All articles tagged with #ming chi kuo
Analysts expect the iPhone 18 Pro to cost significantly more than the iPhone 17 Pro due to RAM/storage shortages, a more advanced camera, and the A20 Pro chip, with price increases around $250–$300 and starting prices near $1,299–$1,399 for the Pro (and similar for the Pro Max), to be announced at Apple's upcoming event.
Analyst Ming‑Chi Kuo says Apple's first foldable iPhone, likely named the Ultra, will be announced in September with the iPhone 18 Pro lineup but won’t ship for about a month. He pegs the Ultra’s price at roughly $2,300–$2,500—about double the iPhone 17 Pro Max—and despite the high cost, he expects strong demand that could cause immediate sellouts and 4–6 week delivery times through year-end.
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says Apple’s foldable iPhone Ultra will launch with severely limited stock (about 7–8 million units for 2H26, 0.5–1 million in Q3), making a September release unlikely. Delivery could take 4–6 weeks or longer, with December availability at best, and scalpers pricing the device 50–100% above retail; full availability is expected to improve by early 2027.
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says Apple's foldable iPhone, reportedly named iPhone Ultra, will be unveiled alongside the iPhone 18 Pro/Max but pre-orders may not begin until late 2026 due to manufacturing challenges; price is expected around $2,299–$2,499, with suppliers shipping roughly 7–8 million foldables in 2026 versus 20–22 million iPhone 18 Pro models, and a September reveal with October availability is likely, echoing the iPhone X launch timeline.
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggests Apple will pivot from the bulky Vision Pro toward lightweight AR glasses aimed at broad adoption, with a display-less model due in 2027 and a display-enabled version not arriving until 2029; Vision Pro itself may be deprioritized or out of active development. The glasses are expected to run different OSes based on whether they’re connected to a Mac or iPhone, and Apple’s move to a 2nm silicon process could enable thinner form factors, though battery life and public acceptance remain hurdles.
Apple is refocusing its spatial-computing strategy, canceling plans for a second Vision Pro and the lighter Vision Air, and concentrating on two smart-glasses projects: AI-powered glasses expected in 2027 and display-based AR glasses with optical waveguides not before 2029. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman adds that Vision Pro 2 may be in testing but the category is effectively on ice as John Ternus takes the helm.
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reports Apple has drastically trimmed its Vision lineup, leaving only two active projects: display-less AI glasses (2027) and display-equipped AR/XR glasses (2029), with the overhaul reportedly signed off by John Ternus; the Vision Pro successor appears off the roadmap for now, and WWDC is anticipated to reveal more about visionOS 27.
Apple’s budget MacBook Neo is selling far faster than expected, with Tim Cook calling demand “off the charts” and analyst Ming-Chi Kuo saying shipments doubled from 5 million to 10 million in 2026 after its March launch. IDC data corroborates strong sales, and Dell notes competitive pressure. Priced from $599 and powered by the A18 Pro, the Neo aims to widen MacBook adoption, with a second generation teased for 2027 featuring 12GB of RAM.
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max will use a new variable-aperture camera lens that is roughly 50% more expensive than the main camera in the iPhone 17 Pro, boosting Apple’s bill of materials. Sunny Optical is ramping up as a CCM supplier, production is underway, and Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 18 Pro lineup this fall alongside a foldable iPhone, with future modules moving toward COB packaging.
OpenAI is reportedly fast-tracking a ChatGPT-enabled smartphone for mass production in early 2027, running a customized MediaTek Dimensity 9600 with an enhanced ISP, possibly LPDDR6 memory and UFS 5.0 storage, and a dual-NPU AI compute architecture; supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo projects around 30 million units in 2027–28.
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says OpenAI is fast-tracking an AI agent smartphone with mass production targeted for the first half of 2027, using a customized Dimensity 9600 from MediaTek with Luxshare as the exclusive maker; the device is described as having two AI processors, advanced HDR imaging, fast memory/storage, and strong security, with potential shipments around 30 million by 2027–2028 as OpenAI seeks tighter OS/hardware integration to power its AI agent ecosystem amid IPO considerations and rising market competition.
Bloomberg reports Apple will introduce OLED to the MacBook Pro first (late 2026/early 2027) while an OLED MacBook Air isn’t expected until 2028 or 2029, due to the high cost and scaling challenges of large OLED panels. The company aims to move OLED across flagship Macs and iPads over time, but Air-sized OLEDs won’t arrive for several years. An interim mini-LED update isn’t currently supported by rumors.
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says Apple’s next MacBook Pro will receive a major OLED upgrade, a thinner design with touchscreen and Dynamic Island, and M6 Pro/Max chips built on TSMC’s 2nm process, with a release window in late 2026 to early 2027 and potential positioning above the Pro as a new 'MacBook Ultra'; the MacBook Air is expected to gain OLED later in 2028–2029.
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says the second-generation MacBook Neo, Apple’s budget MacBook starting at $599 with the A18 Pro chip, could add a touchscreen in 2027. The first Neo lacked touch; a high-end MacBook Pro with an OLED touchscreen is expected later this year, using on-cell touch tech. If macOS 27 supports touch, other MacBooks may follow suit, expanding touch into more of Apple’s lineup.
Rumors claim Apple will launch a higher-end AirPods Pro 3 with tiny infrared cameras for in-air gesture control and tighter integration with Apple Intelligence and Vision Pro, possibly priced around $299–$349 and offered alongside a standard AirPods Pro 3 SKU with/without ANC, with a launch window likely September or October this year.