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This weekend Apple TV’s Formula 1 racing content gets into gear, as practice, qualifying and Sprint sessions for the season’s first major Grand Prix race get underway starting Saturday (March 7), Apple said Thursday. Multiview programming, with a handful of live feeds onscreen at the same time, looks like a notable feature for fans in the United States.

“This weekend marks the start of a new era for Formula 1 fans in the U.S.,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Services. “We’re excited to bring every moment of the season to Apple TV, delivering an immersive experience designed entirely around fans.”

If you’re a Mac gamer — or curious about where gaming hardware is heading — Logitech G just launched something genuinely new. Logitech G Pro X2 Superstrike Lightspeed Wireless Gaming Mouse, released in February and now getting positive reviews, replaces the traditional physical click with a sophisticated haptic system that could give serious players a measurable edge.

At $179.99, it’s a premium proposition — but the technology underneath is unlike anything currently on the market.

Oceanhorn 3: Legend of the Shadow Sea just hit Apple Arcade. It’s the sequel to Knights of the Lost Realm, the absolute best role-playing game on Apple’s subscription gaming service.

Seriously, it’s worth it for RPG fans to subscribe the Apple Arcade for a couple of months just to play these two.

Apple’s decision to put an A-series chip in the new MacBook Neo raised more than a few eyebrows. And doubts about its performance.

But comparing the MacBook Neo’s A18 Pro — which debuted a year and a half ago in the iPhone 16 Pro — with previous Mac processors shows that the A-series chip is surprisingly powerful.

iOS 26.3.1 is ready to be installed on your iPhone starting Wednesday. Mac users got macOS Tahoe 26.3.1 at the same time. The new versions include bug fixes — which are always welcome. And iPad users can install iPadOS 26.3.1, too.

In addition, all three system software updates bring support for the Apple Studio Display monitors that just launched.

Apple introduced the MacBook Neo on Wednesday, unveiling the company’s most affordable laptop ever. It comes in four gorgeous, vibrant colors — silver, blush, indigo and citrus — and costs just $599 (or $499 with Apple’s education discount).

“We’re incredibly excited to introduce MacBook Neo, which delivers the magic of the Mac at a breakthrough price,” said John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering, in a press release. “MacBook Neo is a laptop only Apple could create. It features a durable aluminum design in four beautiful colors; Apple silicon-powered performance; all-day battery life. There is simply no other laptop like it.”

The MacBook Neo is available for preorder now and will be available on March 11.

Apple’s just-announced MacBook Neo as well as the new M5 Pro/Max-equipped MacBook Pros, M4 iPad Air, M5 MacBook Air and iPhone 17e are now available for preorder. The new Studio Display and Studio Display XDR are also available to order starting Wednesday.

All devices will start shipping and hit retail stores starting March 11.

As of Tuesday, Apple has refreshed its entire MacBook lineup with M5 silicon. And while the new machines bring meaningful upgrades across the board, buyers should brace for higher prices than last year.

Whether you’re eyeing the new MacBook Air or the pro-grade MacBook Pro, here’s a breakdown of what to expect at every price point.

Update: Apple launched the MacBook Neo on Wednesday. Learn all about it:

• A18 Pro-powered MacBook Neo brings power at lowest price ever

It looks like Apple itself spoiled this week’s biggest product reveal: A new laptop called the “MacBook Neo” briefly appeared on the company’s website Tuesday.

Apple quickly deleted the info after it leaked. While not confirmed, the name seems like it would align with the rumored features of the entry-level laptop. Rumors indicate it will come in fun colors, with a price tag low enough to compete with Windows laptops.

Apple on Tuesday introduced the Studio Display XDR with mini-LED backlighting as its new premium monitor for professionals. It replaces the Pro Display XDR in the lineup, though the new model is smaller and lower resolution.

Apple also introduced a second-generation Studio Display, its high-end monitor for prosumers. This includes a better camera, more speakers and other tweaks.

“Apple has led the industry in delivering the world’s most advanced displays for pros to do their life’s best work, and today we do that once again with the introduction of the new Studio Display family,” said John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering, said in a press release. “Studio Display gets even better with a new 12MP Center Stage camera and powerful Thunderbolt 5 connectivity. And the Studio Display XDR is a huge leap forward for XDR technology, with a mini-LED backlight, 2000 nits of peak HDR brightness, advanced color accuracy, and a 120Hz refresh rate, transforming workflows like filmmaking, design and print, and 3D animation. It’s by far the world’s best pro display.”

Using Apple’s all-new Fusion Architecture with “super cores,” the new M5 Pro and M5 Max chips that Apple unveiled Tuesday in new MacBook Pro models will bring more than enough power to handle Apple Intelligence and plenty of other complex computing tasks, the company said.

“M5 Pro and M5 Max are a monumental leap forward for Apple silicon, leveraging our new Fusion Architecture to scale the capabilities of Apple silicon while preserving its core tenets of performance, power efficiency and unified memory architecture,” said Johny Srouji, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware technologies, in a press release.

“Both chips underscore our relentless pace of innovation, integrating the world’s fastest CPU cores, a next-generation GPU with Neural Accelerators, a faster Neural Engine and high-bandwidth, high-capacity memory — resulting in an unparalleled combination of performance, efficiency, and incredible on-device AI capabilities for MacBook Pro,” he added.

Apple’s long-rumored M5 Pro- and M5 Max-powered MacBook Pros are finally official. The new laptops look visually the same, but pack updated internals that promise a massive leap in performance.

“MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and M5 Max redefines what’s possible on a pro laptop, now up to 4x faster than the previous generation,” said John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering, in a press release Tuesday.

