Apple's Big Week: iPhone 17e, M4 iPad Air, M5 MacBook Air, and More
Apple promised a big week, and it didn't disappoint. The tech giant unveiled a range of new products, including the iPhone 17e, M4 iPad Air, M5 MacBook Air, and more. Here's a recap of everything Apple announced so far this week:
iPhone 17e
Apple has upgraded its entry-level iPhone with solid enhancements, keeping the starting price at $599. The iPhone 17e features double the base storage of the iPhone 16e at 256GB, MagSafe support with Qi2 wireless charging speeds up to 15W, and a 6.1-inch Super Retina display with Ceramic Shield 2 for improved scratch resistance and reduced glare. It also includes the C1X cellular modem, which is up to two times faster than the C1 in the iPhone 16e, and the A19 chip, supporting Apple Intelligence AI tools and running iOS 26.
The iPhone 17e has an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance, promises all-day battery life, and supports satellite-powered features like Emergency SOS, Roadside Assistance, Messages, and Find My. Pre-orders open on March 4, and it will be available in black, white, and soft pink, launching in over 70 countries and regions on March 11.
iPad Air M4
The latest iPad Air boasts Apple's M4 chip, making it effectively a year behind the iPad Pro. Despite being almost two years old, the M4 chip will still be powerful enough for casual tasks like watching shows, web browsing, and email. It also handles resource-intensive tasks like video editing better than previous iPad Air models. The M4 iPad Air features 12GB of RAM, a significant increase from the last-gen model's 8GB, and supports Wi-Fi 7 and 5G cellular connectivity.
The 11-inch M4 iPad Air starts at $599, while the 13-inch version starts at $799, both with 128GB of storage. There's a $50 discount for educational use. Pre-orders open on March 4, and it will be available in blue, purple, starlight, and space gray, launching in 35 countries and regions on March 11.
M5 MacBook Air
Apple has swapped the M4 chip in the MacBook Air with the M5 chip, boosted the base storage to 512GB with an SSD for improved read/write performance, and increased the memory bandwidth to 153GB/s, a 28% improvement over the M4 MacBook Air. However, the starting price has increased to $1,099 for the 13-inch model and $1,299 for the 15-inch M5 MacBook Air.
The M5 MacBook Air is available in sky blue, midnight, starlight, and silver, with pre-orders opening on March 4 and launching in 33 countries and regions on March 11.
Stay tuned for more updates as the story develops.
