Top Stories: MacBook Air, Mac Studio, iPad Air, and iPad Updates

There was definitely "something in the air" this week as Tim Cook promised, with Apple making a number of product announcements to breathe new life into several of its Mac and iPad products.

top stories 2025 03 08
Some aspects of the announcements were expected while others were a bit of a surprise as was Apple looking to entice potential customers with some interesting choices for its new products, so read on below for all the details!

Everything Apple Announced This Week

It was a busy week for Apple with multiple new products announced on both Tuesday and Wednesday. We're now caught up on what's been rumored for a spring launch, so check out our recap and video going over everything Apple announced.

Everything M3 iPad Air M4 MacBook Air Mac M4 Studio Thumb 3 2
All of the new products are available for pre-order now and will launch on Wednesday, March 12.

Apple Announces New MacBook Air With M4 and 'Sky Blue' Color Option

Apple on Wednesday announced refreshed 13- and 15-inch MacBook Air models featuring the M4 chip, an upgraded Center Stage camera, and a new Sky Blue color option to replace Space Gray.

Apple MacBook Air hero
The M4 chip features a 10-core CPU, an up to 10-core GPU, and support for up to 32GB of unified memory, and Apple says the new ‌MacBook Air‌ is up to 2x faster than the M1 model.

The M4 MacBook Air also comes with a lower $999 starting price, allowing Apple to simplify the lineup by eliminating both the M2 and M3 models.

Apple Announces New Mac Studio With M4 Max and M3 Ultra Chips, Thunderbolt 5, and More

Wednesday's other big announcement was an updated Mac Studio with M4 Max and M3 Ultra chip options, Thunderbolt 5 ports, and more.

mac studio green
The M4 Max chip was already released last year in the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro, and it can be configured with up to a 16-core CPU, up to a 40-core GPU, and up to 128GB of unified memory. The all-new M3 Ultra chip features up to a 32-core CPU with 24 performance cores and eight efficiency cores, up to 80 GPU cores, and up to 512GB of memory.

Apple Announces New iPad Air With M3 Chip, Updated Magic Keyboard

Apple on Tuesday introduced new 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Air models with the M3 chip, along with an updated Magic Keyboard for the device.

M3 iPad Air
With the M3 chip, the new iPad Air should offer up to 20% faster performance compared to the previous-generation model with the M2 chip, which was released in May 2024. In addition, the M3 chip brings hardware-accelerated ray tracing to the iPad Air for the first time, providing improved graphics rendering in games.

The new Magic Keyboard for the iPad Air features a larger trackpad and function keys for easy access to features like display brightness and volume controls.

Apple Unveils 11th-Gen iPad With A16 Chip and More Storage

Alongside the M3 iPad Air, Apple on Tuesday also announced the 11th-generation iPad, now featuring the A16 chip and more storage.

ipad 11 feature
While the new iPad won't support Apple Intelligence, the A16 chip represents a significant upgrade over the A14 Bionic chip in the previous model, and the new iPad offers a better value as Apple has doubled the starting storage to 128GB. There's also a new 512GB tier at the high end.

MacRumors Newsletter

Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.

So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!

Popular Stories

Alleged iOS 19 Icons Front Page Tech

iOS 19 Leak Reveals Alleged New Design With Rounder App Icons, Floating Tab Bar, and More

Monday April 7, 2025 3:13 pm PDT by
YouTube channel Front Page Tech is back today with another video that provides a closer look at iOS 19's alleged design changes. The video contains re-created renders of iOS 19, which are allegedly based on real footage of the software update, provided by sources within Apple. Overall, iOS 19 is expected to have a more glass-like, visionOS-inspired design, with added translucency for user...
iPhone 17 Pro 3 4ths Perspective Aluminum Camera Module 1

iPhone 17 Pro's New Rear Camera Bar 'Same Color As Rest of Device'

Monday April 7, 2025 2:09 am PDT by
Apple's upcoming iPhone 17 Pro models will feature a redesigned rear camera panel that spans the width of the device, but it will be the same color as the iPhone itself, rather than being part of a two-tone design. That's according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, the reporter says the iPhone 17 Pro won't have a two-toned back, as some renders have...
iphone 16 pro colors 1

Is Now the Time to Upgrade Apple Devices Before Tariffs Lead to Price Increases?

