The rumor mill is in overdrive. These are the best candidates — and the also-rans — for what Apple will launch next week and then have an "experience" to demo on March 4.
The March 4 Apple Experience won't be an actual launch of new products in Apple's catalog, but instead capping off multiple announcements during the week. While that was previously speculation, CEO Tim Cook has confirmed it to be the case, with there being a "big week ahead" that starts on Monday morning.
Multiple days of promotion gives Apple a lot of opportunity to promote multiple items.
With the breadth of rumored devices on the docket, including many anticipated for launch in early 2026. It certainly needs that opportunity. But, as ever, some have more chance of making an appearance than others.
And there's some that just aren't coming yet. Here's what we expect to see very shortly.
This article was last updated on February 28, 2026 with software additions
Top candidate - iPhone 17e
One of the top two items that is a dead certainty for a March launch is the iPhone 17e. It is frequently cited as being part of Apple's strategy to spread out its iPhone launches to two times a year, and as part of a now-annual update cycle for its low-cost iPhone model.
The rumor mill firmly believes that it will be a classic spec-bump update. That means the use of a 6.1-inch 60Hz OLED screen and a similar styling to the previous model.
Of the changes in the model, the shift to the A19 processor used in the iPhone 17 is the most certain. That and the use of the newest versions of Apple's in-house-designed cellular and wireless chips.
The current iPhone 16e
The model is also getting MagSafe, which the iPhone 16e didn't have. The change will open up the iPhone 17e to a world of preexisting MagSafe accessories, including chargers and wallets.
There is also discussion about the dreaded notch. Some leakers believe that it will finally leave the notch behind in favor of the smarter Dynamic Island.
As for the price, the current expectation is for it to be $599.
Very probable - Budget MacBook
The other item in the most-probable list is the low-cost MacBook. A third category in the portable Mac lineup, it will be the new budget-focused option, cheaper than a MacBook Air.
An early spring launch for the MacBook is ideal for Apple. Its appearance in March wouldn't be surprising at this stage.
An AppleInsider rendition of what a multi-colored MacBook ad spot could look like
The big focus of the model will be its chip, as the rumor mill has said there will be an iPhone-class chip inside instead of M-series Apple Silicon. This could take the form of an A15 or A18 Pro, as both were reportedly undergoing testing.
As you would expect, Apple will be cutting costs where it can to make the model cheaper, but apparently that won't extend to the enclosure. One late rumor said that it will still have an aluminum casing, with manufacturing process improvements saving the cost instead of changing the material.
That casing will be different from its stablemates by having a more colorful appearance. Instead of the work-appropriate colors of the current MacBook Pro and MacBook Air, the ones under testing include yellow, green, blue, and pink.
Sporting a 13-inch display, it will ship with a very attractive price tag to potential switchers, possibly around $699 to $750.
However, with continual pressures from rapidly rising memory and battery costs, its profit margin is facing a bit of a squeeze.
Very Probable - MacBook Pro and MacBook Air
Another MacBook-related launch that stands a good change of happeing is one that is, also, already widely expected.
Apple has so far launched the M5 14-inch MacBook Pro, but has yet to actually migrate to the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips. It typically does launch those chip tiers a few months after the base version, so a March launch does correlate with that.
A MacBook Pro refresh is on the cards
There have also been reports mentioning a launch in the first week of March. There was talk of a February launch, but also that it was rescheduled to the following month.
As for what these models will have, expect no real external changes to the 14-inch MacBook Pro and 16-inch MacBook Pro lines. Instead, the main focus will be on the upgrade to the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips.
You're going to have a long wait until you can play with the OLED model, which will have much more visible change to it.
In a similar vein is the MacBook Air, which usually gets its update at around the same time as the MacBook Pro. It too is speculated to have an update in early 2026, possibly alongside the Pro models.
Good change - Siri and more AI
On February 22, Mark Gurman wrote that Apple will launch at least five products during its week of announcements. However, not all of it will be hardware, as chip launches and software are also expected to be promoted in the period.
