Apple has sent out invites to a special “experience” scheduled for March 4, 2026. For the first time in a while, the iPhone maker is holding press briefings in three different cities around the world: New York, London, and Shanghai, as a way to address three of its key markets.
Unlike the usual events that take place at Apple Park, the March 4 “experience” focuses more on providing localized, hands-on access to a higher number of new devices. These could include the purported iPhone 17e, four new MacBook models with the most-anticipated low-cost or affordable version, a new baseline iPad, iPad Air, Studio Display, and a couple of other products.
So without any further ado, let’s dive right into everything that Apple might unveil at the localized March 4 press briefings.
New MacBooks
The most likely candidate for Apple’s upcoming event is fresh Mac hardware. The company could start the launch thread by revealing the budget MacBook (codenamed J700) that could be priced around or below $799 for its baseline variant.
To kick things off, the cheaper alternative to the MacBook Air could run on Apple’s A18 Pro chip (also seen on the iPhone 16 Pro), alongside 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. There might be a 16GB variant on the cards as well. For connectivity, the device could rely solely on USB-C ports.
The device could feature a 12.9-inch screen (smaller than the 13-inch MacBook Air), retain the classic Apple design (including the aluminum chassis), and ship in vibrant colors, including light yellow, light green, blue, pink, and silver, likely to attract young buyers.
The company could also launch the new MacBook Pro models based on the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, which should offer significant upgrades in the CPU, GPU, and memory bandwidth fronts, all contributing toward blazing-fast performance for massive AI models or high-resolution video editing with multiple timeline layers.
For reference, Apple’s M4 Max chip is configurable up to 40 GPU cores (limited to 20 on the M4 Pro and 10 on the vanilla M4), provides a maximum memory bandwidth of 546 GB/s, and is available with up to 128GB of unified memory.
If anything, the M5 Pro should be closer in performance to the M4 Max, while the M5 Max could set an even higher performance benchmark.
Next up on the new MacBooks list is the M5-powered MacBook Air, successor to the M4 MacBook Air unveiled in March 2025 (hence the timing makes perfect sense).
However, unlike the cheaper variant, this one might not be as interesting, primarily because it is expected to offer only a spec bump to the M5 chip, likely at the same $999 price as the variant with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.
iPhone 17e
Yes, I am aware that the German outlet Macwelt reported the iPhone 17e’s launch date as February 19, 2026, but that’s a Thursday, and Apple usually prefers the first three days of a week to introduce its products.
Now that we already have an official Apple “experience” lineup for March, it’s unlikely that the company will reveal a product in February. Yet, Apple has often dropped products with any events in recent years, so the iPhone 17e just might end up being one of those muted events.
The iPhone 17e is said to sport a 6.1-inch 60Hz OLED screen with a Dynamic Island, which makes me wonder whether the company is using the same display as the vanilla iPhone 15.
Under the hood, Apple’s affordable iPhone may feature the baseline A19 chip (or a binned version of the chipset with a four-core GPU) to power all the current and upcoming Apple Intelligence features. The chipset does perform excellently on the vanilla iPhone 17, for those catching up.
The chipset could be paired with 8GB of RAM on the device. For capturing high-resolution pictures and 4K videos (60 fps), the phone could get a 48MP (f/1.6) primary sensor on the back, and, to many people’s surprise (and my dismay), the 18MP (f/1.9) Center Stage front camera.
Buyers could also get a 4,005 mAh battery (larger than the iPhone 17) that supports 25W MagSafe charging, along with Apple’s C1x 5G modem for better energy efficiency and longer usage time between charges.
Along with all the meaningful upgrades and the devil of the current memory crisis, it’s quite difficult to believe that Apple will retain the iPhone 16e’s launch price for the iPhone 17e, but given that recent rumors suggest it, I’ll remain optimistic.
What else is lined up for 2026 at Apple?
Along with the new iPhone 17e and the four different MacBook lineups, the Cupertino giant could also be gearing up for the unveiling of two new iPads. The 12th-gen iPad could come with the A18 or A19 chip (both of them support Apple Intelligence) and 8GB of RAM. Apple should retain the starting price ($349) as well.
The 8th-gen iPad Air could get the M4 chip, providing a performance boost over the M3 or the M2 chips. All the other specifications, including the 11-inch and 13-inch Liquid Retina LCD screens and the storage options, are likely to remain the same. The pricing, however, should remain the same at $599.
Mac display refresh
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is working on the second-generation Studio Display. Even though we aren’t expecting any major changes in terms of design, the Display 2 could get technically more sound.
While the Studio Display supports 60Hz of refresh rate, its successor could either support a 90Hz or 120Hz refresh rate (with the latter being more likely, as the device doesn’t get updates as frequently as other lineups).
Instead of the A13 Bionic chip, the Display 2 may get the much more capable and powerful A19 chip. Other rumored updates include mini-LED backlighting (similar to the current MacBook Pro models) for improved brightness and contrast, as well as support for HDR content.
Other devices
At the limited media showcase, Apple could also reveal devices like the AI Smart Home Hub with a six to seven-inch touchscreen and two different designs: a wall-mounted model for areas like the kitchen or living room, and another tabletop model with a hemispherical speaker base.
Among the key features of the device are a new operating system inspired by iPhone’s Standby mode and watchOS, proximity sensors that detect when someone enters a room, a 1080p FaceTime camera (it would make sense if the device gets a Center Stage camera for group video calls), and Apple Intelligence features.
We could also get to see the fourth-generation of Apple TV 4K with a new A17 Pro chip, better connectivity, and a revised price tag to better compete with low-cost streaming options from Amazon and Google.