The MacRumors Show

On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we discuss Apple's concentrated week of announcements that saw the introduction of 10 new products.
The most significant announcement of the week was the MacBook Neo, an all-new entry-level Apple laptop that starts at $599. The ‌MacBook Neo‌ is designed to compete with lower-cost Windows laptops and Chromebooks, while expanding the Mac lineup with a substantially more affordable option.
Unlike every other Apple silicon Mac, the ‌MacBook Neo‌ is powered by the A18 Pro chip originally developed for the iPhone 16 Pro, making it the first Mac to use an iPhone-class processor instead of an M-series chip.
The machine features a rounded, colorful design available in Silver, Indigo, Blush, and Citrus finishes, with matching keyboards and wallpapers that give it a more playful appearance than Apple's existing notebooks. At 2.7 pounds, it weighs the same as a MacBook Air.
It offers a 13-inch Liquid Retina display with uniform, iPad-style bezels rather than a notch, a Magic Keyboard, a mechanical trackpad, two USB-C ports, 8GB of memory, a headphone jack, a 1080p camera, dual mics, dual speakers with Spatial Audio, and a battery life rated for up to 16 hours.
Apple also updated several existing devices with modest specification improvements. The iPhone 17e retains the same design and price as the iPhone 16e but adds the A19 chip, MagSafe support, Apple's second-generation C1X modem, and 256GB of base storage.
The 11- and 13-inch iPad Air gained the M4 chip, 12GB of RAM, Wi-Fi 7 support via Apple's N1 wireless chip, and the same C1X modem in cellular models. Meanwhile, the 13- and 15-inch ‌MacBook Air‌ were upgraded with the M5 chip and a higher base storage capacity of 512GB, though the removal of the 256GB option increased the starting price to $1,099.
At the high end of the Mac lineup, Apple refreshed the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with the new M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, introducing a "Fusion Architecture" that bonds two 3nmdies together into a single processor. These models also gained faster SSD speeds, higher base storage, and Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 via the N1 chip. Battery life increased slightly across the lineup, while GPU cores now include dedicated Neural Accelerators intended to improve AI workloads.
Apple also expanded its display lineup with a new Studio Display XDR model, replacing the Pro Display XDR. The new model offers a 27-inch 5K mini-LED panel with up to a 120Hz refresh rate, HDR brightness up to 2,000 nits, and Thunderbolt 5 connectivity. The standard ‌Studio Display‌ was updated at the same time with two Thunderbolt 5 ports, improved speakers, and a camera that now supports Desk View, but retains its 60Hz panel and 600-nit brightness.
All of the newly announced devices became available to pre-order on Wednesday, March 4, with the entire lineup scheduled to launch and begin arriving to customers on Wednesday, March 11.
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00:00 - Intro
01:17 - iPhone 17e
06:42 - M4 iPad Air
08:46 - M5 MacBook Air
11:53 - Sponsor: SelectQuote
13:40 - MacBook Pro: M5 Pro and M5 Max Overview
21:30 - Studio Display
25:58 - Studio Display XDR
38:05 - Introducing the MacBook Neo

Earlier this week, Apple today a "special Apple Experience" for the media in New York, London, and Shanghai, taking place on March 4, 2026 at 9:00am ET. It is notable that Apple is specifically using the word "experience," rather than "event." Unlike a full live-streamed event from Apple Park, the March 4 event in other cities is likely to be smaller in scale.
The launch of several new Apple products is believed to be imminent. We're most likely to see the announcement of the iPhone 17e, a spec-bumped successor to the iPhone 16e, with rumored upgrades including an A19 chip, MagSafe, and Apple's C1X and N1 wireless chips. The device will apparently have a notch despite earlier rumors mentioning a Dynamic Island, and pricing will continue to start at $599 in the United States.
The all-new low-cost MacBook is likely to arrive, featuring the A18 Pro chip, a 12.9-inch display, and a selection of fun color options. The MacBook Pro is also expected to receive the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, and PCIe 5.0 support for faster SSD speeds.
Additionally, the iPad Air is due a bump up to the M4 chip, while the entry-level iPad is expected to get the A18 chip with Apple Intelligence support.
A refreshed MacBook Air, Mac Studio, and Studio Display are also possibilities, along with a new Apple TV and HomePod mini. The event could could include a demo of immersive Formula 1 content on the Apple Vision Pro, too.
We also discuss iOS 26.4, which is now available in beta. The update includes a new Playlist Playground feature that lets users create a playlist with a text-based prompt, refinements to Apple Music's design, videos in Apple Podcasts, end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for ‌RCS‌ messages, and more.
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We discuss the upcoming iPhone 17e and iPad models, as well as Apple's apparent issues finalizing the revamped version of Siri, on this week's episode of The MacRumors Show.
The announcement of the ‌iPhone‌ 17e is said to be “imminent," with stock of the iPhone 16e now dwindling. The new device is rumored to come with four main new features, including the A19 chip from the iPhone 17, MagSafe connectivity, the C1X cellular modem, and the N1 chip for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and Thread connectivity.
New iPads are also on the horizon for the near future. The eighth-generation iPad Air is expected to move to the M4 chip, while the 12th-generation ‌iPad‌ is expected to jump a chip generation up to the A18, which will also enable Apple Intelligence support for the first time on the device.
