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'MacBook Ultra' May Drive Industry Shift to Hybrid OLED Laptop Displays

Apple's upcoming OLED MacBook Pro – aka "MacBook Ultra" – is expected to be the primary driver of a hybrid OLED laptop display market worth $4 billion this year, according to a new Omdia research report ($).


The report corroborates rumors that Apple's first OLED MacBook will use a hybrid OLED architecture combining oxide TFT (thin-film transistor) and tandem OLED layers. The combination is already used in Apple's iPad Pro models, and offers higher brightness, improved power efficiency, and longer lifespan compared with conventional single-stack OLED panels.

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.

It will be the first time the combination has been used for a laptop in the 14-inch and 16-inch range, and Apple's adoption is expected to pull the rest of the OLED laptop industry in the same direction. Omdia estimates that hybrid OLED panels will account for 12.6% of all OLED laptop shipments in 2026, rising dramatically to 89.5% by 2033.

Omdia says manufacturers are already exploring new patterning methods for large OLED panels. In addition to the established Fine Metal Mask (FMM) process, it says technologies such as inkjet printing (IJP) and fine photolithography mask (FPM) are being developed to improve production efficiency for larger screens.


Apple's first OLED MacBook Pro will also feature a touchscreen display, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. The claim has been corroborated by Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, who also says the laptops will have "thinner and lighter frames." Apple is apparently focusing on delivering the thinnest possible device without compromising on battery life or major new features. That might also mean a higher price point and a new "Ultra" tier for the laptop.

The redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models are also expected to have a hole-punch camera at the top of the display, and it could potentially be housed in a pill-shaped cutout similar to the iPhone's Dynamic Island, rather than the notch MacBook Pro owners are accustomed to. Gurman says the machines will be powered by M6 chips and are being readied for a late 2026 or early 2027 launch. As things stand, the latter time frame is now looking more likely, owing to the global memory chip shortage.
Related Roundup: MacBook Pro
Tags: OLED, Omdia
Buyer's Guide: MacBook Pro (Buy Now)
Related Forum: MacBook Pro

This article, "'MacBook Ultra' May Drive Industry Shift to Hybrid OLED Laptop Displays" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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iPhone 18 Pro: Dark Cherry, Light Blue, and Dark Gray Chassis Leaked [Update]

Update: Since publication, new information has come to light suggesting the images have been AI-manipulated and are not in fact iPhone 18 Pro chassis parts. The original article follows.




The color options Apple is reportedly planning for the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro and β€ŒiPhone 18 Proβ€Œ Max have appeared online today in the form of images of chassis parts of unknown authenticity.


Shared by the account name "yeux1122" on the Korean-langauge Naver blog, the images show what appear to be production-ready frames for three of the four colors Apple is rumored to be planning.

Multiple rumors have suggested Apple is testing a deep red finish for the iPhone 18 Pro models, and the color is expected to be the special color that Apple chooses in 2026, similar to Cosmic Orange for iPhone 17 Pro.


Two other colors Apple is said to be planning are Light Blue and Dark Gray. Apple may also offer the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max in Silver, though that color isn't shown in these pictures. Macworld previously shared what it said were Pantone codes for the four colors Apple is testing.

The four colors have also been spotted in the first iPhone 18 Pro dummy models to leak, providing another look at the shades Apple is likely to use.


The iPhone 18 Pro models are expected to be unveiled this September alongside Apple's first foldable iPhone, which will have its own set of color finishes that are likely to be more muted, with silver, white, and indigo rumored so far.
Related Roundup: iPhone 18 Pro
Tag: Naver

This article, "iPhone 18 Pro: Dark Cherry, Light Blue, and Dark Gray Chassis Leaked [Update]" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple's New Ad Pitches Safari as a More Private Alternative to Chrome

Apple has published a new ad to appeal to customers who prioritize privacy when browsing, suggesting that Safari is the one you should use if you want to "Keep data trackers off your back."


In a new Privacy on iPhone segment titled "Safari helps block data trackers," the ad shows users of rival phones in everyday situations having to live with data trackers as they browse. The trackers are depicted as people in chrome-colored suits (get it?) who generally follow them around wherever they go to look at their screen – and in some cases literally sit on their shoulders to get a better view.

