MacBook Ultra: 5 Features That Could Justify the Name
Reports and rumors suggest the next MacBook Pro that Apple will release might not be a ‌MacBook Pro‌ at all. It could actually be something altogether new and more exciting – a "MacBook Ultra" – positioned above the Pro as Apple's top-tier laptop, suggesting that the current M5 Pro and M5 Max models will remain on sale when it launches. 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). This is likely to bring a markedly higher price point for the new machines. It fits into a broader trend at Apple, where the company is seeking to offer more models at more price points, such as the new MacBook Neo at an unprecedented $599 price point. Below, we've listed the features we are expecting in the MacBook Ultra, which is likely to go on sale either later this year or in early 2027. As things stand, the latter time frame is now looking more likely, owing to the global memory chip shortage. OLED Display Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and analyst Ming-Chi Kuo say Apple is readying OLED technology for these models, and industry reports corroborate their claims. Samsung Display is said to be making the panels, and the supplier has invested heavily in an 8.6-generation OLED production line in South Korea. The line recently reached a key milestone for mass production. The MacBook Pro will utilize hybrid OLED technology, similar to that used in Apple's latest iPad Pro. This display technology combines a glass substrate with thin-film encapsulation, offering improved brightness, contrast, and power efficiency compared to current MacBook Pro models, which use LCD displays with mini-LED backlighting. Touch Screen The new ‌MacBook Pro‌ is expected to become the first Mac to support touch input directly on the display. It's a notable shift from Apple's longstanding position against bringing touchscreen functionality to the Mac. Apple previously experimented with touch controls through the OLED Touch Bar on earlier ‌MacBook Pro‌ models, but the feature was ultimately discontinued following a lukewarm reception. Rather than positioning the ‌MacBook Pro‌ as a touch-centric device like the ‌iPad‌, Apple is reportedly planning to let users move seamlessly between touch and traditional trackpad or mouse input across the system. This will require updates to macOS to make it more touch friendly, and users will reportedly be able to tap or click on-screen elements, and controls will change based on input method. If a user taps on a menu bar item, for example, it will display a larger set of controls optimized for touch. Thinner Design Gurman has reported that Apple is working to make the OLED MacBook Pro significantly thinner, as part of the company's plan to create "the thinnest and lightest products in their categories across the whole tech industry." (Think the latest iPad Pro and iPad Air – two of the thinnest devices the company has ever made.) Indeed, the reporter has said there's a good chance that the next MacBook Pro model will represent a "true overhaul" for the laptop, thanks to the combination of the OLED display and thinner design. Notably, the MacBook Pro got thicker and heavier with its most recent redesign in 2021. A major highlight was the reintroduction of several ports that were removed in previous iterations in favor of chassis thinness. How Apple will make its redesigned MacBook Pro thinner without removing the functionality it reintroduced fairly recently is the big question. Dynamic Island Apple's highly anticipated OLED MacBook Pro could ditch the current notch for a display cutout potentially similar to the iPhone's Dynamic Island, according to Bloomberg. Such a move would mirror Apple's iPhone evolution, since the iPhone's notch became the current Dynamic Island starting with the iPhone 14 Pro models in 2022. As with the iPhone‌, the Mac ‌Dynamic Island‌ will be interactive and it will contextually expand based on the app or Mac feature in use. The change should address long-standing user complaints about the notch, which physically ingresses into the macOS menu bar. M6 Processor Architecture The redesigned MacBook Pro models are expected to boast M6 Pro and M6 Max chips, which could adopt a completely new packaging based on TSMC's 2nm process that allows components such as the CPU, GPUs, DRAM, and Neural Engine to be more tightly integrated. Terms like "3nm" and "2nm" describe generations of chip manufacturing technology, each with its own set of design rules and architecture. As these numbers decrease, they generally indicate smaller transistor sizes. Smaller transistors allow more to be packed onto a single chip, typically resulting in increased processing speed and improved power efficiency. Based on where the industry's headed, Apple is likely to heavily market the processors as optimized for AI workflows.This article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums

