ACCORDING to Bloomberg correspondent Mark Gurman, Apple is lining up a spring hardware refresh centred on M5 silicon, with an early March unveiling potentially as soon as the week of 2 March to showcase a broad Mac and iPad slate and the iPhone 17e. The plan includes M5-powered MacBook Pro models (14-inch and 16-inch) designed to maximise high‑fidelity audiovisual workflows, while the MacBook Air is also slated to transition to the M5 chip.
A budget‑tier MacBook is rumoured to target the education sector, speculated to use the A18 Pro architecture and positioned at a disruptive $599 to $699 to challenge Chromebooks. On the iPad side, the iPad Air (8th Generation) is expected to move directly to the M4, narrowing the gap with the Pro line, and the iPad (12th Generation) will upgrade to the A18 chip to ensure AI features across the line. The article notes that desktop refreshes for the Mac Studio and Studio Display are anticipated later, with the Mac mini update appearing further off.