Apple’s 'big week' starts with a pair of $599 devices aimed at budget buyers

Описание: (4 Mar 2026)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
New York - 4 March 2026
1. Wide of showroom with MacBook Neo
2. Screen showing video for MacBook Neo with UPSOUND (English): “Everything you'd expect of a MacBook at a price you wouldn't.“
+++ SHOT 3 OVERLAID WITH SHOTS 4-7 +++
3. SOUNDBITE (English) John Ternus, Senior Vice President, Hardware Engineering:
“We are so excited to have you all here so you can get your hands on all the new products we've announced this week. Starting with the iPhone 17e which delivers even more value and faster performance, the convenience of MagSafe, and now twice the starting storage. And the new iPad Air powered by M4 with more memory and faster wireless so users can get more done than ever with their iPad. And the new MacBook Pro with the super powerful M5 Pro and M5 Max. This thing is an absolute monster. And it now starts with a terabyte of storage.”
4. Various of iPhone 17e
5. Close of iPad Air M4
6. Wide of two iPad Air on display
7. MacBook Pro 14 inch with M5 chip and screen displays
8. Wide of showroom
STORYLINE:
Apple’s "big week" of product announcements has seen the introduction of a new budget-friendly iPhone trim, an entry-level Macbook tier, updated iPad Air models, refreshed monitors and higher-end chipsets.

All of which was on display at hands-on media events held Wednesday in New York, London and Shanghai.

The tech titan recently saw its quarterly earnings rise to a new record, thanks to strong sales of its iPhone 17 models, even though the company still hasn’t delivered on its 2024 promise to smarten up its Siri assistance with AI. 

Perhaps looking to capitalize on this sales momentum, Apple started the week off announcing the latest entry in its more budget-friendly phone lineup, the iPhone 17e.

This updated version of iPhone targeting budget-conscious shoppers will include the same A19 chip as the one powering the base iPhone 17 and offers double the standard storage space (256GB) as the previous 16e model (128GB).

The camera has been updated to a 48 megapixel system and its C1X modem promises faster cellular speeds. 

Apple also announced the introduction of the Macbook Neo, an entry-level laptop that represents the company's most aggressive attempt at moving into the affordable laptop market.

Apple’s high-end Pro lineup of laptops received newly announced chip upgrades (the M5 Pro and M5 Max), which claim higher performance for intensive usage and battery efficiency. But the new upgrades come with a higher price tag too.

The 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M5 Pro chip set comes with 24GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. It's priced at $2,199, a $200 increase compared with 2024 base M4 Pro.

The 16-inch MacBook Pro already comes standard with the highest tier M5 Pro chip set, and starts with 24GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. It's priced at $2,699, a $200 increase from previous model.

The refreshed iPad Air runs the slightly older M4 chip — for reference, the top-end iPad Pro model uses the newer M5 chip. But it's still powerful enough to handle your streaming habits, web browsing, email and video editing. Cellular versions of the Air also include the updated C1X modem for faster connections.

The 11-inch iPad Air starts at $599 while the 13-inch version starts at $799, each with 128GB of storage.

Everything announced will be available for preorder starting Wednesday.

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