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MacBook Ultra: 5 Features That Could Justify the Name
Reports and rumors suggest the next MacBook Pro that Apple will release might not be a ‌MacBook Pro‌ at all. It could actually be something altogether new and more exciting – a "MacBook Ultra" – positioned above the Pro as Apple's top-tier laptop, suggesting that the current M5 Pro and M5 Max models will remain on sale when it launches. 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). This is likely to bring a markedly higher price point for the new machines. It fits into a broader trend at Apple, where the company is seeking to offer more models at more price points, such as the new MacBook Neo at an unprecedented $599 price point. Below, we've listed the features we are expecting in the MacBook Ultra, which is likely to go on sale either later this year or in early 2027. As things stand, the latter time frame is now looking more likely, owing to the global memory chip shortage. OLED Display Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and analyst Ming-Chi Kuo say Apple is readying OLED technology for these models, and industry reports corroborate their claims. Samsung Display is said to be making the panels, and the supplier has invested heavily in an 8.6-generation OLED production line in South Korea. The line recently reached a key milestone for mass production. The MacBook Pro will utilize hybrid OLED technology, similar to that used in Apple's latest iPad Pro. This display technology combines a glass substrate with thin-film encapsulation, offering improved brightness, contrast, and power efficiency compared to current MacBook Pro models, which use LCD displays with mini-LED backlighting. Touch Screen The new ‌MacBook Pro‌ is expected to become the first Mac to support touch input directly on the display. It's a notable shift from Apple's longstanding position against bringing touchscreen functionality to the Mac. Apple previously experimented with touch controls through the OLED Touch Bar on earlier ‌MacBook Pro‌ models, but the feature was ultimately discontinued following a lukewarm reception. Rather than positioning the ‌MacBook Pro‌ as a touch-centric device like the ‌iPad‌, Apple is reportedly planning to let users move seamlessly between touch and traditional trackpad or mouse input across the system. This will require updates to macOS to make it more touch friendly, and users will reportedly be able to tap or click on-screen elements, and controls will change based on input method. If a user taps on a menu bar item, for example, it will display a larger set of controls optimized for touch. Thinner Design Gurman has reported that Apple is working to make the OLED MacBook Pro significantly thinner, as part of the company's plan to create "the thinnest and lightest products in their categories across the whole tech industry." (Think the latest iPad Pro and iPad Air – two of the thinnest devices the company has ever made.) Indeed, the reporter has said there's a good chance that the next MacBook Pro model will represent a "true overhaul" for the laptop, thanks to the combination of the OLED display and thinner design. Notably, the MacBook Pro got thicker and heavier with its most recent redesign in 2021. A major highlight was the reintroduction of several ports that were removed in previous iterations in favor of chassis thinness. How Apple will make its redesigned MacBook Pro thinner without removing the functionality it reintroduced fairly recently is the big question. Dynamic Island Apple's highly anticipated OLED MacBook Pro could ditch the current notch for a display cutout potentially similar to the iPhone's Dynamic Island, according to Bloomberg. Such a move would mirror Apple's iPhone evolution, since the iPhone's notch became the current Dynamic Island starting with the iPhone 14 Pro models in 2022. As with the iPhone‌, the Mac ‌Dynamic Island‌ will be interactive and it will contextually expand based on the app or Mac feature in use. The change should address long-standing user complaints about the notch, which physically ingresses into the macOS menu bar. M6 Processor Architecture The redesigned MacBook Pro models are expected to boast M6 Pro and M6 Max chips, which could adopt a completely new packaging based on TSMC's 2nm process that allows components such as the CPU, GPUs, DRAM, and Neural Engine to be more tightly integrated. Terms like "3nm" and "2nm" describe generations of chip manufacturing technology, each with its own set of design rules and architecture. As these numbers decrease, they generally indicate smaller transistor sizes. Smaller transistors allow more to be packed onto a single chip, typically resulting in increased processing speed and improved power efficiency. Based on where the industry's headed, Apple is likely to heavily market the processors as optimized for AI workflows.This article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums

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New iOS 27 Rumors Include Revamped AirPods Settings Menu and More
Apple is set to unveil iOS 27 next month ahead of a September release. The update is expected to include a dedicated Siri app, expanded Apple Intelligence capabilities in apps like Wallet, Safari, and Shortcuts, an upgraded keyboard with improved autocorrect, the ability to use Apple Maps via satellite connection, and more. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman revealed four additional iOS 27 changes related to AirPods, Genmoji, AirPlay, and Siri. Here are his latest iOS 27 expectations:A revamped AirPods setting menu that is better organized Improved quality for Genmoji and Image Playground creations The ability to set AirPlay alternatives such as Google Cast as default — possibly EU only A new Siri interface with a dark color scheme, similar to Apple's WWDC 2026 graphicsApple's WWDC 2026 keynote begins on Monday, June 8 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time, so we should learn more about these features in a few weeks.Related Roundups: AirPods 4, iOS 27, WWDC 2026Tags: AirPlay, Bloomberg, Genmoji, Mark GurmanBuyer's Guide: AirPods (Caution)Related Forums: AirPods, Apple, Inc and Tech IndustryThis article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums

