As we've been noting ad nauseam over the past few days, the first week of March is shaping up to be one of Apple's most launch-heavy weeks of the year, with product announcements expected from Monday through Wednesday, culminating in the hands-on 'Apple Experience' event on March 04.
Now, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman is out with the scoop that Apple is expecting a veritable frenzy at its retail stores as a result of these product launches, and is making sure that those stores are able to handle the oncoming sales volume.
Apple expects a sales deluge as it gears up to announce the low-cost MacBook, the iPhone 17e, and the updated MacBook Pro, iPad, and iPad Air, with Apple Studio Displays also thrown in the mix
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects Apple to announce a number of products next week:
"We’re likely to see some combination of these products: the iPhone 17e, MacBook Pros and Airs, updated entry-level iPad and iPad Air models, and the much-anticipated low-cost MacBook with an iPhone chip."
While Gurman does not explicitly mention Apple Studio Displays, we know that the Cupertino giant has been working on at least two variants of the display, as gleaned from the recent macOS 26.3 update, which contained references to three unreleased Apple product identifiers: J700, J427, and J527. As such, Apple might end up announcing these displays at its upcoming three-day launch fest.
As a refresher, Apple is expected to launch its much-anticipated low-cost MacBook next week, replete with a new manufacturing process for its aluminum shell, the A18 Pro chip that featured in the iPhone 16 Pro Max, a 12.9-inch screen, a USB 3.2 Gen 2 controller capable of speeds of either 10Gb/s or 1.25GB/s, a haptic trackpad sans a backlit keyboard, and bright color options, possibly including light yellow, light green, blue, pink, classic silver, and dark gray. Apple might price the low-cost MacBook as high as $749, as per the latest anecdotes.
Apple might also take the opportunity to debut the iPhone 17e that is expected to sport a 6.1-inch LTPS (low-temperature polycrystalline silicon) OLED screen with a 60Hz refresh rate, the Dynamic Island, the A19 chip, a C1-series modem sans the N1 chip, magnetic wireless charging, a 12MP selfie camera, a Face ID module, and a 48MP rear camera, all for $599.
Finally, Apple might also launch the updated M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro devices, along with the new base iPad and the iPad Air with updated chips.
As such, given the ensuing frenzy, especially in relation to the "mainstream appeal" of the low-cost MacBook, Apple has warned its store employees to expect longer hours akin to what follows the annual iPhone-related announcements in September. Gurman adds that Apple "stores are also preparing to have an entire table dedicated to one of the new products," which is likely to be the new low-cost MacBook.
About the author: Writing is my one incontrovertible passion. Over the past six years, he has authored over 2,200 distinct articles on financial and tech-related topics, spanning nearly 1 million words. And he has been a member of Wcctech mobile team since 2025. As an alumnus of the University of Toronto, Rotman Commerce Program, I bring nuance, in-depth knowledge, and a unique perspective to every topic that I cover. When I'm not writing, I'm traveling the world, exploring hidden confectionaries and restaurants as an aspiring food connoisseur.
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