Amid its introduction of 10 new devices this week, Apple discontinued over a dozen of its products dating back to 2019.
Apple this week announced the iPhone 17e, refreshed iPad Air models with the M4 chip, MacBook Air models with the M5 chip, MacBook Pro models with the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, two new Studio Display models, and the all-new MacBook Neo. Simultaneously, these 15 products were removed from Apple's lineup to make way for the new additions:
Many of these devices are already seeing substantial discounts with third-party retailers. All of the newly announced devices became available to pre-order on Wednesday, March 4, with the entire lineup scheduled to launch and begin arriving to customers on Wednesday, March 11.
It's Apple pre-order week, and we're already tracking solid discounts across every new product that was announced this week. This includes free Best Buy gift cards when ordering the new MacBook Neo, Air, and Pro, plus the first cash discounts on M4 iPad Air on Amazon.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Pre-Order Discounts
What's the deal? Save on pre-orders for iPhone 17e, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, MacBook Neo, and iPad Air
Pre-orders are live on all of Apple's newest products, including the MacBook Neo, M5 MacBook Air, M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro, iPhone 17e, and M4 iPad Air. You'll find free gift cards when pre-ordering select products at Best Buy, while Amazon has straight cash discounts on numerous M4 iPad Air tablets.
Amazon this week has all-time low prices on the Apple Watch Series 11, with $100 discounts across numerous models of the smartwatch. We first started tracking the return of these deals about a week ago, but this sale has now expanded with many more options on both 42mm and 46mm GPS models.
Apple's first-generation AirTag 4-Pack has dropped to $64.00 this week on Amazon, down from the original price of $99.00. Free shipping options have a delivery estimate around March 11, while Prime members should be able to get it delivered a few days sooner.
If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.
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We now know how much faster the new MacBook Air with the M5 chip is compared to the previous model with an M4 chip, courtesy of a Geekbench 6 result shared by TechRadar's Lance Ulanoff. However, given the 14-inch MacBook Pro and the iPad Pro were already updated with the M5 chip last year, the result is not too surprising.
Ulanoff ran Geekbench on a MacBook Air with an M5 chip, which has a 10-core CPU. The laptop achieved a score of 17,073 for multi-core CPU performance, whereas the MacBook Air with an M4 chip has an average multi-core score of 14,731, so the new model is up to 15% faster than the previous generation. This is in line with what Apple advertised when it announced the M5 chip back in October, so it was entirely expected.
With the M5 chip, the Geekbench database shows that the MacBook Air is up to 16% faster than the MacBook Pro with the M3 Pro chip from a few years ago, but it is still slower than MacBook Pro models with the M4 Pro chip and newer.
The new MacBook Air is available to pre-order now and launches on Wednesday, March 11.
Amazon today is joining in on the pre-order discounts for the M4 iPad Air, introducing up to $100 off these brand new models. These exceed the discounts we tracked at Best Buy earlier in the week, with discounts available on every model of the M4 iPad Air at Amazon without the need of a membership.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Specifically, Amazon has up to $80 off the 11-inch M4 iPad Air and up to $100 off the 13-inch M4 iPad Air. All of these discounts have been automatically applied and do not require a coupon code or a Prime membership. The M4 iPad Air will officially launch on March 11.
The new iPad Air features the M4 chip, C1X modem, and N1 networking chip, which brings support for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6. In terms of design, the 2026 models are identical to the 2025 iPad Air tablets, with an edge-to-edge display, slim bezels, and aluminum chassis.
If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.
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Interested in hearing more about the best deals you can find in 2026? Sign up for our Deals Newsletter and we'll keep you updated so you don't miss the biggest deals of the season!
If you want a MacBook Neo delivered on launch day next week, you might want to act fast, as the laptop is beginning to sell out for March 11 delivery.
A spot check of Apple's online store in the U.S. reveals that some MacBook Neo configurations are now estimated to be delivered between March 16 and March 30.
Here are the estimated delivery dates for each configuration as of 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time:
256GB/Blush: March 16 — March 23
256GB/Citrus: March 11
256GB/Indigo: March 11
256GB/Silver: March 11
512GB/Blush: March 23 — March 30
512GB/Citrus: March 23 — March 30
512GB/Indigo: March 16 — March 23
512GB/Silver: March 11
MacBook Neo pre-orders began March 4.
