Apple 2026: The Year Everything Changes — Leadership, Foldables, and Touch Macs
Inside Apple’s biggest evolution yet—new leaders, groundbreaking devices, and the innovations set to define the next era.
If 2025 felt like a holding pattern—a year marked by incremental updates and “good enough” hardware—brace yourself for what’s next. The past twelve months delivered solid improvements, but lacked the seismic shifts that signal Apple at its innovative best. The iPhone Air was enjoyable but hardly groundbreaking. Promises made in 2024’s software roadmaps took longer than anticipated to reach users.
Now, the outlook for 2026 is dramatically different. The calm has ended.
This is shaping up to be a transformational year—one that will reshape Apple’s leadership, redefine its hardware lineup, and finally deliver on the AI potential that’s been building for years. From the executive suite to the entry-level MacBook, here’s why 2026 could go down as one of the most pivotal years in Apple history.
The Changing of the Guard: Leadership in Transition
The biggest story of 2026 might not be a product. It could be the transition of power at the very top of Apple.
Since Steve Jobs’ passing, Apple has enjoyed an era of executive stability, comforting investors and propelling the company to unprecedented value. But that generation of leaders—many of whom rose to prominence alongside Jobs—are now nearing the ends of their tenures. We witnessed the first departures in 2025; those, it seems, were only the initial tremors.
The Tim Cook Succession Plan
With Tim Cook now 65, the conversation about Apple’s next CEO is more pertinent than ever. In today’s corporate world, this isn’t necessarily retirement age—yet for a strategist like Cook, succession planning is inevitable. He knows the challenges that came with his own sudden ascent and seems determined to ensure a smoother transition for his eventual successor.
While it’s unlikely Cook will step down in 2026, expect Apple to begin a highly public, cautiously managed transition. The envisioned trajectory would see Cook move to Chairman of the Board, much like Jobs did briefly, allowing him to provide oversight and guide his successor on global strategy while stepping away from daily leadership.
As Cook and other longtime leaders make exit plans, a new generation—seasoned within Apple but still largely out of the spotlight—will begin to step forward. By the close of this decade, Apple’s leadership roster will look significantly different.
The Mac: Expect the Unexpected
For several years, the Mac lineup has thrived on predictable excellence, powered by Apple Silicon. That predictability, however, is about to give way to bold new moves as Apple looks to capture new markets and modernize user experience.
The Touchscreen MacBook Pro Arrives
The rumor mill has long buzzed about a touchscreen Mac, and 2026 (perhaps early 2027) appears to be the target for the M6 MacBook Pro’s debut. But fear not—this doesn’t mean macOS is morphing into iPadOS. Apple is positioning touch as a secondary input: perfect for quick gestures, scrolling, or zooming, but not a replacement for precision trackpad and mouse work. Instead, it’s designed to complement the traditional Mac experience without undermining its strengths.
The Budget MacBook Strategy
Apple has generally ceded the low-end laptop segment to Chromebooks and entry-level Windows machines. That could change this year. Persisting rumors point to an affordable MacBook powered by an iPhone-class chip—the A-series rather than Apple’s typical M-series.
Imagine Apple’s signature build quality and M1-level performance starting at $599 or $699. Such a device wouldn’t just compete with Chromebooks; it would upend the category, inviting students and budget-conscious users into the macOS ecosystem in a way the $999 MacBook Air never could.
The End of the Mac Pro?
At the top end sits the Mac Pro, which, in the era of Apple Silicon, now feels like an outlier. The Mac Studio has found favor among creative pros, while the Mac Pro’s large chassis and vacant expansion slots seem increasingly outdated.
Industry consensus suggests that 2026 may spell the end for the Mac Pro, unless Apple is prepared to radically reinvent it. More likely, the Mac Studio will continue to serve as Apple’s flagship for professional workflows.
The iPhone Gets Flexible (and Pricey)
The iPhone 17 lineup set a steady course, but the iPhone 18 cycle is poised to be much more disruptive. Apple appears ready to change up its release calendar, which could shift the entire smartphone landscape.
The Foldable iPhone Debut
After years of anticipation, Apple is poised to launch its first foldable iPhone. This new entry will likely establish a new price ceiling—potentially $1,999 or more—and, though it won’t account for the lion’s share of unit sales, it will be the undisputed status device of the year, quickly becoming the benchmark for foldables thanks to Apple’s signature design and ecosystem.
The Split Release Cycle
With a foldable joining the lineup and the product range expanding, Apple is expected to break from its traditional September launch glut. Instead, look for a staggered rollout:
September: The flagship iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and iPhone 18 Fold take center stage.
Spring 2027: The standard iPhone 18 models arrive, extending Apple’s news cycle and giving each new device its own spotlight.
This move ensures Apple remains top-of-mind with consumers throughout the year.
Software: Siri’s Redemption Arc
After a lackluster 2025 that left many questioning the direction of Apple’s AI, 2026 may finally mark the maturation of Apple Intelligence.
Don’t expect science fiction—Siri won’t be omniscient overnight. But real progress is coming. Updates in iOS 20, and the final versions of iOS 19, are set to deliver smarter context awareness, deeper app integrations, and more natural conversational abilities.
A more reliable Siri is more than a convenience; it’s the linchpin for Apple’s next generation of smart home devices. Apple’s push into home hardware hinges on intelligent, seamless interaction, and a smarter digital assistant will be critical for adoption of products like command centers and smart displays.
The Verdict: Buckle Up
If you sat out upgrades in 2025, you may have made the perfect call. In 2026, foundational changes are coming—shifts in leadership and product design that will ripple through the world’s most valuable tech company.
Forget incremental speed bumps and ho-hum redesigns. Between a folding iPhone, a touchscreen Mac, and emerging leadership, Apple is preparing to write its next landmark chapter—and the world will be watching.
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