Apple is gearing up for one of the biggest overhauls in the history of the iPhone not just in how the device looks and works, but also in when it gets released. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the company is entering a three-year transformation that will completely reshape its most important product.
The shift began this September with the launch of the iPhone Air and redesigned iPhone 17 Pro models. But this is only the start. Next year, Apple plans to debut its first foldable iPhone, a device that has been in development for years. And in 2027, Apple will go even further with a brand-new high-end model featuring a curved glass display and an under-screen camera.
What’s just as significant is how Apple plans to release these products. Since 2011, the company has followed a predictable annual fall launch. But that schedule — once an advantage because it lined up with holiday shopping — has become a burden. Cramming all major releases into one season strained Apple’s engineering teams, overloaded suppliers, and left little room for revenue growth during the rest of the year.
Starting in 2026, Apple will move to a two-phase cycle. High-end models like the iPhone 18 Pro, Pro Max and the foldable will arrive in the fall. About six months later, the mid-tier lineup — including the iPhone 18, iPhone 18e and possibly an updated iPhone Air — will follow. With this approach, Apple could launch five to six iPhones every year and avoid the huge annual traffic jam of the past.
The iPhone Air, which kicked off this transformation, wasn’t designed to be a big seller. Internally, Apple only expected it to account for about 6%–8% of new iPhone sales, similar to the iPhone 16 Plus it replaced. The device is more of a stepping stone toward Apple’s foldable future, using many of the same miniaturisation techniques and internal components. Early reports suggested its next version had been delayed, but Gurman says Apple never planned a 2026 update anyway — the big change for the second-generation Air will be a power-efficient 2-nanometer chip.
Beyond the iPhone, Apple is rethinking other parts of its lineup too. The Mac Pro, once a favourite among creative professionals, is effectively being pushed aside. Apple’s focus has shifted to the Mac Studio, which now represents its long-term strategy for pro desktops. The Mac Pro won’t likely get a major update until the M5 Ultra chip — and even that may be exclusive to the Studio.
Meanwhile, Tesla is finally preparing to add Apple CarPlay, a move Elon Musk resisted for years. But with global EV competition rising and Tesla relying heavily on Apple’s ecosystem, the company is giving in — something many iPhone-using Tesla owners have been waiting for.
And inside Apple, a major leadership era has ended. Jeff Williams, the longtime chief operating officer and one of the most influential figures in the company after Tim Cook, has officially wrapped up his time at Apple. His responsibilities have been handed over to other senior leaders, marking the biggest executive shift since Jony Ive’s departure.
As Apple spreads out its launches, enters the foldable race and reorganises its leadership, one thing is clear: the company is preparing for a very different kind of future — one where the iPhone remains at the centre, but everything around it is changing too.
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