Without knowing how much supply there is for each configuration, it is hard to draw any conclusions from the delivery dates listed above. If we assume that supply is equal across all configurations, then Blush and 512GB configurations appear to be the most popular options in the U.S. so far during the pre-order window.
With a starting price of $599 in the U.S., or just $499 for college students, the MacBook Neo is likely to be a hit with both students and average customers who need a Mac for everyday tasks such as web browsing and document editing.
Apple does not release Mac sales figures on a model-by-model basis, but the company's next quarterly earnings report might provide some broader insight.
Apple's long-rumored smart home hub device will launch in the fall of 2026, according to the leaker and prototype collector known as "Kosutami."
In a new post on X, Kosutami said that the device, colloquially dubbed the "HomePad," is now set to arrive in the fall of 2026. The fall runs from September to December, and usually coincides with Apple's busiest release period of the year.
Apple has reportedly been working on the device for several years, with the aim for it to serve as a centralized location for controlling smart home products, listening to music and podcasts, making video calls, and getting glanceable information like the weather and calendar events.
The device is expected to have a 7-inch square display and a front-facing camera. There may be two versions, with one designed to be mounted on a wall and the other featuring a speaker base that apparently looks similar to a HomePod mini and can be placed on a desktop or countertop.
Built-in sensors will be able to determine when someone is near the home hub, and the displayed content will change based on who is present. It will be heavily reliant on Siri voice commands, and Siri could even have a new personified look on the hub, with one design described as a version of the Mac Finder icon.
Apple could price the home hub somewhere around $350. The device was originally rumored to launch in early 2025, but due to delays with Apple Intelligence, its apparent release date moved to early 2026, and now to the fall. The rumored release timing means the HomePad could arrive alongside products like the iPhone 18 Pro in September or redesigned MacBook Pro models in October.
Apple and the Sydney Opera House today announced a yearlong collaboration to help inspire the next generation of creatives in Australia. The effort will expand access to initiatives that support art, design, and culture in the country.
Through this collaboration, Apple and the Opera House will focus on interactive programming and experiences for young people in Australia. Apple said it will be the founding partner of a new international children's festival being presented later this year. Apple will also support the Opera House's Centre for Creativity and explore new ways to enhance Opera House programming and experiences through technology.
From March 25 to March 27, the Opera House's eastern sails will be illuminated with artwork created in the Procreate app on the iPad by a group of 10 emerging Australian artists. Through free Today at Apple sessions, the public will have the opportunity to create and submit artwork for potential illumination as well.
"For 50 years, Apple has been at the forefront of empowering creativity, providing tools that allow people to imagine, design, and share their unique visions with the world," said Apple's marketing chief Greg Joswiak. "The yearlong collaboration with the Sydney Opera House and Illuminating Creativity is a celebration of this legacy, bringing together the incredible talent of Australian artists and the transformative power of iPad and Procreate."
Benchmarks for the new MacBook Neosurfaced today, and unsurprisingly, CPU performance is almost identical to the iPhone 16 Pro. The MacBook Neo uses the same 6-core A18 Pro chip that was first introduced in the iPhone 16 Pro, but it has one fewer GPU core.
The MacBook Neo earned a single-core score of 3461 and a multi-core score of 8668, along with a Metal score of 31286.
Here's how the Neo's scores compare to iPhone 16 Pro and other devices that make apt comparisons:
iPhone 16 Pro - 3445 single-core, 8624 multi-core, 32575 Metal
M1 MacBook Air - 2346 single-core, 8342 multi-core, 33148 Metal
M4 MacBook Air - 3696 single-core, 14730 multi-core, 54630 Metal
M3 iPad Air - 3048 single-core, 11678 multi-core, 44395 Metal
iPad 11 - 2587 single-core, 6036 multi-core, 19395 Metal
Since the MacBook Neo has one fewer GPU core than the iPhone 16 Pro, it makes sense to see a slightly lower Metal score.
When comparing the MacBook Neo's performance to existing Macs, the A18 Pro's multi-core performance is on par with the M1 chip in the MacBook Air, but single-core performance is much higher than it was with the M1. It's closer to the M3 or M4 chip.
High single-core performance is a good fit for the MacBook Neo audience, because single-core speeds are important for activities like web browsing, using document apps, and streaming video. The MacBook Neo isn't really built for video editing, music creation, 3D modeling, and similar tasks where multi-core performance makes more of a difference.