Friday April 4, 2025 3:41 pm PDT by
If you have an older Apple device that you've been considering upgrading, you're probably wondering how the newly announced tariffs might impact prices going forward, and whether it's worth buying now before there's a price hike. Given analyst and economist responses to the tariffs, market panic, and Trump's stance on the current financial chaos, the answer is that making a purchase...
iphone x front back

Apple Planning 'Bold' New 20th Anniversary Design for 2027 iPhone Pro

Monday April 7, 2025 2:46 am PDT by
Apple is preparing a "major shake-up" for the iPhone's 20th anniversary in 2027, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. iPhone X released in 2017 for 10th anniversary Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman says that Apple plans to launch a foldable iPhone alongside a "bold" new iPhone Pro model that makes more extensive use of glass. Could this mean Apple plans to realize former...
iPhone Assembly

Trump Believes Apple Could Manufacture iPhones in the U.S.

Tuesday April 8, 2025 12:08 pm PDT by
U.S. President Donald Trump "absolutely" believes that Apple could manufacture its iPhones and other devices in the United States, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said today during a media briefing. Leavitt was asked whether Trump thought that iPhone manufacturing is the kind of technology that could move to the U.S. "Absolutely, he believes we have the labor, we have the workforce, we have ...
iOS 19 Mock WWDC25 Feature

iOS 19 Expected to Run on These iPhones

Monday March 31, 2025 5:28 pm PDT by
iOS 19 will not be available on the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, or the iPhone XS Max, according a private account on social media site X that has accurately provided information on device compatibility in the past. The iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max all have an A12 Bionic chip, so it looks like iOS 19 will discontinue support for that chip. All other iPhones that run iOS 18 are expected...
iPhone 17 Pro 3 4ths Perspective Aluminum Camera Module 1

5 Biggest Changes Rumored for iPhone 17 Pro

Tuesday April 8, 2025 2:38 am PDT by
Later this year, Apple will introduce the iPhone 17 series, which includes the iPhone 17 Pro and the iPhone 17 Pro Max, two new high-end flagship devices that will be sold alongside the regular iPhone 17 and an all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air. If you have been holding out for the iPhone 17 Pro or its bigger sibling, here are five of the biggest changes, informed by the latest reports and...

Top Rated Comments

Otwer22 Avatar
5 weeks ago

A busy week for Apple? With what? Much needed updates that could have happened last year…

When you peel it off to what exactly has been released:

Some chip swaps, some color changes, a downgrade in modem capacity.

We can wait another two years???

Oh, I forgot to mention the announcement of delays of software which was brought with big noice from Apple last year.

Busy indeed ?
Obviously you aren’t clued into how Apple’s strategy of chip and product release work. They only redesign the actual computers on a typical cadence of around 5 years or so. These upgrades are better than anything I see from windows computers manufacturers.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Warped9 Avatar
5 weeks ago
I think it’s been a good week for Apple.

- iPad 11 with A16 and 128gb base storage without price increase. ? No it doesn’t get Apple Intelligence, but the majority of target buyers won’t care.
- iPad Air with M3 without price increase. ? Also new Keyboard for iPad Air.
- Macbook Air 13 and 15 with M4 and a price cut. ?? They have simplified the Air line by eliminating the M2 entry model, but it might have been nice if they could have kept the M3 as the new entry model with a price cut. Oh well. It’s safe to say M2 and M3 Airs will soon be available at clearance prices so easier for some people to get into a Mac.
- Mac Studio with M4 Max and M3 Ultra with no price increase. ? Crazy powerful machines for those who need it.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Astuces iOS Avatar
5 weeks ago
Not sure it was a good week for apple
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Warped9 Avatar
5 weeks ago
^^ You know this site is called MacRumors, right?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Fuzzball84 Avatar
5 weeks ago

I think it’s been a good week for Apple.

- iPad 11 with A16 and 128gb base storage without price increase. ? No it doesn’t get Apple Intelligence, but the majority of target buyers won’t care.
- iPad Air with M3 without price increase. ? Also new Keyboard for iPad Air.
- Macbook Air 13 and 15 with M4 and a price cut. ?? They have simplified the Air line by eliminating the M2 entry model, but it might have been nice if they could have kept the M3 as the new entry model with a price cut. Oh well. It’s safe to say M2 and M3 Airs will soon be available at clearance prices so easier for some people to get into a Mac.
- Mac Studio with M4 Max and M3 Ultra with no price increase. ? Crazy powerful machines for those who need it.
The new keyboard for iPad Air is only available in white. Call me cynical but I think it’s a shame a black option isn’t available. The only way to get a black Magic Keyboard for iPad is to buy an older version or buy an iPad Pro.

Kings of the upsell.

Want a black version? That’s Pro
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HJM.NL Avatar
4 weeks ago

I wonder if we aren’t approaching the maximum performance limit ?
In 10 years from now, you laugh at the performance in your computers today. Probably your phone will have more performance than todays Mac Pro.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)