Top Stories: New iPad Pro, MacBook Air, Powerbeats, and More

With no March media event in the works, Apple this week rolled out a number of product updates including updated iPad Pro models with dual cameras, a LiDAR scanner, and a Magic Keyboard accessory with trackpad.


On the Mac side, we got an updated MacBook Air and storage-bumped Mac mini models, as well as new Powerbeats earphones, so check out the video above and read on for all of our coverage on those topics and more.

New iPad Pro Announced With A12Z Bionic Chip, Magic Keyboard With Trackpad, LiDAR Scanner, Ultra Wide Camera, and More

March is a common month for new Apple products and this year has proven to be no exception. While the COVID-19 pandemic may have prevented it from hosting a media event, Apple this week introduced new iPad Pro models with a slightly faster A12Z Bionic chip, an Ultra Wide camera for 0.5x zoom, a LiDAR sensor for enhanced augmented reality, and more.

Apple new ipad pro keyboard 03182020 big
Apple also announced that a new Magic Keyboard case with backlit keys and a built-in trackpad will be available in May for 2018 and later iPad Pro models, turning the iPad Pro into a true Microsoft Surface competitor. To accommodate this, iPadOS 13.4 will be gaining trackpad support for all modern iPad models, with the software update set to be released March 24, and we've put together a video showing what that trackpad support will look like.

The new iPad Pro models reportedly also feature a U1 chip for Ultra Wideband support and 6GB of RAM.

New MacBook Air Announced With Magic Keyboard, Up to 2x Faster Performance, and Lower $999 Starting Price

Apple this week updated its MacBook Air lineup with faster 10th-generation Intel Core processors and graphics, a scissor switch Magic Keyboard, a lower starting price of $999, and more.

macbookair2020
The new base model MacBook Air has a starting price of $999 with 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM in the United States, which is $100 less for double the storage compared to the previous generation base model. Early reviews have praised the new keyboard, improved performance, and lower starting price.

Apple also announced that standard configurations of the Mac mini now come with double the storage capacity. The $799 configuration now comes with 256GB, while the $1,099 configuration features 512GB.

Apple Announces Updated Powerbeats Earbuds With H1 Chip, 15-Hour Battery Life and $150 Price Tag

Apple this week introduced new Powerbeats, available for $149.95 in black, white, and red.

powerbeats 2020 thumb
The new Powerbeats feature the same Apple-designed H1 chip as the Powerbeats Pro and AirPods Pro, enabling hands-free "Hey Siri" voice commands, faster pairing with iOS devices, and more. The new Powerbeats also have up to 15 hours of battery life and a similar design as the Powerbeats Pro, but with a wire between each earpiece.

Apple released additional accessories this week, including iPhone cases, iPad cases, and Apple Watch bands in new spring colors.

Video: Recap of New iPad Pro, New MacBook Air, and More

On our YouTube channel, we shared a recap of all of Apple's announcements this week, including new iPad Pro and MacBook Air models and more.


We've also put together some tidbits about the devices, including the new iPad Pro supporting Wi-Fi 6 and the new MacBook Air supporting up to a 6K external display, including Apple's Pro Display XDR.

Apple Stores Now Closed Until Further Notice Amid COVID-19

Apple has announced that all of its retail stores outside of the Greater China region are closed "until further notice" due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

apple store closures indefinite banner website
Apple also said it is making a substantial donation to COVID-19 relief efforts in Italy, with the funds set to help first responders, medical personnel, and volunteers working to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus in the country, which has the most confirmed cases in Europe.

Follow our COVID-19 roundup as Apple continues to respond to the pandemic.

MacRumors Newsletter

Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.

So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!

