Apple says it has “a big week ahead.” Here’s what we expect to see.

Excepting the AirTag 2so far it’s been a quiet year for Apple hardware. But that’s poised to change next weekas the company is hosting a “special experience” on March 4.

The use of the word experiencerather than event or presentationimplies that Apple’s typical presentation format won’t apply here. And CEO Tim Cook more or less confirmed this when he posted that the company had “a big week ahead,” starting on Monday. Apple is most likely planning multiple days of product launches announced via press release on its Newsroom sitewith the “experience” on Wednesday serving as a capper and a hands-on session for the media.

Apple has used a similar strategy beforespacing out relatively low-key refreshes over several days to generate sustained interest rather than dropping everything in a single 30- to 60-minute string of pre-recorded videos.

Reporting on whatexactlyApple plans to announce has consistently centered on a small handful of specific devicesbut with the exception of the iPhone 17 seriesthe M5 Vision Proand the Apple Watchmost of Apple’s major products have gone long enough without an update that anything is possible. Here’s what we consider to be the most likelyand a few other notes besides.

The long-awaited “budget” MacBook

Most rumors and leaks agree that Apple is preparing to launch a new MacBook priced well below the MacBook Airin a similar to the $349 iPad or the iPhone 16e. Commonly cited specs include a 13-inch-ish screen and an Apple A18 Pro chipwhich debuted in the iPhone 16 Pro in 2024 and is typically packaged with 8GB of RAM. The laptop is also said to be coming in multiple colorstaking a page from the iMac and the basic iPad.

Rumors have circulated about a “cheap” MacBook purpose-built for cost-conscious buyers since the late 2000sif not before. But none of theseif they’ve existed in Apple’s labshave ever made it to storesand Apple’s laptops have reliably started at around $1,000 for over 20 years.

But in the two years since removing it from its online storeApple has used the old M1 MacBook Air design as a sort of trial balloon. Since early 2024the laptop has only been available through Walmart in the USwith a basic 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. But it has been priced in the same $600 to $700 range as midrange Windows laptops and higher-end Chromebooks and has apparently done well enough to merit a true successor.

I expect Apple to follow a pattern similar to what it did when it first launched the $329 iPad in 2017or the iPhone SE in 2016: to essentially re-use the 2020-era MacBook Air’s design and other components to the greatest degree possible.

These are already parts that Apple and its suppliers have a lot of experience manufacturingand they’ve been around long enough that they’re probably about as inexpensive as they’re going to get. They’re also proven components that meet Apple’s usual standards for materials and build quality. If that leaves the new MacBook slightly out of step with the rest of Apple’s laptop designsthat’s a compromise the company has been willing to make in the past.

Some of the details of this system will probably be a surprisebut we can expect Apple to create some intentional distance between this MacBook and the MacBook Airthe same as it does for the low-end iPad and iPhone. The processor will be one limitation; the potential 8GB RAM ceilinglimited upgrade optionsfewer and less-capable portsand limited external display support may be others.

This thing is likely destined to be an emailbrowsingand casual phone-camera-photo-editing machine for people who prefer a traditional clamshell laptop to an iPad. The $999-and-up MacBook Air will continue to be Apple’s default do-anything laptopand the MacBook Pro will continue to occupy the “do-anythingbut faster” position.

The $349 iPad

Apple’s basic $349 iPad could get an Apple Intelligence updatethanks to a processor and RAM bump.

Credit: Andrew Cunningham

Speaking of the Apple A18 seriesApple is apparently planning a refresh of its $349 base-model iPad that uses an A18 or possibly an A19. Assuming it still comes with 8GB of RAM—up from 6GB for the current Apple A16-powered iPad—either chip would help it clear the bar for Apple Intelligence support.

Apple doesn’t always update its basic iPad every year; in 2024for instanceit got a price drop rather than a hardware refresh. But the A16 iPad is currently the only thing in the entire iPhone/iPad/Mac lineup without support for Apple Intelligencea bundle of features that Apple markets pretty heavily despite their functional unevenness. That marketing campaign is likely to intensify when Apple finally releases its new Google Gemini-powered Siri update at some point this year.

Even if you don’t care about Apple Intelligencea basic iPad with 8GB of RAM will be a win for most userssince you can use that extra RAM for all kinds of things that have nothing to do with AI. It’s the same amount of memory Apple has shipped with the iPad Air since the M1 modeland with several generations of iPad Pro. Even attached to a slower processorthis should still improve the multitasking and productivity experience on the tablet.

The iPhone 17e

Apple would let the old iPhone SE languish for at least a couple years between updatesbut it’s apparently taking a different tack with the “e” iPhones.

The main star of this refresh is a new chipwhich will supposedly be upgraded from an Apple A18 to an A19. It’s also said to be picking up MagSafe charging supportmaking it compatible with Apple-made and third-party accessories that magnetically clamp to the back of other iPhones.

Other than thatthe rumor mill suggests that the 17e will stick with its notched screen rather than a Dynamic Islandand we’d be surprised to see it move beyond its basic one-lens camera. Assuming Apple sticks with the same $599 starting pricethoughthere will still be some awkward overlap between the iPhone 16 and the regular iPhone 17.

The iPad Air

Do you like the current iPad Air with the Apple M3? Or the last one with the Apple M2?

That’s lucky for youbecause a next-generation iPad Air is likely to continue in the same veinpicking up a new chip but not changing much else. If you’re holding out for something more excitinglike improved screen technologyyou’ll likely be disappointed.

There’s no word on whether the M4 might come with any other internal upgradeslike more RAM or increased storage in the base model. Either or both of those could spice up an otherwise straightforward update.

Other possibilities

Apple could update the remaining M4 family MacBook Pros (pictured) with M5 family replacements.

Credit: Andrew Cunningham

Apple could choose to refresh almost any of its Macs next week—only the low-end MacBook Pro has an M5 chipand it has been at least a year since the rest of the lineup was last updated. There’s no refresh that would come as a true surpriseexcepting maybe the Mac Pro that Apple has allegedly put “on the back burner” (again).