Apple does not compare MacBook Neo performance to other Macs, iPads, or iPhones. The company's low-cost MacBook focuses on competing with similar-priced Windows PCs and Chromebooks. In its marketing materials, Apple says the A18 Pro is up to 50 percent faster for "everyday tasks" than the bestselling PC with the latest shipping Intel Core Ultra 5. It's also up to 3x faster for on-device AI workloads and up to 2x faster for photo editing.
We're only seeing one benchmark result so far, so averages could be slightly different when more Neo machines are benchmarked, but the scores are right in line with what's expected.
The MacBook Neo is priced starting at $599, and it is available for preorder now. It is set to launch on March 11.
The first Geekbench 6 result for a 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M5 Max chip surfaced today, and Apple has achieved record-breaking performance.
In this unconfirmed result, the M5 Max with an 18-core CPU achieved a score of 29,233 for multi-core CPU performance, which tops the 27,726 score achieved by the Mac Studio's M3 Ultra chip with a 32-core CPU. M5 Max is now the fastest Apple silicon chip ever, and it even topped every other consumer PC processor in the Geekbench database.
In terms of multi-core CPU performance, the M5 Max is up to 5% faster than the M3 Ultra, and up to 14% to 15% faster than the M4 Max chip with a 16-core CPU.
Here is a comparison of the multi-core CPU results:
16-inch MacBook Pro with M5 Max (18-core CPU): 29,233 (one result)
Mac Studio with M3 Ultra (32-core CPU): 27,726 (average of all results)
Mac Studio with M4 Max (16-core CPU): 26,166 (average of all results)
16-inch MacBook Pro with M4 Max (16-core CPU): 25,702 (average of all results)
As for single-core CPU performance, the M5 Max with an 18-core CPU achieved a score of 4,268 in this single Geekbench result, which is line with the regular M5 chip in the base model 14-inch MacBook Pro released back in October. This is the highest single-core score of any consumer PC processor ever, topping the AMD Ryzen 9 series.
As for graphics, the M5 Max with a 40-core GPU achieved impressive Metal scores of 218,772 in one result and 232,718 in another. These scores are anywhere from 5% to 10% lower than the highest-end M3 Ultra's average Metal score of 245,053, and a little more than 20% higher than the highest-end M4 Max's average Metal score of 191,600.
All in all, the M5 Max offers up to 15% faster CPU performance and up to 20% faster GPU performance compared to the M4 Max, in line with Apple's advertised figures.
MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max are available to pre-order now, and they will begin arriving to customers and launch in stores on March 11.
Apple today seeded revised third betas of the upcoming iOS 26.4 and iPadOS 26.4 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming three days after Apple provided the initial beta to developers. Apple has also released a new version of iOS 26.4 and iPadOS 26.4 for public beta testers.
Registered developers and public beta testers can download the betas from the Settings app on the iPhone or iPad by going to the General section and selecting Software Update.
iOS 26.4 and iPadOS 26.4 add multiple new features to the iPhone and the iPad. A Playlist Playground feature in Apple Music lets you generate songs for any idea, mood, emotion, or activity using a text-based prompt. There's also a Concerts Near You feature for finding local shows, and a redesigned look for albums and playlists with full-page artwork.
Apple Podcasts is getting native video podcasting capabilities that will make it easier to create, distribute, and monetize video podcast content through the Podcasts app. Video episodes will integrate with existing Apple podcasts features, like personalized recommendations and editorial suggestions.
Apple is testing end-to-end encryption for RCS, which will eventually bring full encryption to text conversations between Android and iPhone users. Apple is testing RCS with iPhone-to-iPhone conversations and iPhone-to-Android conversations.
Stolen Device Protection is enabled by default, there's a new ambient music widget, new average bedtime metrics in the sleep app, and plenty more. All of the features in iOS 26.4 can be found in our iOS 26.4 beta features guide.
Update: Apple also released a new third beta of watchOS 26.4.
In his newsletter over the weekend, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple was likely to announce at least some but possibly not all of the following products between March 2 and March 4: the iPhone 17e, MacBook Pros, MacBook Airs, updated entry-level iPad and iPad Air models, and a lower-cost MacBook with an iPhone chip.
As it turns out, Apple announced nearly all of those products, with the sole exception being an updated entry-level iPad. In fact, we got two more products on top, in the form of an updated Studio Display and a higher-end Studio Display XDR.