Suppose Apple does introduce software, the top possibilities are AI-based, including the long-awaited update to Siri. One that should bring the context awareness to the digital assistant that Apple previously promised but has yet to bring out.
It was expected that Apple would roll out that Siri update as part of iOS 26.4, but it didn't appear in the initial developer betas. That doesn't mean it won't appear in a later build.
It's entirely plausible that Apple will mention Siri in its announcements and then update the developer beta afterwards to bring it to tester devices. With the hands-on events, Apple could even give the attendees a more nuanced guide to trying out New Siri, instead of letting them blindly shake down the assistant in the beta.
A hand-holding experience could also be employed for Apple's other AI-related talking points. Recent updates include autonomous agentic coding additions to Xcode 26.3, as well as Apple Music Playlist Playground in the iOS 26.4 developer betas.
There's always an opportunity to shoehorn more AI elements, and Apple could do so here.
Good chance - iPad Air
Apple last updated the iPad Air in March 2025. With launches expected in March 2026, that makes it a prime opportunity for an annual upgrade.
iPad Air
It also helps that a code leak in December revealed that an updated model was on the way, and with updates that line up with the March timeline too. Reduced stocks aren't a great indicator, but they help.
As for what could be improved, expect not much more than a spec-bump update, shifting from an M3 chip to the M4.
Reasonable chance - iPad
Like the iPad Air, there are relatively few rumors that circulate about an update to the base iPad. Then again, it does update very regularly, and the last update was in March 2025, lending itself to the annual update cycle again.
However, the same December code leak pointed to one being on the way. One packing an update to the A19 chip.
We're at the stage with the iPad that we can speculate a launch will happen even if there isn't a rumor about it. But at the same time, it's less of a focus for Apple, and could easily be postponed to make way for other products.
The leak certainly helped to narrow down the timing, though.
Unlikely - Mac Studio and Mac mini
We've bundled the Mac Studio and Mac mini together here because their rumors are relatively similar. That, and Apple will consider releasing updates to them at the same time.
There would also be the assumption that the desktop Macs would get an update at the same time as the portable versions, especially if it's a chip update.
However, the macOS Tahoe leak from October hinted that the Mac mini and Mac Studio would arrive later on, in the summer of 2026 instead of in March.
Mac Studio could land in the summer
For Apple, this would declutter its March launch, as well as keep the focus on its lucrative portable lineup. An arrival to coincide with WWDC will also be a bit of a nod to developers, too.
As for what will change, there will be M5 upgrades, including M5 Pro on the Mac mini and at least M5 Max on the Mac Studio. An M5 Ultra remains to be seen.
Late to the party - Apple Studio Display
An update to the Apple Studio Display has been on the cards for quite some time, but it won't arrive for the March event.
Apple Studio Display
In February, it was reported as one of the devices that will be arriving not long after the spring Mac update. That means it won't appear during the March madness.
The rumors have so far included claims of codenames such as J427 and J527, the use of Mini LED backlighting instead of LED, and an increase in resolution to 6K or 7K. There have been proposals for it to grow from 27 inches to 32 inches, too.
The use of two codenames implies two different sizes of Apple Studio Display are on the way. Just not with the other Macs.
Nope - Apple's long-rumored Home Hub
A long-running rumor topic has been a bigger push into smart home automation. This has chiefly surfaced as a smart home display, something we have referred to as the "Home Hub."
A mockup of Apple's long-rumored smart home display
Mentioned in code references in an internal build of iOS 26, it will be accompanied by a second home device, a smart camera with Face ID support.
The idea of the Home Hub is that it is a tablet-like device that acts as your main point of access to smart home devices. Equipped with a camera and powered by Apple Intelligence, it's meant to be able to detect alarm sounds and use multiple sensors to help manage the home's devices.
Both are good choices for a 2026 appearance, but it's an ice cube's chance of survival in an oven deep in Texas that it will appear during the March launches. Not least because it's a significant-enough product concept to demand a much larger launch than one limited to a press release.
