This digest compiles the latest from Apple Insider.
Today’s Apple Insider Roundup
New iPads mean new accessories & ESR has productivity-boosting options
The iPad Air has been upgraded with the M4, so pair it or Apple’s other tablets with accessories that enhance your workflows. ESR’s magnetic keyboard cases are a great place to start.
ESR’s iPad accessory line combines form and function to ensure your devices look great while keeping you productive. Choose one of the cases with a removable magnetic keyboard, a strong screen protector, and a digital stylus with Find My support, all from ESR.
Having a thin and light iPad that works great as a handheld tablet or a sturdy laptop doesn’t have to be an either/or choice. ESR’s cases let users have it all in a convenient form factor.
MacBook Neo, Studio Display XDR, iPhone 17e and more, on the AppleInsider Podcast
Apple released a slew of new devices this week, including the stellar MacBook Neo and iPhone 17e, plus the very good Studio Display XDR, all on the AppleInsider Podcast.
It wasn’t a full week of launches, but Apple certainly packed a lot into its three days of announcements. Practically all of it was predicted, but still there are stand-out releases like the MacBook Neo.
That seems to be polarizing people, as some regard Apple’s compromises as going too far. It’s certainly not for everyone, but then Apple has aimed at everybody by also updating its MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models.
M5 Max MacBook Pro benchmarks beat M3 Ultra Mac Studio
The M5 Max is Apple’s latest high-end chipset built for the MacBook Pro, and early benchmark results show it easily competes with the M3 Ultra.
Product reviewers are likely running benchmarks on the recently announced MacBook Pros, which means they’ve begun showing up in Geekbench. The iPad Air with M4 has already had its benchmarks revealed, and the latest ones discovered in the public database are for the M5 Max MacBook Pro.
A post by Reddit user One_TrackMinded in the r/macbookpro subreddit revealed the results for Mac 17,7. It seems these results could be for a 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M5 Max.
Sydney Opera House to be lit up by art created on iPad
Apple and the Sydney Opera House are collaborating on a series of creativity projects for young people, including the chance to have iPad-created art projected on the famous building.
Just as it did for Christmas with its UK headquarters, Apple is inviting people to submit artwork on the iPad to the Sydney Opera house. It’s part of a 12-month collaboration which will see Apple supporting arts programming, including a new international children’s festival later in 2026.
“For 50 years, Apple has been at the forefront of empowering creativity, providing tools that allow people to imagine, design, and share their unique visions with the world,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, in a statement. “We are thrilled to be working with such an iconic Australian cultural landmark to help inspire the next generation of creatives.”
MacBook Neo starts seeing shipping delays
Most of the 512GB configurations of the MacBook Neo are now back-ordered between one and two weeks, although both silver models remain available for March 11, 2026.
The only conclusion you can truly draw from shipping delays is that if you want a device whose date has slipped back, you’re going to have to wait. That is what’s now happening with the new MacBook Neo.
Since Apple will never reveal how many devices it has made in which configurations, it can’t really be said whether one version of the MacBook Neo is more popular than another. But you can say which colors are selling out.
Inside Control Center on macOS Tahoe
Apps you don’t want can clog up your Mac menubar, while ones you do can’t be added. Here’s how and why to use Control Center to make that menubar work for you, the way you want.
Especially if you have a MacBook Pro or MacBook Air with a small display — and a notch — you will have hit problems with menubar apps and controls. Quite apart from some apparently hiding behind that notch, there are others you want but there isn’t enough room for them.
Or even on a large display, you might shrug and let any app go in the menubar if it likes. But the result there is a huge number of apps, making it hard to find the one you actually need — especially since macOS will keep moving them around.
Forget 512GB RAM — Apple has dropped the Mac Studio's $4,000 upgrade
Without warning, Apple has stopped selling the Mac Studio with its previous maximum configuration of 512GB RAM, perhaps because of worldwide shortages.
One day ago, you could have spent $14,099 on a maxed-out Mac Studio. That included $4,000 on a 512GB RAM option, but that is now gone.
At the same time, Apple has raised prices on what RAM upgrades it still offers. The configurations depend on which processor you select, but for one example, it now costs an extra $400 than it did to upgrade from 96GB RAM to 256GB RAM.
Apple's long-awaited HomeHub rumored to launch in fall 2026
The mystical, shareable tablet device that will act as the central control unit of your Apple Home could finally arrive in late 2026 if a leaker with a limited history is right.
If you’ve been following AppleInsider long enough, you might have heard of Apple EVT/DVT collector Kosutami. They’re a great social media follow for pictures of products that have never seen the light of day, but occasionally, they share a possible leak.
On Thursday, Kosutami shared that the “HomePad” was coming in fall. They’re a little more old school in their leaking, providing only a cryptic message.
Rumor Score: 🤔 Possible
MacBook Neo benchmark results are predictably close to iPhone 16 Pro, M1 comparable
Apple announced the MacBook Neo with the A18 Pro iPhone processor, and early benchmarks reveal expected results are in line with AppleInsider’s previous analysis, making it an easy spec swap for the M1 MacBook Air.
The MacBook Neo is a new and somewhat controversial product in Apple’s lineup. It cuts out a lot of premium features associated with modern Macs to achieve the low price.
One of the cost-saving features is the A18 Pro processor originally revealed for the iPhone 16 Pro. Early benchmarks first discovered by MacRumors show what are nearly identical specs to the iPhone 16 Pro but with a Mac identifier 17,5.
End of today’s Apple Insider roundup.