Apple is not expected to unveil any additional products this week, so the wait for an iPad 12 continues for now. The device is expected to have two key upgrades over the iPad 11, including a faster A18 chip and Apple Intelligence support. In fact, one rumor claimed that the iPad 12 might even be powered by Apple's latest A19 chip.
No other major changes have been rumored so far for the iPad 12, so we expect the device to have the same overall design as the current model.
Apple Intelligence is already available on all other current-generation iPad models, including the iPad mini, iPad Air, and iPad Pro.
Apple released the iPad 11 with an A16 chip in March 2025, with U.S. pricing starting at $349.
Apple quietly updated Mac Studio configuration options this week, removing the 512GB memory upgrade. As of yesterday, there is no option to purchase a Mac Studio with 512GB RAM, with the machine now maxing out at 256GB.
The Mac Studio starts with 36GB RAM, but there were upgrades ranging from 48GB to 512GB, with the higher tier upgrades limited to the M3 Ultra chip. Now there are options ranging from 48GB to 256GB, with wait times into May for the 256GB upgrade.
Apple has also raised the price for the 256GB RAM upgrade option. It used to cost $1,600 to go from 96GB to 256GB on the high-end M3 Ultra machine, but now it costs $2,000. 512GB was $4,000 when it was available.
Apple has likely removed the option to purchase 512GB of memory because of global DRAM shortages that have dried up supply and caused prices to soar, and it's also probably why shipping times for a configuration with 256GB RAM range into May.
Demand for the Mac Studio has increased due to consumers seeking machines suitable for running local AI agents, which could also be a wait time factor.
Memory scarcity is already having an effect on DRAM pricing, and it could affect PC and smartphone sales in the months to come. Apple is able to absorb higher memory costs in the short term, and it is well-positioned to minimize the effect on consumers because it is better able to secure available DRAM supply than smaller companies.
We are expecting M5 Max and M5 Ultra versions of the Mac Studio in 2026, but it is not yet clear when Apple might release an update.
While the MacBook Neo does not launch until next week, Apple's colorful new wallpapers designed for the laptop are included in the macOS 26.3.1 update for it.
MacBook Neo is available in Blush, Citrus, Indigo, and Silver finishes, and there is a Mac wallpaper available for each, with download links below:
Apple's first-generation AirTag 4-Pack has dropped to $64.00 this week on Amazon, down from the original price of $99.00. Free shipping options have a delivery estimate around March 10, while Prime members should be able to get it delivered a few days sooner.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Overall, this is a solid second-best price on the AirTag 4-pack that's within $1 of the Amazon all-time low price. Deals on the 1-Pack have been fluctuating for a few days and are currently gone, but an all-time low price could return soon.
These first generation models will eventually stop being sold by third-party retailers like Amazon, so if you've been waiting for a deal now is the time to buy. Apple just debuted the all-new AirTag, featuring longer range for tracking items and a louder speaker.
If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.
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Interested in hearing more about the best deals you can find in 2026? Sign up for our Deals Newsletter and we'll keep you updated so you don't miss the biggest deals of the season!
Until a last-minute leak revealed the MacBook Neo name, it was widely assumed that Apple's lower-cost MacBook would simply be named "MacBook." After all, Apple offered a plain "MacBook" from 2006 to 2012, and again from 2015 to 2019. In the end, Apple did go with MacBook Neo branding, and it has explained why in a new interview.
In short, Apple said MacBook Neo sounds fresh.
"We wanted something that felt fun and friendly, and fresh, and felt like it really suited the spirit of this product," said Colleen Novielli, a Mac product marketing director, in conversation with TechRadar's Lance Ulanoff.
Indeed, Apple has emphasized the MacBook Neo's newness.
"MacBook Neo is new, exciting, original, and HERE," said Apple's marketing chief Greg Joswiak, in a social media post on Wednesday. "With a beautiful aluminum design, 13-inch Liquid Retina display, 16 hours of battery life, and the power of Apple silicon, you'll fly through everyday tasks. It'll be love at first Mac."
Many of the MacBook Neo lifestyle images that Apple shared show young people. The more affordable laptop will undoubtedly be popular with students.
The colorful MacBook Neo starts at just $599 in the U.S., and at an even lower $499 for college students. Available in Blush, Citrus, Indigo, and Silver, the MacBook Neo is powered by a version of the A18 Pro chip from the iPhone, and it is equipped with a 13-inch display, up to 512GB of storage, and a non-configurable 8GB of RAM.
