tech / Apple Plans Staggered Product Launches in Early March With iPhone 17e and M5 MacBooks

Apple is preparing its most significant product launch window since last fall, with multiple new devices expected to be announced via staggered daily press releases during the first week of March 2026. The rollout will culminate in physical "Apple Experience" events on March 4 in New York, London, and Shanghai — replacing the traditional live-streamed keynote format.

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Bloomberg's Mark Gurman confirmed the strategy aligns with speculation from Daring Fireball's John Gruber, who suggested Apple will release one major product per day: the iPhone 17e on Monday, updated iPads on Tuesday, and new MacBook Pro models on Wednesday. The in-person experiences on Thursday and Friday will offer hands-on time with all of the newly announced hardware.

The headliner is the iPhone 17e — Apple's updated mid-range iPhone designed to make the latest Apple Silicon and Apple Intelligence features accessible at a lower price point. The MacBook Pro lineup is expected to receive the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, with no significant external design changes but meaningful performance gains, particularly for creative professionals running large AI workloads locally. An updated MacBook Air and refreshed base iPad are also expected in the same window.

The March timing is strategically significant. Apple is entering the launch stretch having recently ceded its position as the world's second most valuable company to Alphabet — a milestone covered in our full report on the market cap shift. Analysts have cited Apple's AI roadmap as a key point of concern for investors, making this product cycle a critical opportunity for the company to demonstrate momentum heading into WWDC in June.

Looking further ahead, Apple is reportedly targeting a 2027 launch for AI smart glasses to compete with Meta Ray-Bans, alongside an AI wearable pendant and next-generation AI AirPods — all designed to extend the iPhone's reach into ambient computing.