not calm Apple didn’t announce the iPhone Ultra while you took a nap or you were on your way home from work. At the moment, the catalog is still made up of the four models you already know, iPhone, iPhone Plus, iPhone Pro and iPhone Pro Max. And why not Plus and Pro Plus, or Max and Pro Max? Well, that’s a question I’d like to answer, but the truth is I can’t, although I bet Cupertino could spend hours on a dissertation explaining why.

But where did the iPhone Ultra come from? Well, once again we have to talk about Mark Gurman, a market analyst specializing in Apple, who, even if he occasionally makes a mistake, is usually completely correct in his procedures and predictions, so we can understand that he has more than one man from the inside in Cupertino.

In his latest newsletter, he states a hypothesis that is more than feasible, and which also fully coincides with the analysis of smartphone price developments carried out this morning by my colleague Isidro. For Apple, but also for other manufacturers, it happens that the price of high-end smartphones has risen significantly above what the economic indicators that could justify the mentioned price increase have done.

It’s true that there have been improvements in the materials and components used, but it’s also the case that the sense of perceived value has skyrocketed over the years, at least in part because mobile phones are adding more and more features. Are there other reasons for this? More than likely they do, but I personally find them inferior.

The hypothesis, returning to Gurman’s text, is that AApple is considering launching the iPhone Ultra by 2024. And in case you were wondering, no, it’s not a Pro Max name change, but a fifth model that would be above the four that currently exist. And when I say it would be above it, I mean the specs and benefits, maybe its screen size (although I can’t see that clearly) and most of all the price.

Before we continue, we must note that the models with 265 gigabytes of storage iPhone 14 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra they cost 1,599 euros and 1,409 euros. But Apple thinks people may be willing to pay even more. And that’s not speculation based on his actions, but something that Tim Cook recently acknowledged in Apple’s earnings presentation. At that meeting, and when asked if the increase in the average selling price of the iPhone was sustainable, he said that the price increase was not a problem and that in fact consumers could probably be persuaded to spend more.

Now, how could Apple convince its potential customers to consider approaching or even breaking the $2,000 and/or Euro psychological barrier to get an iPhone Ultra? The answer to this question can be found in the latest addition to the company’s catalogApple Watch Ultra.

If we look again at the prices, now for the smartwatch we see that the price of the Series 8 starts at 499 euros, a price that is multiplied by two for the Ultra model, which starts at 999 euros. It is clear that this increase can only be sustained with an increase in features and functions, but also in design, materials (such as the titanium used to make the case) and, of course, the aura of exclusivity with which the brand knows how to cover everything. her products… if you’re interested.

Another thing that Apple is very good at is raising the bar on the high end.and in this regard, with the permission of the foldable iPhone Ultra devices, it would play the trick, reformulating what we hope to find when we talk about cutting-edge, both in design, materials and functions, opening a path that over time , other manufacturers will surely follow. Of course, the key will be to choose the perfect combination so that, as Tim Cook suggests, this increase in price is not a problem for customers.