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watchOS 27 Will Add These New Features to Your Apple Watch
Apple will unveil watchOS 27 during its WWDC 2026 keynote on Monday, June 8, and a handful of new features have been rumored already. The first developer beta of watchOS 27 should be available immediately following the keynote, and a public beta typically follows in July. The update should be released to all users with a compatible Apple Watch model in September. Below, we recap watchOS 27 rumors so far. Improved Heart Rate Tracking In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said watchOS 27 will include improvements to heart rate tracking, but he did not elaborate. New Modular Watch Face watchOS 27 will add new watch faces, including a variant of the "Modular Ultra" watch face that is currently exclusive to the Apple Watch Ultra, according to Gurman. New Apple Intelligence Features On watchOS 26, the following Apple Intelligence features are available on an Apple Watch when it is paired with an iPhone 15 Pro or newer: Workout Buddy Live Translation in Messages Notification SummariesWhen it announced the dates for WWDC 2026, Apple promised to unveil "AI advancements" across its platforms, and it can be reasonably assumed that watchOS 27 will include some additional Apple Intelligence features powered by the iPhone. New Satellite Features Apple Watch Ultra 3 has built-in satellite connectivity, enabling Emergency SOS, Find My, and Messages via satellite without any reliance on an iPhone. iOS 27 will reportedly include up to five new satellite features, and the following two would likely extend to watchOS 27:Apple Maps via satellite Photos support for Messages via satelliteAmazon last month announced plans to acquire Globalstar, the satellite company that powers Apple's satellite features on the iPhone 14 and newer and the Apple Watch Ultra 3. In turn, Amazon announced that it has signed an agreement with Apple to provide satellite connectivity for current and future iPhone and Apple Watch features. Stability Focus Apple is largely focused on "stability, performance, and smaller refinements" for watchOS 27, rather than on major new features and capabilities, according to Gurman. This suggests that the update could include many bug fixes.Related Roundups: Apple Watch 11, watchOS 26Tags: Bloomberg, Mark GurmanBuyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Caution)Related Forum: Apple WatchThis article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums

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Anker 3-in-1 Prime Wireless Charging Station Drops to $104.99 on Amazon
Anker's Prime 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Station is still available for $104.99 on Amazon this weekend, down from $149.99. This is one of Anker's newest accessories, and Amazon's sale today is a match of the all-time low price. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running. The Prime 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Station features Qi2.2 support, which lets a compatible MagSafe ‌iPhone‌ charge at up to 25W. It's the same speed as Apple's ‌MagSafe‌ charger, and it is 10W faster than the standard Qi2 ‌MagSafe‌ chargers. You can also simultaneously charge an Apple Watch and AirPods with the device. $45 OFFAnker Prime 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Station for $104.99 There are plenty of other Anker discounts happening on Amazon this week, including Anker's Prime 14-in-1 Docking Station for $339.98, down from $399.99. Below you'll find a list of the best Anker discounts on Amazon this week, also including wall chargers, portable chargers, and more. $60 OFFAnker Prime 14-in-1 Docking Station for $339.98 Wall Chargers Nano USB-C Wall Charger - $29.99, down from $39.99 140W 4-Port GaN USB-C Charger - $79.99, down from $99.99 160W 3-Port Compact Charger - $105.99, down from $149.99 Wireless Chargers 3-in-1 MagSafe-Compatible UFO Charger - $69.99, down from $89.99 3-in-1 MagSafe-Compatible Foldable Charging Station - $85.99, down from $109.99 3-in-1 MagSafe-Compatible Charging Cube - $89.99, down from $129.99 3-in-1 Prime Wireless Charging Station - $104.99, down from $149.99 Prime MagSafe-Compatible 3-in-1 Charging Station - $159.99, down from $229.99 Portable Chargers MagGo Power Bank 10,000 mAh - $63.99, down from $79.99 SOLIX C300 Power Station with Lantern - $169.99, down from $249.00 Prime Power Bank 26,250 mAh - $171.48, down from $229.99 SOLIX C1000 Gen 2 Portable Power Station - $499.99, down from $799.00 SOLIX C2000 Gen 2 Portable Power Station - $799.99, down from $1,499.00 If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week. Deals Newsletter Interested in hearing more about the best deals you can find in 2026? Sign up for our Deals Newsletter and we'll keep you updated so you don't miss the biggest deals of the season! Related Roundup: Apple DealsThis article, "" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums

