Apple announces first event of 2026: iPhone 17e, ‘low cost’ MacBook and more expected

Apple has announced a special launch event for next month, as usual without any hint of what it’s about to unveil. The event is slated for 4 March, 2026 at 9am ET or 7:30PM Indian Time.

The announcement of the launch event has more or less pushed the rumours of the iPhone 17e launching this week to the side, with the Cupertino-based tech giant likely to unveil the phone at its upcoming event.

What will Apple launch at the 4 March event?

1) Low-cost MacBook:

A recent report by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman had stated that the company is planning to launch a ‘low-cost MacBook’ which would cost under $1,000. The MacBook could run on an iPhone chip instead of the M-series chip.

Other compromises are also expected with the MacBook, including a slightly smaller display which could be just under 13 inches.

The low-cost Mac is codenamed J700 and is tipped to feature an aluminium chassis. In order to avoid plastic and stick with aluminium, Apple is said to have developed a new manufacturing process which allows the shells to be forged more quickly.

The MacBook is said to be positioned for students and enterprise users and will be offered in playful colours.

2) MacBook Air and MacBook Pro:

Gurman had also stated that Apple is planning to launch new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models. The company is also expected to give a much-needed update to the Mac Studio.

The report also states that there are plans for new versions of the iMac and Mac mini.

3) iPads:

Reportedly, Apple is planning to launch new iPads which could include refreshes to the low-end and Air models. The company could also be planning to unveil a revamped iPad mini with an OLED display.

4) iPhone 17e:

Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 17e at the event with a couple of big upgrades. The phone could come with the same design as last year but run on the latest A19 processor, albeit with a downclocked chip. The phone could finally get support for MagSafe charging, which could double the wireless charging speed from 7.5W to 15W.

The phone could feature a 6.1-inch OLED display with a 60Hz refresh rate. It could also feature Apple’s own C1x modem, which the company had debuted with the iPhone Air last year and claimed offered 2x faster speeds than the C1 on the iPhone 16e.