Summary created by Smart Answers AI
In summary:
- Macworld reports that Apple is expected to launch at least five new products by March 4, including a potential budget MacBook and iPhone 17e.
- Bloomberg’s Marc Gurman predicts the releases will span hardware, software and chips, with updated iPads, MacBooks, Mac Studio and Apple Studio Display among the possibilities.
- Apple’s “Experience” event on March 4 hints at several announcements over the course of this week, marking a major product update across categories.
Apple has invited the press to what it calls an “experience” on March 4 in the middle of next week. But based on the unusual terminology and timing, analysts believe that Apple will not save everything for this date and prefer to introduce new products during the week.
And now a new report has revealed more details about what we can expect next week. Bloomberg’s Marc Gurman claims in the latest edition of his Power On newsletter that Apple will launch at least five new products and that these “may include hardware, software and chips.” Gurman believes any or all of the following products could arrive before Apple’s “experience” begins next Wednesday at 9 a.m. ET:
- A cheap MacBook
- iPhone 17e
- MacBook Air M5
- M5 Pro/Max MacBook Pro
- Entry-level iPad
- iPad Air
- Mac Studio
- Apple Studio Display
Of the five-plus announcements for the week of March 2, Gurman is most confident that we’ll get a low-cost MacBook and iPhone 17e, though he says the latter could even be out by then. Its predecessor was released in mid-February 2025, and one source contacted by Macworld earlier this month believed that 17e would arrive exactly one year after 16e on February 19, which we now know was a mistake.)
The affordable MacBook, Gurman says, “is the only thing in Apple’s near future that actually looks new,” referring to the bold colors on both the laptop and the invitation cover. The hands-on event on March 4th really wouldn’t happen without the product, he claims, smartly noting that “there’s no point in flying between so-called influencers to try the product if the only difference is a faster chip.”
So hardware and chips, check. It’s unclear what Gurman’s “software” prediction refers to, but it’s likely the 26.3.1 update series to support all new products.
In addition to the iPhone 17e and the low-cost MacBook, Gurman identifies four other products or product groups coming in spring 2026. Two iPads are on the way (the latest versions of the standard iPad with an A18 or A19 processor and the M4 iPad Air) and new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models. The timing fits historically for the MacBook Air, the MacBook Pro is “a few months overdue,” and Gurman’s supply chain sources indicate that iPads are also in the pipeline, so there’s a good chance some or all of these products will be unveiled next week.
And it doesn’t end there. Mac Studio is set for an update in the first half of 2026, as is Apple Studio Display. The new display, Gurman says, is ready to ship, while the new desktop isn’t far behind.
So next week could be full of excitement, even if we don’t get to see the actual Apple event.