MacBook Ultra could be very good news for MacBook Pro users
MacBook Ultra could be very good news for MacBook Pro users
https://9to5mac.com/2026/05/20/macbook-ultra-could-be-very-good-news-for-macbook-pro-users/
Publish Date: 2026-05-20 13:22:00
Source Domain: 9to5mac.com
Rumors indicate Apple’s long-expected MacBook Pro redesign will be branded ‘MacBook Ultra’ instead. Here’s why this could be good news for MacBook Pro users in light of a previous redesign misstep.
MacBook Pro redesign history has examples of success and failure
Apple’s current MacBook Pro is, in many ways, an apology model.
The MacBook Pro design we still have today first arrived in 2021. And it gave users exactly what they’d been asking for after years of a highly unpopular previous design.
In 2016, Apple unveiled a new MacBook Pro that proved problematic in several ways.
The infamously unreliable butterfly keyboard was a big part of that. But the new model also removed several ports that creative professionals rely on, switching to an all USB-C setup. The Touch Bar also proved controversial for replacing function keys. And the new design was thin, which isn’t ideal for pro users who value performance and battery life.
It took five long years before another redesign arrived. But when it did, Apple gave pro users everything they’d been asking for.
The 2021 MacBook Pro bulked up to maximize performance and battery life, it fixed the keyboard, ditched the Touch Bar, and added ports like HDMI, SDXC card, and MagSafe.
Now, the time for another redesign is almost here.
But per the latest rumors, Apple might take an unusual path: branding its newest design as ‘MacBook Ultra’ while the current MacBook Pro design lives on.
Here’s why that could be good news for MacBook Pro fans.
Adding ‘MacBook Ultra’ means the MacBook Pro can keep prioritizing what pros want
Apple clearly learned its lesson after the 2016 MacBook Pro debacle. However, some of the rumors about its next MacBook design sound eerily familiar.
Per Mark Gurman, the new model will be thinner and lighter than Apple’s current MacBook Pro. That could impact performance and battery life, and also might mean it lacks…
