This digest compiles the latest from Apple Insider.
Today’s Apple Insider Roundup
March 2 release event may be for M5 MacBook Pro refresh
Apple is rumored to be launching a product the week of March 2, with the most likely candidate being MacBook Pro models equipped with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips.
Apple often holds events in March as one of its earliest of the year. According to one report, that could be just the case in 2026.
Writing in Sunday’s “Power On” newsletter for Bloomberg, Mark Gurman writes that Apple is planning a product launch that is currently scheduled for as “early as the week of March 2.”
Rumor Score: 🤔 Possible
iPhone 17e is coming soon with A19 and a $599 price tag
The iPhone 17e will be hitting store shelves soon, with the update to the iPhone 16e packing the same A19 chip as the iPhone 17.
Apple is expected to bring out an update to the iPhone 16e in early 2026, replacing it with a new iPhone 17e model. That update could arrive very soon, if one report is correct.
According to Bloomberg’s “Power On: newsletter on Sunday, Mark Gurman writes that the launch is due “imminently.” Gurman doesn’t specify a specific date, but it could arrive within days or a few weeks.
Rumor Score: 🤯 Likely
M5 Max Mac Studio & New Studio Display could finally arrive in the spring
Apple’s Mac desktop lineup should get M5 variants and the Studio Display may finally get its long-awaited upgrade just after M5 Pro and Max MacBook Pros arrive. Here’s what to expect, and when.
Apple Silicon has been on a fairly predictable near-annual update cycle, which means the Mac lineup gets updated at a similar cadence. While some chips are short-cycled, others take just a bit longer, which seems to be the case for the Mac Studio in 2026.
According to the Power On newsletter from Mark Gurman, Apple will release the Mac Studio and Studio Display “not long after” the spring Mac updates. The Mac mini is also expected to get an update in 2026 as well.
Rumor Score: 🤯 Likely
Cheaper MacBook with iPhone chip still expected in early 2026
The often-rumored budget MacBook is still expected to arrive at some point in the first half of 2026, as Apple prepares to compete directly with Chromebooks.
Rumors have repeatedly insisted that Apple will bring out a MacBook with an iPhone chip running the show instead of an M-series chip. As more forecasts come in, it seems the rumor mill is more insistent than ever that it will launch this year.
The latest volley, coming from Mark Gurman’s “Power On” newsletter for Bloomberg on Sunday, the MacBook will be the centerpiece Mac launch for early 2026. Gurman doesn’t offer much new about the model, recapping previous claims about it, but he also doesn’t narrow down the timing to beyond the first six months of the year.
Rumor Score: 🤯 Likely
Crime blotter: Teens arrested for stealing from Cambridge Apple Store
Jeffrey Epstein’s Apple Watch gift, an actor followed his stolen iPhone to China, and two iPhone thefts in one day in Texas, all in this week’s Apple Crime Blotter
The latest in an occasional AppleInsider feature, looking at the world of Apple-related crime.
'The Studio' and 'Mr. Scorsese' honored at Directors' Guild Awards
Apple TV has picked up three more Directors’ Guild awards, this time in the comedy and documentary categories, as well as outstanding advertising.
Apple now has a strong track record in nominations for television series at the Directors’ Guild Awards — “Ted Lasso” has had seven — but few wins. Notably, “Lessons in Chemistry” won in the drama series category in 2024, and Apple has had a children’s award plus advertising ones.
Now for the 78th Annual Directors’ Guild Award, Apple has doubled its number of wins. In the ceremony in Beverley Hills on February 7, 2026, Apple won:
End of today’s Apple Insider roundup.
