Apple has several annual events, but this March 4 "Apple Experience" is not one of them. The unexpected announcement of in-person events in New York, London, and Shanghai surprised many of us, except for Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who predicted a device announcement this March. Will Apple announce new iPads and MacBooks? Here’s everything we know.
The When & Where
The special Apple Experience event is happening on March 4, 2026. It will start at 9 a.m. ET in New York City and will be held simultaneously in London at 2 p.m. GMT and in Shanghai at 10 p.m. CST (that's China Standard Time, not Central Standard Time). Apple hasn’t confirmed whether the event will be streamed online publicly. It would be a huge shame if it isn’t, because we are eagerly anticipating this unanticipated event!
The What
Apple has been very hush-hush about this "special" event. While Apple often has spring events, they are more mysterious than the June WWDC, where new OSes are announced, and the fall events, where new iPhones and watches are announced, sometimes followed by a second event for Macs and iPads. But we do have some ideas about what will be announced this time around. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman predicted in his Power On newsletter that Apple would hold a March event to release new iPads and MacBooks.
There have been whispers about a new budget MacBook, but we’ll just have to wait and see if it’s announced at this event. According to Gurman, these devices will be released in the fun colors of pink, blue, yellow, and light green. I will personally be disappointed if there isn’t a purple option, but I’m used to it at this point.
Another possibility is the release of the iPhone 17e, the budget version of the iPhone 17 lineup. In 2025, Apple announced the iPhone 16e on February 19, which aligns with predictions that the iPhone 17e will be released this March.
The Why
We don’t know why Apple does what it does, but it makes sense for Apple to want to get fans excited with a special event to release new products. Just recently, Apple told the world that Siri will be using Google’s AI, and there are already lags and complaints. The March 4 Apple Experience may be a way for the tech giant to shift focus to new shiny devices while Apple continues to work on making Siri smarter.
We’ll be following Apple’s event as usual, so come back to iPhone Life on March 4 to get the scoop on what Apple announced at its Apple Experience event.