Popular Stories

Apple Watch Ultra Night Mode Screen

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Launching Later This Year With Two Key Upgrades

Wednesday July 2, 2025 1:13 pm PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 appears to be nearly over, and it is rumored to feature both satellite connectivity and 5G support. Apple Watch Ultra's existing Night Mode In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Max Battery Capacity Leaked

Thursday July 3, 2025 5:40 am PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature the biggest ever battery in an iPhone, according to the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post, the leaker listed the battery capacities of the iPhone 11 Pro Max through to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and added that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature a battery capacity of 5,000mAh: iPhone 11 Pro Max: 3,969mAh iPhone 12 Pro Max: 3,687mAh...
iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Magsafe

iPhone 17 Pro's New MagSafe Design Revealed in Leaked Photo

Wednesday July 2, 2025 8:37 am PDT by
The upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are rumored to have a slightly different MagSafe magnet layout compared to existing iPhone models, and a leaked photo has offered a closer look at the supposed new design. The leaker Majin Bu today shared a photo of alleged MagSafe magnet arrays for third-party iPhone 17 Pro cases. On existing iPhone models with MagSafe, the magnets form a...
airpods pro 2

AirPods Pro 3 to Help Maintain Apple's Place in Earbud Market Amid Increasing Low-Cost Competition

Thursday July 3, 2025 7:25 am PDT by
Apple's position as the dominant force in the global true wireless stereo (TWS) earbud market is expected to continue through 2025, according to Counterpoint Research. The forecast outlines a 3% year-over-year increase in global TWS unit shipments for 2025, signaling a transition from rapid growth to a more mature phase for the category. While Apple is set to remain the leading brand by...
Wi Fi WiFi General Feature

iOS 26 Adds a Useful New Wi-Fi Feature to Your iPhone

Wednesday July 2, 2025 6:36 am PDT by
iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 add a smaller yet useful Wi-Fi feature to iPhones and iPads. As spotted by Creative Strategies analyst Max Weinbach, sign-in details for captive Wi-Fi networks are now synced across iPhones and iPads running iOS 26 and iPadOS 26. For example, while Weinbach was staying at a Hilton hotel, his iPhone prompted him to fill in Wi-Fi details from his iPad that was already...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...
iOS 18

Apple Releases Second iOS 18.6 Public Beta

Tuesday July 1, 2025 10:19 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a day after Apple provided the betas to developers. Apple has also released a second beta of macOS Sequoia 15.6. Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible...

Top Rated Comments

macfan90 Avatar
69 months ago
No iMac update though, again...

Apple should make a backlit /wireless magic keyboard
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Darth Tulhu Avatar
69 months ago
That iPad keyboard reminds me of the patent pics I saw a while back, that people assumed were for a touchscreen iMac.

I wonder if Apple would have the courage to transform the iMac this way (while offering it alongside the current iMac).

Or rename the upcoming iMac the Macintosh, and create a Surface Studio-like iOS-based iMac now that it FINALLY has trackpad support.

Imagine an iMac you can DRAW ON.

This would conveniently keep the naming-to-OS convention. Macs & iDevices.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Palliser Avatar
69 months ago
Nice video, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say “a new Mac mini” it really was just a storage bump.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AndiG Avatar
69 months ago
Apple still doesn't address the main issues:
- MacBook Air is still a soldered and glued use it and throw it away after you're done article. As long as Apple doesn't create repairable and upgradeable devices again Apple is NOT environmentally friendly.

- The iPad Pro still has FaceId only - in Corona times this is a heavy fail, FaceId doesn't work when you're wearing a mask. TouchId should celebrate a comeback - I hate to remove my face mask constantly when I need to use my iPhone / iPad.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Yaboze Avatar
69 months ago

Maybe MR can hire Marques Brownlee for these vids. We need a little less vanilla. No offense Dan.
Vanilla or not, just someone else. He's got a face for radio.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mi7chy Avatar
69 months ago

Maybe MR can hire Marques Brownlee for these vids. We need a little less vanilla. No offense Dan.
I don't see what the big hype is with MKBHD. He offers nothing insightful which is more important than the bling production set and gear. Just because he records with a $80K camera doesn't make the content $80K.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)