Next year’s iPhone could introduce a change to Apple’s naming convention. According to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, the company could name its largest and most expensive device the iPhone 15 Ultra by 2023, rather than the iPhone 15 Pro Max as you might expect given its recent track record. The shift reportedly coincides with the iPhone’s most significant redesign since Apple released the iPhone 12 in 2019. Gurman expects the iPhone 15 to have USB-C, among other “big changes.”
Apple’s smartphone line has undergone a number of brand changes over the years. In the early days of the iPhone, when the company released a substantial update every two years, iterative models bore an “S” designation. Since 2019 and diversifying the line with separate mainstream and premium variants, the company has used the “Pro” and “Pro Max” designations to market its most advanced phones. Additionally, earlier this year saw the return of the Plus branding, which Apple hadn’t used since 2017. It would make sense to drop Pro Max in favor of Ultra since the Apple Watch line now includes an Ultra model.
The iPhone 15 rumor mill has already produced some interesting predictions. Gurman previously reported that Apple was testing USB-C iPhones before the European Union implemented a law requiring all new smartphones made after 2024 to have the port. More recently, display analyst Ross Young said the entire iPhone 15 line would have the Dynamic Island display cutout from the iPhone 14 Pro.
Looking to the more near future, Gurman also wrote today that Apple may not hold another event this fall. He says the company plans to announce new Mac mini, MacBook Pro and iPad Pro models before the end of the year. However, since these will be mostly iterative updates to existing devices, Gurman suggests Apple is “more likely” to share the existence of those products with the world through a series of press releases.
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