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United Kingdom SMS Carrier Maintenance – O2
THIS IS A SCHEDULED EVENT May 26, 13:30 PDT  -  May 29, 22:00 PDTMay 20, 04:38 PDTScheduled - The O2 network in the United Kingdom is conducting a planned maintenance from 26 May 2026 at 13:30 PDT until 29 May 2026 at 22:00 PDT. During the maintenance window, there could be intermittent delays delivering SMS to and from O2 United Kingdom handsets.

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United Kingdom SMS Carrier Maintenance – BT OnePhone
THIS IS A SCHEDULED EVENT May 21, 14:00 - 20:00 PDTMay 20, 02:59 PDTScheduled - The BT OnePhone network in the United Kingdom is conducting a planned maintenance from 21 May 2026 at 14:00 PDT until 21 May 2026 at 20:00 PDT. During the maintenance window, there could be intermittent delays delivering SMS to and from BT OnePhone United Kingdom handsets.

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MIA (Miami) on 2026-05-21
THIS IS A SCHEDULED EVENT May 21, 05:30 - 11:30 UTCMay 20, 07:16 UTCScheduled - We will be performing scheduled maintenance in MIA (Miami) datacenter on 2026-05-21 between 05:30 and 11:30 UTC.Traffic might be re-routed from this location, hence there is a possibility of a slight increase in latency during this maintenance window for end-users in the affected region. For PNI / CNI customers connecting with us in this location, please make sure you are expecting this traffic to fail over elsewhere during this maintenance window as network interfaces in this datacentre may become temporarily unavailable.You can now subscribe to these notifications via Cloudflare dashboard and receive these updates directly via email, PagerDuty and webhooks (based on your plan): https://developers.cloudflare.com/notifications/notification-available/#cloudflare-status.

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Japan SMS Carrier Maintenance – NTT docomo
THIS IS A SCHEDULED EVENT May 23, 08:00 - 14:00 PDTMay 19, 22:46 PDTScheduled - The NTT docomo network in Japan is conducting a planned maintenance from 23 May 2026 at 08:00 PDT until 23 May 2026 at 14:00 PDT. During the maintenance window, there could be intermittent delays delivering SMS to and from NTT docomo Japan handsets.

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Netherlands SMS Carrier Maintenance – KPN
THIS IS A SCHEDULED EVENT Jun 4, 15:05 - 17:00 PDTMay 19, 20:40 PDTScheduled - The KPN network in the Netherlands is conducting a planned maintenance from 04 June 2026 at 15:05 PDT until 04 June 2026 at 17:00 PDT. During the maintenance window, there could be intermittent delays delivering SMS to KPN Netherlands handsets.

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United States SMS and MMS Carrier Maintenance – T-Mobile
THIS IS A SCHEDULED EVENT May 21, 20:00 PDT  -  May 22, 04:00 PDTMay 19, 19:43 PDTScheduled - The T-Mobile network in the United States is conducting a planned maintenance from 21 May 2026 at 20:00 PDT until 22 May 2026 at 04:00 PDT. During the maintenance window, there could be intermittent delays delivering SMS and MMS to and from T-Mobile United States handsets when sending via long codes and short codes.

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UPDATE: **Summary** NotebookLM customers are experiencing an issue where account tiers are being incorrectly downgraded. Affected Ultra & Pro tier users are seeing Free tier features. **Description** We are continuing to investigate an issue with NotebookLM where customers may experience a temporary downgrade in their account tier. Our engineering team has identified a potential root cause related to a recent software update and is currently working on a mitigation plan. We will provide an update by Tuesday, 2026-05-19 20:30 PDT with current details. **Customer Symtomps** Customers may notice lower resource limits (e.g., hitting limits for Studio artifacts, source count per notebook, etc) and the absence of premium features like advanced sharing and analytics. **Workaround** None at this time
Incident began at 2026-05-19 22:29 (times are in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC)).Summary NotebookLM customers are experiencing an issue where account tiers are being incorrectly downgraded. Affected Ultra & Pro tier users are seeing Free tier features. Description We are continuing to investigate an issue with NotebookLM where customers may experience a temporary downgrade in their account tier. Our engineering team has identified a potential root cause related to a recent software update and is currently working on a mitigation plan. We will provide an update by Tuesday, 2026-05-19 20:30 PDT with current details. Customer Symtomps Customers may notice lower resource limits (e.g., hitting limits for Studio artifacts, source count per notebook, etc) and the absence of premium features like advanced sharing and analytics. Workaround None at this time Affected products: NotebookLM

