Apple has sent out invitations to a special “experience” scheduled for March 4, 2026. For the first time in a long time, the iPhone maker is holding press conferences in three different cities around the world: New York, London and Shanghai, to target three of its key markets.
Unlike the usual events held at Apple Park, the March 4th “Experience” will be more focused on providing local, convenient access to a wider range of new devices. These could include the rumored iPhone 17e, four new MacBook models with the most anticipated low-cost or affordable version, a new basic iPad, iPad Air, Studio Display and a few other products.
So without further ado, let’s jump straight into everything Apple might reveal at local press conferences on March 4th.
New MacBooks
The most likely candidate for Apple’s upcoming event is fresh Mac hardware. The company could start the launch thread by unveiling the budget MacBook (codenamed J700), which could be priced around or below $799 for the base variant.
To start, the cheaper alternative to the MacBook Air could run on Apple’s A18 Pro chip (also seen in the iPhone 16 Pro) as well as 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage. There could also be a 16GB variant of the cards. For connectivity, the device could only rely on USB-C ports.
The device could feature a 12.9-inch screen (smaller than the 13-inch MacBook Air), retain classic Apple design (including the aluminum body), and come in bright colors like 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 are expected to offer significant improvements in CPU, GPU and memory bandwidth, all contributing to blazing performance for massive AI models or high-resolution video editing with multiple timeline layers.
For reference, Apple’s M4 Max chip is configurable with up to 40 GPU cores (limited to 20 on the M4 Pro and 10 on the vanilla M4), offers a maximum memory bandwidth of 546GB/s, and is available with up to 128GB of unified memory.
If anything, the M5 Pro’s performance should be closer to that of the M4 Max, while the M5 Max could set an even higher performance benchmark.
Next on the list of new MacBooks is the M5-powered MacBook Air, the successor to the M4 MacBook Air, which was unveiled in March 2025 (so the timing makes perfect sense).
However, unlike the cheaper variant, this version may not be as interesting, especially because it is expected to only offer a technical improvement to the M5 chip, probably at the same $999 price as the 16GB RAM and 256GB storage variant.
iPhone 17e
Yes, I’m aware that German outlet Macwelt has listed February 19, 2026 as the iPhone 17e’s release date, but that’s a Thursday, and Apple typically prefers the first three days of a week to unveil its products.
Now that we already have an official Apple Experience program for March, it’s unlikely that the company will unveil a product in February. Still, Apple has frequently discontinued products due to events in recent years, so the iPhone 17e may become one of those muted events.
The iPhone 17e is said to have a 6.1-inch 60Hz OLED screen with Dynamic Island, which makes me wonder if the company is using the same display as the vanilla iPhone 15.
Under the hood, Apple’s affordable iPhone may feature the base A19 chip (or a combined version of the chipset with a quad-core GPU) to support all current and upcoming Apple Intelligence features. For those still up to date, the chipset works great on the vanilla iPhone 17.
The chipset could be paired with 8GB of RAM on the device. For capturing high-resolution images and 4K videos (60fps), the phone could get a 48-megapixel primary sensor (f/1.6) on the back and, to many people’s surprise (and my dismay), the 18-megapixel center-stage front camera (f/1.9).
Buyers could also get a 4,005mAh battery (larger than the iPhone 17) that supports 25W MagSafe charging, along with Apple’s C1x 5G modem for better power efficiency and longer usage time between charges.
Given all the sensible upgrades and the dire current storage crisis, it’s pretty hard to believe that Apple will maintain the iPhone 16e’s launch price for the iPhone 17e, but given recent rumors suggesting so, I remain optimistic.
What else is coming up at Apple for 2026?
In addition to the new iPhone 17e and the four different MacBook lineups, the Cupertino giant may also be preparing to unveil two new iPads. The 12th generation iPad could come with the A18 or A19 chip (both support Apple Intelligence) and 8GB of RAM. Apple should also keep the starting price ($349).
The 8th generation iPad Air could get the M4 chip, offering a performance boost over the M3 or M2 chips. All other specs, including the 11-inch and 13-inch Liquid Retina LCD screens and storage options, are likely to remain the same. However, the price 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 if we don’t expect any major changes in terms of design, the Display 2 could technically get more sound.
While the Studio Display supports a 60Hz refresh rate, its successor could support either a 90Hz or 120Hz refresh rate (although the latter is more likely as the device doesn’t receive updates as frequently as other ranges).
Instead of the A13 Bionic chip, the Display 2 could get the much more powerful and powerful A19 chip. Other rumored updates include mini-LED backlighting (similar to current MacBook Pro models) for improved brightness and contrast, as well as support for HDR content.
Other devices
At the limited media presentation, Apple could also introduce devices such as the AI Smart Home Hub with a six to seven inch touchscreen and two different designs: a wall model for areas such as the kitchen or living room and another table model with a hemispherical speaker base.
The device’s key features include a new operating system inspired by the iPhone’s Standby Mode and watchOS, proximity sensors that detect when someone enters a room, a 1080p FaceTime camera (it would make sense for the device to have a center-stage camera for group video calls), and Apple Intelligence features.
We could also see the fourth-generation Apple TV 4K with a new A17 Pro chip, better connectivity and a revised price to better compete with low-cost streaming options from Amazon and Google.
