Apple Upgrade is made for the Ultra era

If the rumors are true, Apple’s next few years are shaping up to be the most exciting in a long time. The company has been working on intriguing new devices, including its first foldable iPhone, a touchscreen MacBook Pro with an OLED display, and smart home devices powered by Siri AI and Apple Intelligence.

All of this sounds amazing, but there’s just one problem. All these innovations are likely to come at a high price, especially at a time when prices are already rising due to a global shortage of RAM and other components. In the end, most people probably wouldn’t buy all or possibly any of these innovations.

But Apple’s new Upgrade program changes the script and makes it possible for even more people to get their hands on Apple’s highest-end products, even if they don’t have thousands of dollars to spend on a new laptop or phone. 

Apple already has niche premium products

Apple has never been afraid to build products that only a few people can justify buying. The Mac Pro was never a product for the masses. It was an expensive computer aimed at engineers and film directors. The same applies to the XDR Studio Display and Apple Vision Pro.

Those products serve an important purpose. They demonstrate what’s technically possible, even if they aren’t expected to become best sellers. They cater to a niche market that is willing to pay a high price for them. For these users, price isn’t important.

What’s changing over the coming months is that even products on the way aren’t niche high-end devices. The rumored iPhone and MacBook Ultra are designed to be mainstream devices with high price tags, and this could have a major impact on which devices the average consumer chooses.

The iPhone has always been Apple’s most popular product. Even the Pro models, while expensive, remain attainable for many customers through financing, trade-ins, or carrier promotions. Likewise, the MacBook Pro has become the default recommendation for professionals and enthusiasts alike.

However, the rumored iPhone Ultra and MacBook Ultra suggest that Apple may be about to introduce a new product tier positioned well above its Pro models. Not simply because they are faster or more powerful, but because they are much more ambitious to build.

Innovation comes with a price

New technologies always come at a higher price. Typically, building a device with a radical new design requires new manufacturing methods, which drives up production costs. This was the case in 2017 with the iPhone X, which raised the starting price of the high-end iPhone from $649 to $999.

At the time, people were shocked by the higher price. But quickly, $999 became the new normal for a premium smartphone. Now, the iPhone 17 Pro starts at $1,099, which is only 10 percent more than the starting price Apple set for its new iPhone in 2017.

But given the current rumors, Apple’s new “Ultra” devices won’t just be a few dollars more expensive. They could cost up to twice as much as the current Pro models.

Let’s take the iPhone Ultra foldable as an example. Flexible OLED panels remain expensive. More durable hinges require intricate engineering. Thinner batteries, custom display technologies, and increasingly complex camera systems all push manufacturing costs higher.

Based on what multiple sources have been saying, Apple’s foldable iPhone could cost as much as $2,500 depending on the configuration. That would already be $1,300 more expensive than the iPhone 17 Pro Max costs today. By comparison, Samsung now charges $2,100 for the entry-level version of the new Galaxy Z Fold Ultra and $1900 for the shorter model that mimics the rumored iPhone Ultra.

The rumored MacBook Ultra follows a similar pattern. An OLED touchscreen display with a new design, along with even more RAM and SSD storage, would significantly increase the cost of this machine compared to current MacBook Pro models.

But with Apple Upgrade, those prices aren’t nearly as eye-watering. On a 24-month lease, the iPhone Ultra would likely cost around $70 a month, while a 36-month MacBook Ultra lease would run roughly the same for a 36-month lease. That’s still not as cheap as an iPhone 17 Pro, but it’s much more affordable—and you can bet Apple will advertise it as such.

The products most people buy won’t stop being good

Of course, having new, high-end products in the lineup doesn’t mean everyone will need them. The current iPhone Pro models are already more than enough for most users. The latest MacBook Pro is so powerful that many buyers have never even come close to using its full potential. Even the base model iPhone has become quite appealing.

In fact, Apple itself has, in a way, anticipated that premium products would become much more expensive and has also been investing in more affordable products that meet the needs of the vast majority of people. This includes devices such as the MacBook Neo and the iPhone 17e.

Ever since we began hearing about them, it seemed as though the new Ultra products would be just like the Vision Pro: cool, futuristic products, but priced way out of reach for most buyers. Ultra products will naturally be aimed at enthusiasts, those who are willing to pay thousands of dollars for an iPhone or a MacBook that looks completely different from current devices and employs the most cutting-edge technologies. And like Vision Pro, the rumored prices didn’t leave much hope for a trickle-down effect.

But with Apple Upgrade, the barrier to entry isn’t nearly as steep. Apple doesn’t offer Vision Pro in its Upgrade program, but a $3,699 Mac (the same price as Vision Pro after last month’s price hike) costs just $76.52 per month for 36 months. Apple would have probably sold quite a few more of them if those terms were available at launch.

Apple’s next era seems genuinely exciting. It just may be an era in which more people than ever don’t own Apple’s latest products—but they still use them around every day.