Apple March Event: New iPad, MacBook Air, Mac mini & more

Anurag Singh
Apple March Event

Apple may be planning to host a March Event to announce new products. Here’s everything we know about the upcoming keynote.

Apple is said to have over half a dozen new products in the pipeline, with rumors swirling that some may debut as early as March 2024. While Apple’s spring events aren’t as common as its WWDC and September iPhone launches, they do pop up now and then.

The last Apple spring event, dubbed “Peak Performance,” happened in March 2022. During this event, Apple unveiled several new products including the iPhone SE, Mac Studio, and Studio Display.

There’s buzz that Apple’s upcoming spring event might go down in March 2024. The Cupertino company could be gearing up to reveal fresh iPads, MacBook Airs, and other hardware. Read on as we discuss everything we know about the Apple March Event.

Will there be an Apple March Event?

As we mentioned, an Apple March Event or Spring event is not uncommon. Over the last decade, Apple has hosted six Spring events, mostly in March. Also, there was no Spring event in 2023, so 2024 might be the year we see one.

Apple hasn’t updated its iPad lineup for quite some time, and the MacBook Air is also due for an M3 refresh. This suggests that a March Event could be on the horizon. However, there’s no official confirmation from Apple yet.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says Apple isn’t planning to host a full-fledged event to launch its new products. Instead, the company may quietly announce them “on its website” and with a “series of online videos and marketing campaigns” sometime in March or April.

MacRumors reported on March 4 that the press release launch of these new products may happen later this week. The exact date is yet to be confirmed.

What could be announced in Apple March Event?

Apple has already made the Vision Pro official, and the iPhone 16 isn’t arriving before September. There are no prices for guessing what Apple will announce during the March Event.

New iPad and iPad Pro

ipad pro and regular on purple background

Apple completely ignored its iPad lineup in 2023. The company is widely rumored to unveil new iPad models sometime in 2024, with most of the attention focusing on the iPad mini and iPad Pro.

However, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggests that new iPad Air models are also on the horizon early this year, with Apple planning to introduce two sizes— a 10.9-inch and a new 12.9-inch model.

The iPad Pro models launching this year might come with OLED displays, as suggested by industry observers. A report from January 2024 stated that Apple intends to begin mass production of the 10.9-inch and 12.9-inch OLED iPad Pro models around March.

This aligns with Kuo’s reporting in November 2023, which hinted at the potential launch of the OLED iPad Pro in April or May. The iPad 11th Gen could also make its debut this year with a slight spec bump and a new A-series chipset.

M3 Mac Mini

Apple didn’t announce the M3 Mac Mini during the Scary Fast event in October 2023. The M2 Mac Mini was launched in January 2023, so it’s certain that a new model is coming soon. However, there’s no concrete information that suggests the launch will happen in March.

Mark Gurman reported in August 2023 that Apple is already working on the M3 Mac Mini. Kuo reported in January 2023 that it won’t look much different from the existing Mac Minis.

M3 MacBook Air

Apple M3 Max chip

It’s safe to assume Apple will refresh the MacBook Air lineup with M3 chips, considering the company has already announced the M3 MacBook Pros. According to Bloomberg, Apple is readying new models of the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air powered by the M3 chip, and they will be announced in Spring 2024.

The M3 chip, which Apple announced last year, offers a significant performance improvement. It’s based on a 3nm process node and is reportedly 20% faster than the M2 in terms of CPU performance. You can expect the M3 MacBook Airs to be significantly more powerful than the existing models.

What not to expect from Apple March Event

While a lot of products could be unveiled during the spring event, we won’t hold our breath for an iPhone SE 4 model. Reports claim the SE model won’t be launching before 2025 as it is still in the early development stages. The same goes for foldable iPhones and iPads.

Although rumors suggest Apple has started to take foldables seriously, the launch may still not happen before 2026. In any case, it’s wise to wait for the official announcement. Apple may end up announcing products in a press release instead of hosting a full-fledged event.