Apple Loop: Final iPhone 18 Pro Details, iPhone Ultra Delays, MacBook Ultra Teased

Taking a look back at this week's news and headlines from across the Apple world, including John Ternus' first CEO memo, iPhone 18 Pro colors, New iPhone Pre-orders, iPhone Ultra delays, MacBook Ultra teased, Devs can drop Intel, and Apple's Brand Hall Of Fame induction.

Apple Loop is here to remind you of a few of the many discussions around Apple in the last seven days. You can also read my weekly digest of Android news here on Forbes .

John Ternus Becomes CEO Of Apple

At the start of September, John Ternus took over as CEO of Apple. His memo ot staff was short and to the point, thanking Tim Cook as he steps down, thanking staff for their work ahead of next week's iPhone launch, and promising more is to come. Chance Miller reports :

"I'm just as excited about what lies beyond that, including the incredible products already in the works and the ones we haven't even imagined yet that we'll dream up and create together. There's no team in the world I'd rather build the future with. More to come. In the meantime, thanks for your excellent work!"

The All-Important iPhone 18 Pro Colors

Although many will be watching the increased specs and benchmarking of the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro family, there's a strong cohort that will look to fashion first, so the colors of the new smartphones will be an important piece of marketing. The long-suspected Dark Cherry will be the signature color, but what else can we expect? Forbes contributor David Phelan investigates :

"Just a week ago, color predictions included silver, suggesting it would be the one color that carried over from the current iPhone 17 Pro range, even if it turned out to be a different variant of silver. The third color would be Sky Blue, which fits with the dominant shade in the Apple special event invite, something that Mark Gurman from Bloomberg had insisted was there to evoke the light blue iPhone that would follow.

When Can You Give Apple Your Money?

Apple has confirmed the upcoming launch event; when the announced products will go on sale remains to be seen. Given Apple's love of order and the predictability of the launch event, the pre-order window and release date are expected to follow a similar pattern, although there is one point to note on the traditional Friday pre-orders, as David Phelan continues to preview next week's marquee moment :

"Friday is Sept. 11, and not just any Sept. 11 but the 25th anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attack. So, out of respect, Apple is avoiding the date. But only just. Instead of opening pre-orders at 5 a.m., it's predicted to do so in the first seconds of Saturday, Sept. 12, that is, at 12 midnight Pacific. This works out to 3 a.m. Eastern, 8 a.m. U.K."

iPhone Ultra's Curiously Challenging Release

Three phones are expected next week. The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are iterative designs, and production will not have thrown up any surprises. The foldable iPhone Ultra might be different, with new techniques and construction all feeding into a more challenging process. Does that mean that the retail release will be delayed? It's unlikely, but you might see very limited availability and long shipping times. Nevertheless, Apple's first foldable will show up on time :

"There have been conflicting reports for months, but the latest from 9to5Mac suggests that there's no real certainty even now, a week out. My gut feeling is that unless there's a last-minute jitter, the foldable iPhone will be announced on Sept. 9. And it will go on sale on Sept. 18 along with the iPhone 18 Pro."

What Comes After Neo, Air and Pro If You Are A MacBook?

Omidia is reporting a shake-up in Apple's MacBook plans for 2027 and beyond. The intention to move the laptops (along with the full range of iPads) to OLED requires inventory management, which looks to be at the heart of the rescheduling of the new product. It's worth noting the potential early release of a MacBook Ultra with an OLED display in both 14- and 16-inch variants.

"The 14.3- and 16.3-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ ‌OLED‌ models, also referred to as the "MacBook Ultra," are expected to be announced in the second half of 2026 or early 2027. Omdia added that Apple will not discontinue the existing mini-LED ‌MacBook Pro‌ models in those sizes when the high-end ‌OLED‌ versions arrive, and the two display types are expected to sell in parallel for several years, with the mini-LED version likely continuing until at least 2028."

Go Ahead And Drop Intel, macOS Devs, It's Fine

The long transition between Intel architecture and Apple Silicon architecture on the Mac is entering its final stages. The compatibility Apple fought hard to support when the M1 was introduced has essentially been removed. Developers are no longer mandated to support Intel Macs with either releases or updates. Juli Clover has Apple's statement :

"We're reaching out to let you know that universal macOS apps on the Mac App Store that require macOS 13 or later can now remove support for Intel-based Mac computers. By removing support for Intel-based Mac computers, you can simplify your development and optimize your download and on-device size."

And Finally…

The One Club For Creativity has announced its own Brand Hall of Fame, with Apple as the first inducte e . Citing numerous campaigns through its history, including the 1984 Super Bowl advert and the Think Different series of commercials, acknowledging the honor was one of Tim Cook's final moments as CEO:

"It's an incredible honor for Apple to join the Creative Hall of Fame, because imagination is woven into everything we do. It drives how we innovate, how we design, and how we work every day to empower people everywhere to create their own extraordinary things," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO. "We're grateful to be recognized by an institution that has championed creative voices for so many generations."

Apple Loop brings you seven days worth of highlights every weekend here on Forbes. Don't forget to follow me so you don't miss any coverage in the future. Last week's Apple Loop can be read here , or this week's edition of Loop's sister column, Android Circuit, is also available on Forbes .

This article was originally published on Forbes.com