So, Tim Cook said Apple had a "big week" ahead, and on Monday, the company got the ball rolling. It wasn't a single blockbuster, but a classic one-two punch: a new, more affordable iPhone and a significantly upgraded iPad, both landing at the same prices as before. It's the kind of move that says, "Here's more for your money," without actually saying it.
First up is the Apple Inc. (AAPL) iPhone 17e. Think of it as the welcoming committee for the iPhone 17 family. Priced at $599, it offers 256 gigabytes of storage right out of the gate. That's double the entry-level storage of the model it replaces, and it costs the same. It's a straightforward value play for customers who might be eyeing an upgrade but are wary of the premium price tags further up the lineup.
The phone is built around Apple's new A19 chip, which uses 3-nanometer technology, and it features the company's latest in-house cellular modem, called C1X. Apple says this modem is up to twice as fast as the C1 found in last year's iPhone 16e. The camera is a 48MP Fusion system that supports 4K Dolby Vision video and has an optical-quality 2x Telephoto lens. The display is a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR screen protected by something called Ceramic Shield 2, which Apple claims offers three times better scratch resistance than the previous generation.
"iPhone 17e combines powerful performance and features our users love at an exceptional value, making it a compelling option for customers looking to upgrade to the iPhone 17 family," said Kaiann Drance, Apple's vice president of Worldwide iPhone Product Marketing.
It comes in black, white, and a new soft pink. If you're interested, pre-orders open Wednesday, with the phones becoming available starting March 11 in more than 70 countries.
Not to be outdone, the iPad Air got a major refresh. The headline here is the M4 chip. Yes, the same chip that just debuted in the iPad Pro is now powering the Air. This new tablet ships with 12GB of unified memory, which is a 50% increase over the last generation, and it boasts a memory bandwidth of 120GB/s.
Apple says the M4 makes this new iPad Air up to 30% faster than the M3 version and up to 2.3 times faster than the older M1 model. It also gets Apple's N1 wireless chip, enabling Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 connectivity. Cellular models will include the same C1X modem found in the new iPhone.
"iPad Air gives users more ways than ever to be creative and productive," said Bob Borchers, Apple's vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing.
Despite the substantial internal upgrades, the starting prices haven't budged. The 11-inch model still starts at $599, and the 13-inch model starts at $799.
This flurry of activity on a Monday morning was telegraphed last Thursday by CEO Tim Cook himself, who posted on X about a "big week ahead" and noted that announcements would begin Monday. The tech rumor mill, led by reliable reporters like Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, has been buzzing with expectations for what else might be in store. The consensus seems to be that a new low-cost MacBook could be a centerpiece of the launch window.
According to those reports, the week could also see refreshed MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, updated MacBook Airs, and even an entry-level iPad equipped with an A18 processor. Monday's announcements suggest Apple is methodically checking boxes, starting with its volume mobile devices.
As for the market's immediate reaction? Apple shares were essentially flat, down a negligible 0.05% at $264.06 at the time of publication on Monday.
