Apple is shaking up its playbook for its first major hardware drop of 2026. CEO Tim Cook recently teased a big week ahead, confirming that announcements will start rolling out on Monday, March 2. Apple is not doing the usual pre-recorded keynote from Cupertino this time around.
Instead, the company is staggering press releases over a few days, culminating in a hands-on “Special Apple Experience” in New York, London, and Shanghai on March 4.
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Let’s break it down. While the iPhone 17e is getting a lot of attention, Apple is preparing to refresh almost every corner of its entry-level and mid-range lineup. Here is exactly what the rumor mill and supply chain leaks suggest we will see next week.
The Headliner: iPhone 17e
Since it is the anchor of the spring lineup, we should briefly touch on the iPhone 17e. Designed to replace last year’s iPhone 16e, this model is all about bringing modern internals to the $599 price point.
It is expected to ship with the A19 chip and an upgraded C1X in-house modem for faster wireless connectivity. The physical footprint remains largely the same with a 6.1-inch 60Hz OLED display and a single 48MP rear camera.
However, rumors suggest it might finally ditch the notch for the Dynamic Island. MagSafe support is heavily rumored to return, and the front camera could see a jump to an 18MP sensor with Center Stage.
The Wildcard: A True Budget MacBook
Here’s the thing. Apple has historically avoided the true budget laptop market. That is expected to change next week. Leaks heavily point to a new, low-cost MacBook designed specifically to compete with cheaper Windows laptops and Chromebooks.
It will reportedly run on the A18 Pro chip from the iPhone 16 Pro, skipping the traditional M-series silicon entirely to keep costs down. Expect a 12-inch to 12.9-inch LCD screen.
The event invites feature yellow, green, and blue discs, which insiders believe are a direct nod to the bright color options for this new laptop. Rumors place the price tag somewhere between $500 and $699.
What this really means is that Apple wants a lower barrier to entry for students and first-time Mac buyers.
The Pro and Air Upgrades: M5 Arrives
Apple is not leaving its professional and mainstream laptop users behind. The Mac lineup is due for its next generation of Apple Silicon.
The standard 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models are expected to get the baseline M5 chip. This is a pure spec bump focused on a 15 to 18 percent speed increase and better battery efficiency.
The 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models are slated to receive the heavier M5 Pro and M5 Max chips. No major redesigns are expected here, just raw power upgrades for heavy multitaskers and video editors.
The Tablet Refresh: Smarter iPads
The iPad lineup is also getting some targeted attention, specifically to make sure all modern Apple tablets can handle the latest software features. The base model 12th-Gen iPad is rumored to adopt the A18 chip. This is a necessary upgrade to finally bring Apple Intelligence capabilities to the cheapest iPad.
Meanwhile, the mid-tier iPad Air is expected to jump to the M4 chip, closing the performance gap between the Air and the iPad Pro.
Apple is clearly focusing on making its ecosystem more accessible while quietly bumping the specs on its established heavy hitters. The staggered announcement format means we will be getting a steady drip of news from Monday through Wednesday.
Beyond March: Apple’s Late 2026 Hardware Roadmap
Once the spring dust settles, Apple’s focus will shift to its high-stakes fall lineup dominated by the move to a 2nm silicon architecture. The iPhone 18 and 18 Pro are expected to headline September, utilizing this new chip process to enable near-instant, on-device AI processing for a vastly improved Siri experience.
Alongside the new phones, the Apple Watch Series 12 is anticipated to bring major health and hardware upgrades, including new blood pressure trend monitoring, a redesigned eight-sensor ring layout, and the potential addition of Touch ID integrated into a side button.
Later in the fall, the Mac lineup is slated for a major leap with the introduction of OLED MacBook Pro models, adopting Tandem OLED technology for superior brightness and thinner chassis designs. Wrapping up the year, we could also see Apple’s bold entry into the dedicated smart home market with a robotic HomePod-iPad hybrid serving as an AI-driven command center.
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