would likely be a more expensive model at the top of the MacBook lineup, sitting entirely above the MacBook Pro.

So far, up to six new features have been announced, including an OLED display, touch capabilities, Dynamic Island, M6 Pro and M6 Max chips made with TSMC’s advanced 2nm process, a thinner design, and built-in cellular connectivity.

Apple discontinued the Vision Pro after the M5 refresh flop

Apple all but abandoned the Vision Pro after the M5 model failed to revive interest in the device, MacRumors has learned. Apple updated the Vision Pro with a faster M5 chip and a more comfortable strap in October 2025, but there were no other hardware changes and consumers still weren’t interested.

Apple has apparently stopped work on Vision Pro and the Vision Pro team has been redistributed to other teams within Apple. Some former members of the Vision Pro team are working on Siri, which is no surprise since Vision Pro head Mike Rockwell has led the Siri team since March 2025.

The foldable iPhone Ultra could lack these 5 key features despite a $2,000 price tag

Apple’s first foldable iPhone, dubbed “iPhone Ultra,” could lack at least five key features found on the iPhone 18 Pro models despite its $2,000 price tag.

Recent images of dummy models shared by Sonny Dickson and Vadim Yuryev appear to reveal two previously unseen missing features of the ‌iPhone Ultra‌: MagSafe and the Action Button. This is in addition to several other features like Face ID and a telephoto lens that have been rumored to be missing from the foldable iPhone for some time.

Apple Introduces Monthly App Store Subscriptions with 12-Month Commitment

Apple this week announced the launch of a new subscription option for App Store developers: monthly subscriptions with a 12-month commitment. The new option allows developers to offer subscribers discounted rates typically associated with an annual subscription, but paid on a monthly basis to keep payments more affordable.

This new payment option provides subscribers with more affordable options. Users can cancel their subscription at any time, which will prevent renewal of the subscription once they have made the agreed payments to fulfill their commitment.

Notably, the new subscription type will be available worldwide, except for the United States and Singapore, at least for now.

The 20th anniversary iPhone will feature a custom ‘micro-curved’ OLED panel

For its 20th anniversary iPhone, Apple is tapping Samsung to produce a custom micro-curved OLED display that is brighter and thinner than existing panels, according to new supply chain information from China.

Apple is reportedly considering a radical redesign of the 20th anniversary iPhone, which could feature a completely bezel-less screen curved around all four edges of the device.

To that end, Apple is reportedly looking to Samsung for a four-curve panel design of equal depth that uses “micro-curves” to keep the curve very shallow, as opposed to the aggressively curved “waterfall” edges of some existing Samsung panels.

Apple shares release date and trailer for ‘Ted Lasso’ season 4

Apple announced this week that its hit comedy-drama series “Ted Lasso” will return for a fourth season with a premiere episode on Wednesday, August 5. A new episode will then follow every Wednesday until October 7.

“Ted Lasso” is one of the most popular shows ever to air on the Apple TV streaming service. The eponymous character Ted Lasso, played by Jason Sudeikis, begins as a small-time football coach from Kansas who is hired to coach a professional football team in England, despite having no football coaching experience.

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