Apparently Apple is about to release a monster with an 18-inch screen, an M4 Ultra and a price tag like a cast-iron bridge.
⚡️ Reality: according to leaks and Apple's internal logic — a myth. This year the company is focused on updating the MacBook Pro with the M4 Pro/Max. The Ultra line, historically, lives in the desktop Mac Studio and Mac Pro. Why? The Ultra chip is two Max chips in one package. Squeezing that kind of furnace into a slim laptop body means either throttling or a fan that will take off along with the laptop.
📉 Forecast: if the Ultra does appear in a laptop, it won't be before 2025–2026, when Apple sorts out the cooling. For now, the “MacBook Ultra” is a nice fantasy, but not a reason to sit without work on an old MacBook.
🛠 And if your current MacBook is already hinting that it's time to change something — you don't have to wait for the mythical Ultra. Sometimes all it takes is a diagnostic, a clean and a couple of upgrades to make it fly again.