Apple on its website calls privacy a "fundamental human right," and highlights several features that Chrome doesn't come with out of the box. Safari blocks third-party cookies by default, uses machine learning to combat tracking, removes tracking parameters from URLs in Private Browsing, hides your IP address from known trackers, prevents web extensions from accessing your browsing activity by default, and blocks known trackers in Private Browsing.
This article, "Apple's New Ad Pitches Safari as a More Private Alternative to Chrome" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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iPhone 18 Pro Max Device Thickness Allegedly Revealed

Apple's upcoming iPhone 18 Pro Max will be the same thickness as its predecessor, measuring in at 8.75mm. The latest information comes from Weibo-based leaker Ice Universe.


The leaker suggested that the lack of evolution in Apple's Pro lineup this year is because most of the company's development focus has been on the "iPhone Ultra," its rumored foldable model.

The latest claim comes as somewhat of a surprise, given that the same leaker in March said the device would be slightly thicker than the iPhone 17 Pro Max. That chimed with a report last year alleging hardware changes in the iPhone 18 Pro Max will make it the heaviest iPhone yet.

Last November, fellow Weibo-based leaker Instant Digital said the iPhone 18 Pro Max will be slightly heavier than its predecessor, tipping its weight over 240 grams and making it the heaviest iPhone since the iPhone 14 Pro Max.

Of course, if the new model does turn out to have the same thickness, this doesn't necessarily mean its weight won't change either. The device's heaviness could still be impacted by internal hardware changes.

Digital Chat Station – another Weibo-based leaker – has claimed the iPhone 18 Pro Max will feature a bigger battery, with a capacity in the range of 5,100 to 5,200 mAh (up from 5,088 mAh in the eSim version of the iPhone 17 Pro Max).

If so, Apple may have reconfigured the internal design or miniaturized aspects of it in order to accommodate the larger battery without altering the device's thickness. Apple isn't expected to change the screen size of the iPhone 18 Pro Max, and it will feature the same 6.9-inch display as the current model.

The β€Œβ€ŒiPhone 18β€Œβ€Œ Pro and iPhone 18β€Œβ€Œ Pro Max may feature a possibly smaller Dynamic Island, along with a next-generation C2 modem, a simplified Camera Control, and an upgraded main camera with a variable aperture. The devices are expected to be unveiled around mid-September alongside the foldable iPhone.
Related Roundup: iPhone 18 Pro

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Apple's Overhauled Siri Will Reportedly Run on Nvidia's Blackwell Chips

Apple will rely on Google's fleet of Nvidia chips to power its overhauled version of Siri when it launches in September, according to a new report from The Information.


Last week, the outlet reported that Apple plans to highlight the on-device AI capabilities of its devices at WWDC next week, but queries that require cloud-based processing will still fall back on one of Google's large Gemini models, as per an agreement between the two companies.

Today's report adds some specificity to the planned cloud setup by revealing that Apple will tap into Google's fleet of Nvidia Blackwell B200 data center chips, where user data will be encrypted using Nvidia's hardware-based confidential compute feature. Introduced in 2024 as the successor to Hopper, Blackwell chips are designed primarily for large language models, and can dramatically speed up AI training and inference compared to the previous generation.

The report notes that the arrangement diverges from Apple's usual strategy of "attempting to control all the critical ingredients to its products." It also adds that it's unclear how Apple's previously launched server system, called Private Cloud Compute, will fit into the upcoming Siri launch.

Private Cloud Compute runs on Apple's Mac-series chips and was announced two years ago as a way to offer cloud-based computing in a more private and secure fashion. Apple reportedly tried to get a modified version of Gemini working on its in-house server system, but found that it ran too slowly. The publication's previous report said Apple will likely retain the Private Cloud Compute branding despite the change.

Apple Intelligence was unveiled at WWDC 2024, but its rollout has been overshadowed by a lukewarm reception to its initial features and ongoing delays to the more personalized version of Siri. WWDC 2026 begins on June 8, when Apple is expected to reset the narrative by revisiting those delayed features and introducing new AI capabilities.
This article, "Apple's Overhauled Siri Will Reportedly Run on Nvidia's Blackwell Chips" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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