Apple Unveils Next‑Week Lineup: New iPhone, MacBook, and Wearables Arrive Soon

Apple’s March 4 showcase will open with the iPhone 17e, a modest price‑point refresh that swaps the 16e’s A18 processor for a new A19 silicon package and adds a Center Stage‑enabled front camera, MagSafe compatibility, and Apple’s C1X/N1 wireless chips, according to 9to5Mac. The company may also replace the notch with a Dynamic Island cutout, though that detail remains unconfirmed. Pricing is expected to stay at $599, positioning the 17e as a budget‑friendly entry point while delivering the performance uplift needed to run Apple Intelligence features that are rolling out across iPadOS later this year.

Alongside the phone, Apple is slated to unveil two iPad updates. The base model will retain its existing chassis but receive an A18 chip that unlocks Apple Intelligence, enabling the upcoming Siri upgrade and a suite of AI‑driven apps, 9to5Mac reports. The higher‑end iPad Air will jump to an M4 processor, mirroring the performance leap seen in the previous year’s Air refresh. Both tablets will ship with the same design language as their predecessors, suggesting Apple is focusing on incremental hardware gains rather than a full redesign.

The Mac lineup sees the return of the discontinued base‑model MacBook, now equipped with a 12.9‑inch display, an A18 Pro chip, 8 GB of RAM, and a palette of bright color options, 9to5Mac notes. Priced around $699, the device is clearly aimed at consumers migrating from PCs or Chromebooks who already own an iPhone, offering a thin, affordable bridge into Apple’s ecosystem. Meanwhile, the 14‑inch and 16‑inch MacBook Pro will receive M5 Pro and M5 Max variants, expanding the portfolio that debuted in October with the base M5 chip. No chassis changes are expected, as Apple reserves a redesign for the forthcoming M6 generation, but the upgraded silicon promises “impressive performance” for AI‑heavy workloads, according to the same source.

Rumors also suggest a handful of ancillary products could appear in the days surrounding the main event. A possible M5‑powered MacBook Air, a refreshed Studio Display featuring a 120 Hz ProMotion panel and an A19 chip, and a new Mac Studio with M5 Max and M5 Ultra options are all listed as “good chances” by 9to5Mac. Bloomberg, cited by CNET, adds that Apple might roll out three distinct MacBook models over consecutive days, underscoring a strategy to saturate the market with options for both power users and budget shoppers ahead of the anticipated M6 refresh later in the year.

If Apple’s product cadence holds, the March rollout will be its most diverse in months, delivering upgrades across the core consumer stack while quietly laying the groundwork for AI integration. The company’s emphasis on incremental chip upgrades—A19 for the iPhone, A18 for the base iPad, and M5 for the Pro line—signals a focus on performance parity across devices, a move that analysts have linked to Apple’s broader push to embed “Apple Intelligence” throughout its ecosystem. As the event approaches, market watchers will be watching how pricing, color choices, and the rumored Dynamic Island tweak will influence adoption, especially given the tepid response to the iPhone 16e’s launch earlier this year.