Apple is once again lining up a busy spring, and all signs point to the week of March 2 as the next major moment for Mac hardware. According to Mark Gurman’s latest reporting, Apple is preparing a product launch in early March, with the M5 MacBook Pro refresh emerging as the most likely headline announcement. If this timing holds, it would mark the full rollout of the M5 generation across the MacBook Pro lineup.
Apple has a long track record of using March for early year launches, often opting for press releases instead of large scale events. While March 2 itself falls on a Monday and is unlikely to be the exact date, a launch later that week fits Apple’s usual cadence. Tuesday launches have historically been more common, which makes March 3 a more realistic target if Apple chooses to go live that week.
The M5 MacBook Pro story itself has been unfolding for months. Apple introduced the base M5 chip with the 14 inch MacBook Pro back in October, but the higher end models have been notably absent. The upcoming refresh is expected to finally bring M5 Pro and M5 Max chips to both the 14 inch and 16 inch MacBook Pro models, completing the lineup and pushing the M4 based machines into last year territory.
This update is shaping up to be a classic internal refresh. Beyond the new processors, the M5 MacBook Pro models are expected to look and feel almost identical to their M4 Pro and M4 Max counterparts. Performance gains should focus on CPU and GPU improvements, with particular emphasis on AI workloads and graphics tasks, but there is no indication of major design changes this cycle. Bigger shifts, including OLED displays and thinner chassis designs, are widely rumored to be part of a future M6 MacBook Pro refresh later in 2026.
Gurman has also linked the M5 MacBook Pro launch to the macOS 26.3 update cycle, which runs through March. That connection adds weight to the idea of a coordinated hardware and software push, even if Apple staggers the exact release dates. Inventory levels for existing M4 MacBook Pro models are reportedly running low as well, which often signals an imminent replacement.
There are other products circling the same window. The iPhone 17e has been described as launching “imminently,” and Apple is also expected to refresh the MacBook Air with an M5 chip sometime in the first quarter. Still, the strongest signals right now point to the M5 MacBook Pro as the centerpiece of the early March launch, with other devices potentially following via separate announcements.
(via Bloomberg)
