Apple announces event on 4 March

Samuel Buchmann

17.2.2026

Translation: machine translated

Rumours and a hidden hint indicate that Apple will be presenting new MacBooks in a fortnight' time. A new budget model could be particularly exciting.

On 4 March at 3 pm Central European Time, Apple will be hosting a «special experience». The event (or the «experience») will not take place in Cupertino as usual, but simultaneously in New York City, London and Shanghai. Selected media representatives are invited. There is no official information on what the event is about.

It is very likely that Apple will unveil one or more new products. Well-informed analysts such as Mark Gurman from «Bloomberg» expect the iPhone 17e, the MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and M5 Max and a budget MacBook to be announced in the near future. A new basic iPad and an iPad Air with an M4 chip are also possible.

The fact that Apple is talking about a «Experience» instead of the usual «event» is unusual. It suggests a product launch via media release - with subsequent hands-on reporting by influencers and press representatives. This would roughly match the importance of the new MacBooks, including a budget model. The iPad and iPhone 17e would hardly justify an invitation from the media. And Apple has made major announcements in recent years with pre-produced keynote videos and a centralised event in California.

Budget MacBook would fit the logo

A possible clue to this is also hidden in the logo on the invitation: according to rumours, the new budget MacBook will come in bright, cheerful colours. These include a bright yellow and a bright green. The A18 Pro is rumoured to be inside, which would offer roughly the same CPU performance as the M1. The GPU performance would be even better. The chip from last year's iPhone 16 Pro would therefore be perfectly adequate for an office laptop.

The display is likely to be a normal LCD without local dimming with a diagonal of 13 inches. Further compromises could be made in terms of RAM and connections, which are unlikely to support Thunderbolt. However, according to Mark Gurman, Apple is not compromising on materials and workmanship. Like its larger siblings, the affordable laptop will have an aluminium unibody. According to the leaks, the entry-level price will be 699 US dollars.

If Apple also unveils a new MacBook Pro at the event, it will probably only be a chip upgrade to the M5 generation. No changes to the design are expected. Apple is rumoured to be saving a major overhaul for the M6 generation at the end of 2026 or beginning of 2027. The MacBook Pro will then receive an OLED display and a new casing.

Samuel Buchmann

Senior Editor

Samuel.Buchmann@digitecgalaxus.ch

My fingerprint often changes so drastically that my MacBook doesn't recognise it anymore. The reason? If I'm not clinging to a monitor or camera, I'm probably clinging to a rockface by the tips of my fingers.

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