This week's biggest story was the news that Apple has again “run into snags" testing the personalized, smarter version of ‌Siri‌ originally planned for iOS 26.4. Due to the issues, the upcoming ‌Siri‌ features will likely be partially delayed and spread across several upcoming iOS releases. Apple could postpone some or all of the new ‌Siri‌ features until iOS 26.5, an update planned for May, and iOS 27, which will launch this September.
Apple announced a significantly upgraded version of ‌Siri‌ powered by ‌Apple Intelligence‌ at its 2024 Worldwide Developers Conference, and they were originally supposed to be part of iOS 18. The following spring, Apple announced that the new ‌Siri‌ would take longer than expected, with the functionality delayed for a year.
Since then, Apple has ostensibly been targeting iOS 26.4, which the company will begin beta testing later this month, but there have apparently been unforeseen problems: ‌Siri‌ sometimes doesn't properly process queries and can take too long to respond to requests.
Apple engineers have been told to use iOS 26.5 for further internal testing, suggesting the new ‌Siri‌ features will be delayed until that update. Employees that are testing iOS 26.5 say the update includes all of the features Apple promised, including personalization, onscreen awareness, and the ability for ‌Siri‌ to do more in and between apps, but not all of the features are working reliably and there are problems with accuracy.
‌Siri‌ also apparently sometimes falls back on using ChatGPT for information instead of relying on the Gemini-powered technology that Apple has partnered with Google to use, even when the new version of ‌Siri‌ is capable of handling a user's request.
Apple also planned to include features that haven't yet been announced, such as options to generate images with Image Playground or search the web. Image generation and web search were tested as part of iOS 26.4, and it's possible they will still be included in the update, so Apple might still be able to release some of the new ‌Siri‌ functionality. Bloomberg says the situation is "fluid," though, so Apple's plans could change, and executives are reluctant to further delay the ‌Siri‌ functionality beyond spring 2026.
There are still major changes planned for ‌Siri‌ as part of iOS 27, with Apple aiming to add chatbot functionality to better compete with the likes of like Gemini and ChatGPT. This new version of ‌Siri‌ will also reportedly have deeper integration with apps and Apple's operating systems.
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On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we discuss all of the new Macs Apple is expected to release this year, starting with the M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro.
Following the release of the M5 ‌MacBook Pro‌ last year, Apple is expected to launch refreshed high-end ‌MacBook Pro‌ models with the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips. They are rumored to arrive alongside macOS Tahoe 26.5 in the next few weeks. Stock of the current M4 Pro and M4 Max models is dwindling, suggesting that the announcement is now impending.
After that release, we are expecting M5-series chips to come to the MacBook Air, Mac mini, and Mac Studio at the very least. Whether the iMac and the Mac Pro will get an M5 chip remains an open question.
Apple is also rumored to launch an all-new low-cost MacBook this year, featuring the A18 Pro chip for comparable performance to the M1 chip. It is expected to feature a 13-inch LCD display, USB-C connectivity only, and a price point somewhere between $699 and $899. iPad-like Silver, Blue, Pink, and Yellow color options are also rumored.
Toward the end of the year, Apple is expected to launch significantly upgraded ‌MacBook Pro‌ models. The new machines are rumored to feature M6-series chips, a cellular connectivity option, OLED touchscreen displays, a hole-punch in the screen for the front-facing camera, and a thinner, lighter design.
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On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we discuss Apple's newly launched AirTag 2 and Apple Creator Studio.
Earlier this week, Apple announced the second-generation ‌AirTag‌, marking the first major update to its item tracker since the product's introduction in 2021, with improvements focused on tracking range, audio output, and device support rather than changes to its physical design.
The new ‌AirTag‌ uses a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip that extends Precision Finding range by up to 50%, adds support for Precision Finding on compatible Apple Watch models for the first time, and includes an upgraded Bluetooth specification designed to improve general tracking range. Apple also says the built-in speaker is up to 50% louder, making it easier to locate items in noisy environments.
Externally, the ‌AirTag‌ remains visually similar to the original and continues to use a replaceable CR2032 coin battery with more than a year of battery life, while internally Apple has made a significant number of internal changes. The second-generation ‌AirTag‌ is priced the same as before at $29 for a single unit or $99 for a four-pack, is compatible with existing ‌AirTag‌ accessories, and requires devices running iOS 26.2.1 or later.
Apple also launched Creator Studio, a new all-in-one subscription aimed at content creators. For $12.99 per month, or $129 per year, Creator Studio provides access to Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro, Motion, Compressor, and MainStage, consolidating tools for video editing, music production, image editing, and live performance. The bundle replaces Apple's long-standing one-time purchase model for these apps with a subscription approach, while keeping standalone versions available for users who do not want access to the full package.
Beyond bundling existing apps, Creator Studio introduces a set of AI-powered features that are exclusive to subscribers. These include transcript and visual search in Final Cut Pro, enhanced beat detection and new dynamic titles, AI-assisted session players and harmonic analysis in Logic Pro, and new design and warp tools in Pixelmator Pro, which is now available on iPad for the first time. The subscription also unlocks premium AI features in Apple's free productivity apps, including Keynote, Pages, and Numbers, with Freeform support coming later.
Creator Studio is available now via the App Store, with a one-month free trial for all users and a three-month trial for customers who purchase a qualifying new Mac or ‌iPad‌. The subscription supports Family Sharing for up to six people, includes discounted pricing for students and educators.