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Customer with a large number of app restrictions cannot manage custom actions.
Status: MonitoringOur Engineering team is currently monitoring reports indicating that Enterprise users with a high number of app restrictions (over 100) are unable to modify or manage custom actions. Affected users will see the following error when viewing custom actions. We couldn't determine whether this app is restricted. Please try again in a moment. We'll continue to keep our customers informed as we identify the root cause and resolve the issue.

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Cloudflare Access AI control – MCP server creation impacted
May 19, 22:09 UTCUpdate - We are continuing to investigate this issue.May 19, 21:59 UTCInvestigating - Customers may experience issue adding new MCP Servers or authenticating existing ones through the Zero Trust Dash

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PHX (Phoenix) on 2026-05-21
THIS IS A SCHEDULED EVENT May 21, 09:00 - 11:00 UTCMay 19, 21:40 UTCScheduled - We will be performing scheduled maintenance in PHX (Phoenix) datacenter on 2026-05-21 between 09:00 and 11:00 UTC.Traffic might be re-routed from this location, hence there is a possibility of a slight increase in latency during this maintenance window for end-users in the affected region. For PNI / CNI customers connecting with us in this location, please make sure you are expecting this traffic to fail over elsewhere during this maintenance window as network interfaces in this datacentre may become temporarily unavailable.You can now subscribe to these notifications via Cloudflare dashboard and receive these updates directly via email, PagerDuty and webhooks (based on your plan): https://developers.cloudflare.com/notifications/notification-available/#cloudflare-status.

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United Kingdom Account Security Carrier Partner Maintenance – EE
THIS IS A SCHEDULED EVENT May 21, 14:00 - 21:00 PDTMay 19, 13:44 PDTScheduled - Our carrier partner EE United Kingdom is conducting a planned maintenance from 21 May 2026 at 14:00 PDT until 21 May 2026 at 21:00 PDT. During the maintenance window, there could be intermittent API request failures for EE United Kingdom customers.Impacted Products: Verify Silent Network Auth, Lookup Identity Match, Lookup SIM Swap, Legacy Identity MatchAndAttributes

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Russia SMS Carrier Maintenance – MegaFon
THIS IS A SCHEDULED EVENT May 21, 13:00 - 17:00 PDTMay 19, 13:38 PDTScheduled - The MegaFon network in Russia is conducting a planned maintenance from 21 May 2026 at 13:00 PDT until 21 May 2026 at 17:00 PDT. During the maintenance window, there could be intermittent delays delivering SMS to MegaFon Russia handsets.

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Emerging Service Issue – GPU Deployment
May 19, 19:48 UTCIdentified - Our team is investigating an emerging service issue affecting GPU provisioning in all regions. At this time deployment of RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell plans in unavailable. We will share additional updates as we have more information.

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Intermittent Cloudflare Dashboard SSO login failures with Okta
May 19, 19:16 UTCInvestigating - Cloudflare is investigating reports of intermittent authentication failures when logging into the Cloudflare Dashboard using SSO with Okta as the identity provider. Affected users may see a "failed to fetch" error during the login process.Dashboard access via other identity providers and direct username/password login are not currently reported as affected. Cloudflare Access application authentication is not currently reported as affected.Cloudflare Engineering is actively investigating the issue and will provide updates as more information becomes available.

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Cloudflare Dashboard and Cloudflare API service issues
May 19, 15:54 UTCMonitoring - A fix has been implemented and we are monitoring the results.May 19, 15:36 UTCIdentified - Cloudflare is investigating issues with Cloudflare Dashboard and related APIs. These issues do not affect the serving of cached files via the Cloudflare CDN or other security features at the Cloudflare Edge. Customers using the Dashboard / Cloudflare APIs are impacted as requests might fail and/or errors may be displayed.

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