Apple's latest iPad Air is a minor upgrade over last year's model, but there are still some changes worth noting beyond a new chip.
The eighth-generation iPad Air builds on the foundation of last year's model with a series of specific upgrades focused on performance, memory, and connectivity. While the overall design and experience remains the same, the newer model introduces Apple's M4 chip, additional unified memory, Apple-designed wireless hardware, and support for newer connectivity standards. Here's everything that differs between the 2025 and 2026 iPad Air models:
iPad Air (seventh-generation, 2025)
iPad Air (eighth-generation, 2026)
M3 chip
M4 chip
8GB unified memory
12GB unified memory
Broadcom wireless chip
Apple N1 wireless chip
Wi-Fi 6E connectivity
Wi-Fi 7 connectivity
Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity
Bluetooth 6 connectivity
Qualcomm SDX70M 5G modem
Apple C1X modem
The largest change between the two models is the transition from Apple's M3 chip to the newer M4 chip. Beyond modest CPU performance gains, the M4 introduces architectural improvements that increase transistor count, boost machine learning performance, improve memory bandwidth, and enhance efficiency through updated fabrication technology and redesigned cores.
16-core Neural Engine, 18 trillion operations per second
16-core Neural Engine, 38 trillion operations per second (+111%)
LPDDR5 memory
LPDDR5X memory
100 GB/s memory bandwidth
120 GB/s memory bandwidth (+20%)
Dedicated display engine
GPU with standard power efficiency
More power-efficient GPU: Maintains performance with significantly less power
Overall, the upgrade from the 2025 iPad Air to the 2026 iPad Air is minor. The new model introduces a faster M4 chip, more unified memory, and newer wireless technologies, but the broader experience remains fundamentally unchanged in any noticeable way.
Apple itself signals how incremental the update is: the company continues to advertise the same battery life, despite the introduction of the more efficient C1X modem, and the device retains identical color options and even the same marketing wallpapers. For the overwhelming majority of iPad Air users, the performance difference between the two models is likely to be negligible, especially for everyday tasks.
The new iPad Air is primarily aimed at buyers who simply want a capable, well-balanced iPad rather than those seeking a major upgrade from a more recent model. The Air continues to occupy the middle ground in Apple's lineup, offering significantly more power and capability than the entry-level iPad while remaining substantially less expensive than the iPad Pro. The transition to the M4 chip, additional memory, and newer connectivity standards like Wi-Fi 7 means that new buyers receive more modern hardware and longer-term headroom, making the device somewhat more future-proof.
For existing users, however, there is little reason to upgrade. Anyone using an M3-based iPad Air will see minimal real-world benefits from moving to the M4 model, and even owners of M1 or M2 versions are unlikely to experience transformative improvements in typical use. Instead, the update simply ensures that customers purchasing a new iPad Air today receive Apple's newer underlying technology in a familiar package.
It's Apple pre-order week, and we've already covered all of the offers you can find on iPhone 17e, MacBook Neo, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro. In addition to these deals, Best Buy is providing $40 in savings on the new 128GB Wi-Fi M4 iPad Air, with My Best Buy Plus/Total members getting an extra $10 off.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best Buy. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
With this discount, all shoppers can get the 128GB Wi-Fi M4 iPad Air for $559.00, down from $599.00. If you have a My Best Buy Plus/Total membership, you can get the tablet for $549.00.
Otherwise, Best Buy is offering $50 discounts on all other models of the M4 iPad Air, but these require a My Best Buy Plus/Total membership. Only the 128GB models have a discount available to all shoppers.
If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.
Deals Newsletter
Interested in hearing more about the best deals you can find in 2026? Sign up for our Deals Newsletter and we'll keep you updated so you don't miss the biggest deals of the season!
Apple does not advertise RAM amounts in iPhones, but MacRumors has confirmed this information through Apple's developer tool Xcode.
Like the iPhone 16e, the iPhone 17e is equipped with 8GB of RAM, according to the Xcode data. This was the expected amount of RAM, and it is the minimum required for a device to be compatible with Apple Intelligence.
This means both the standard iPhone 17 model and the lower-end iPhone 17e are equipped with the A19 chip and 8GB of RAM. However, the iPhone 17e has a slightly limited 4-core GPU, while the iPhone 17 has a 5-core GPU.
iPhone 17e can be pre-ordered now and launches on Wednesday, March 11.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
