February 17, 2026. The tech world is collectively holding its breath for March 4. Apple hasn’t said a word officially, but the supply chain is screaming. We’re looking at a spring cleaning of the entire hardware stack. The thing is, this isn’t just about faster chips; it’s about Apple finally trickling down that high-end power to the “budget” crowd. Let’s be real—an M5 MacBook Air and a $599 iPhone 17e in the same month? That’s an aggressive play for market share.
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Field Notes: The March 4 Speculation
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The M5 Wave: The MacBook Air is reportedly ditching the M3/M4 transition and jumping straight to the M5. And then the Pro models follow. We’re expecting 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros with M5 Pro and M5 Max. It’s a silicon blitz.
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The “Budget” iPhone: The iPhone 17e is the one to watch. It’s succeeding the 16e. Leaks say 6.1-inch screen, Dynamic Island (finally), and the A19 chip. All for $599. Or nothing, if you prefer the SE vibes.
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iPad Shuffle: The iPad Air is finally moving to the M4. Meanwhile, the base iPad gets the A18. This brings Apple Intelligence to the entry-level student market. It’s about time.
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Modem Magic: The iPhone 17e might debut the C1X modem. Apple is slowly cutting the cord with Qualcomm. Better efficiency, less heat.
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The Display Mystery: Rumors of new external displays are floating around. No specs yet, but they’re designed to “pair perfectly” with the M5 Macs. Probably more pixels, more nits, same high price.
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Apple Spring 2026: Predicted Hardware Lineup
| Device | Expected Chipset | Major Upgrade | Estimated Price |
| MacBook Air | M5 | 3nm Gen 2 performance | $999+ |
| iPhone 17e | A19 | Dynamic Island & 48MP Cam | $599 |
| iPad Air | M4 | Better thermal management | $599 |
| Standard iPad | A18 | Apple Intelligence support | $449 |
| MacBook Pro | M5 Pro / Max | Thunderbolt 5 support | $1,999+ |
And Here’s the Kicker…
The real story isn’t just the M5; it’s the M5 Max. The thing is, the leaked benchmarks for the M5 Max suggest it might actually outperform some of the lower-tier Mac Studio chips from last year. And here’s the kicker: if the iPhone 17e really starts at $599 with an A19 chip, Apple is basically declaring war on the mid-range Android market. They aren’t just selling hardware anymore; they’re selling the “entry ticket” to their AI ecosystem. If you can’t run the new Apple Intelligence models, your device is effectively a paperweight in 2026. Or nothing, if you just want to send texts.
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