Apple has sent out invitations to the media earlier, confirming that it will hold a special event called "Apple Experience" on March 4 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time (10:00 p.m. Taiwan Time). The event is expected to be led by the M5 chip family and the entire range of iPads that support Apple Intelligence.
It's worth noting that this event is not called the familiar "Apple Event," but rather has a brand new title: "Apple Experience."
Furthermore, according toReportIt is said that this event will break with the past practice of being held only at Apple Park in California, and will simultaneously hold media experience events in New York (NYC), London (London), and Shanghai (Shanghai), demonstrating Apple's emphasis on the "global synchronization" and "real-world experience" of this new product.
The M5 Pro/Max processors have officially arrived, pushing MacBook Pro performance to new heights.
If the base version of the M5 processor released last October was the "appetizer," then the main course of this spring launch event is undoubtedly the M5 Pro and M5 Max.
These two high-end processors are expected to debut in the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro. While the exterior design is not expected to change much, the focus will be on improving core performance. In particular, the computing power of the NPU (Neural Processing Unit) will undoubtedly deliver more impressive results than the M4 generation in order to meet the more complex computing needs of Apple Intelligence devices.
Is the rumored "colorful, affordable MacBook" about to appear?
Besides the performance monster, the market is more focused on the long-rumored "entry-level MacBook".
According to a previous report by Mark Gurman of Bloomberg News, this new laptop, positioned below the MacBook Air, is primarily aimed at capturing the education market (K-12) and large-scale corporate purchasing needs, attempting to regain market share from Chromebooks.
Although positioned as an entry-level device, Apple is rumored to avoid using a plastic body and instead maintain an aluminum design. However, it will reportedly pay homage to the 24-inch iMac in terms of color, offering vibrant options such as pale yellow, pale green, blue, and pink. If this product does indeed debut on March 4th, its pricing strategy will be the biggest highlight of the entire event—if it can be kept below $700 (approximately NT$22,000), it will deal a devastating blow to the Windows document printer market.
The entire iPad lineup is now AI-enabled: A18 processor included in entry-level models.
The logic behind this iPad product line update is simple: everything is for AI.
Current entry-level iPads (10th generation or older) are limited by memory and processor performance, making it impossible to fully run Apple Intelligence features. Therefore, rumors suggest that the new entry-level iPad will skip directly to the A18 processor (the same as the iPhone 16 series). This would be Apple's most "generous" upgrade to entry-level specifications in history, with the aim of ensuring that even the cheapest iPad can run AI.
As for the iPad Air, it is expected to be upgraded to the M4 processor, further consolidating its position as the mid-range performance leader and differentiating it from the high-end iPad Pro (M5).
Mac Studio and Mac mini will have to wait a little longer.
Users hoping for desktop updates may be disappointed. While updates to Mac Studio and Mac mini are inevitable, current information suggests that these updates may be delayed until later this year (possibly at WWDC or other events in the second half of the year). This year's "Apple Experience" will primarily focus on mobile devices.
Other new products?
In addition to the aforementioned potential new products, Apple is also expected to announce the iPhone 17e at the upcoming event. It will feature the A19 processor, the C1X connectivity chip, a new "Dynamic Island" screen design, and the addition of MagSafe design to the body.
Other new products include the long-rumored "HomePod" with a display screen, and Apple TV, which hasn't been updated in a long time, may also receive an upgrade.
Analysis of viewpoints
Why was this event renamed "Apple Experience"? This isn't just a change in marketing rhetoric; it's Apple implying that "hardware specifications are no longer the focus; the experience is."
In the past, product launches might have spent 30 minutes explaining how much the number of transistors in the processor had increased; but in the AI era, consumers are more concerned with "what can this machine do for me?" By simultaneously holding offline experience events in New York, London, and Shanghai, Apple clearly hopes that global media can get hands-on experience with the practical applications of Apple Intelligence on the new hardware as soon as possible—such as real-time cross-language translation, smarter Siri conversations, or AI-assisted drawing.
In addition, another strategic significance of this press conference lies in the "comprehensive upgrade of the AI Hardware Baseline".
By upgrading the entry-level iPad to the A18 chip and launching an affordable MacBook, Apple is eliminating its own "AI orphans." This means that, theoretically, any new product purchased from an Apple Store after March 4, 2026 (with a few accessories) will have full Apple Intelligence support capabilities. This is a crucial step for Apple in building a vast AI ecosystem.
As for whether that colorful MacBook will become "One More Thing," let's wait and see.