Apple’s best-selling laptop got even better with Tuesday’s launch of the M5-powered MacBook Air. It features no major design changes, but it sports a faster processor than before, adds storage capacity and shifts to Apple’s N1 chip for improved connectivity.

“The new MacBook Air with M5 brings incredible performance and even more capability to the world’s most popular laptop,” said John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of Hardware Engineering. “With M5, MacBook Air powers through a wide range of tasks, from everyday productivity to creative workloads, and is even faster for AI.

“Now featuring double the starting storage, as well as Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, in a sleek and durable design with long battery life, MacBook Air is the perfect laptop for anyone who values the unrivaled combination of performance and portability,” he added.

Apple on Monday introduced a new iPad Air powered by its M4 chip, upgrading the silicon in its midrange tablet to narrow the performance gap with the iPad Pro. In addition, the device comes with more RAM that’s also faster, plus new wireless networking chips that support Wi-Fi 7.

“iPad Air gives users more ways than ever to be creative and productive, offering powerful performance and incredible versatility to help them turn their ideas into reality,” said Bob Borchers, Apple’s vice president of worldwide product marketing, in a press release. “With its blazing performance thanks to M4, incredible AI capabilities, and game-changing iPadOS 26 features, there’s never been a better time to choose or upgrade to iPad Air.”

Apple launched the iPhone 17e on Monday, offering a new option for those who want a premium smartphone that won’t empty their bank account. The base version offers twice as much storage capacity as its predecessor, makes the jump to the latest Apple A19 processor and adds full support for MagSafe accessories.

“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, in a press release. “We know our customers want a product that will last, and iPhone 17e delivers just that. With A19 for incredible performance, double the entry storage, a smarter camera system, and enhanced durability, iPhone 17e is designed to stay fast, secure, and valuable for years to come.”

Soundcore unveiled its new Space 2 over-ear headphones at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Sunday. Aimed squarely at travelers and commuters, Space 2 combines advanced noise cancellation, extended battery life and personalized sound tuning — all at a price point that undercuts many competitors — $129.99.

This week on the Cult of Mac podcast: Apple’s prepping to launch something Monday, but who knows what? We put our professional reputations on the line once again with predictions about what’s coming next week, including the “special Apple Experience” set for March 4.

Writer, developer and Accidental Tech Podcast host Casey Liss joins us for our fun Apple predictions game — and you can play along, too!

Also on the Cult of Mac podcast:

• The cosmic orange iPhone 17 Pro became a big hit, so Apple might deliver more bold colors in this year’s model. Still, the reporting on this so far is a little weird.
• Apple’s plan to tweak macOS for the first touchscreen MacBook Pros sounds like typical Cupertino cleverness.
• Griffin goes over the new features in the latest iOS 26.4 beta.
• Casey gives us an overview of Callsheet, his app for movie and TV fans that “aims to be a not-crappy version of the IMDb app.”
• We discuss another ortholinear keyboard in yet another interesting setup.

Listen to this week’s episode of the Cult of Mac podcast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.

UPDATED: As expected, Apple launched the MacBook Pro with M5 Pro or M5 Max processors on Tuesday. Learn all about it:

• MacBook Pros with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips deliver major performance leap

The whole point of upgrading the MacBook Pro with the new M5 Pro or M5 Max processors is to boost performance. Although Apple has yet to announce the new high-speed chip variants, we can still make solid estimates of the increase to be expected. Spoiler alert: WOW.

Here’s the hefty CPU and GPU performance jumps to expect from the upcoming M5 Pro and M5 Max processors.

The giant monster action of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters returned on Friday with season two stomping onto Apple TV. The series is set in the MonsterVerse that includes Godzilla and other kaiju, with Kong taking a giant-size role in the season that just premiered. Plus there’s a new Titan X to battle with.

Watch the new season two now on Apple TV, or get caught up with season one.

The new Aliro 1.0 communication protocol and credential standard could fundamentally change how iPhone users interact with smart locks, the Connectivity Standards Alliance said Thursday upon release of the specification. And it will affect usage not just at home, but in places like offices, hotels, colleges and apartment buildings. 

UPDATED: As expected, Apple launched the MacBook Neo on Wednesday. Learn all about it:

• A18 Pro-powered MacBook Neo brings power at lowest price ever

There’s huge anticipation for the budget MacBook that’s rumored to launch soon. But a critical question about the laptop has yet to be answered: Just how much will it cost? We already know it’ll be the most affordable macOS notebook ever, and there’s plenty of speculation about the exact cost.

There’s definitely a level that the price cannot go above if Apple wants the low-cost MacBook to succeed. Trouble is, the ongoing AI boom might force Apple to increase the cost of the device above its original plan. That raises questions about how successful the budget laptop will be.

The iPhone and iPad are the first consumer devices to meet the information assurance standards set by NATO member nations. As a result, the devices can be used to handle classified information up to the NATO Restricted level without the need for specialized software or additional configuration, the company said Thursday.

“Apple has built the most secure devices in the world for all its users, and those same protections are now uniquely certified under assurance requirements for NATO nations — unlike any other device in the industry,” said Ivan Krstić, Apple’s vice president of security engineering and architecture, in a press release.

Apple is in advanced talks with major banks and global card networks to bring Apple Pay to India, potentially by mid 2026 — a move that could significantly expand the iPhone maker’s footprint in the world’s most populous country.

Star City is an ambitious new Apple TV drama set in the Soviet space program. It expands the alternate-history universe established by the streamer’s acclaimed series For All Mankind. And the new show got the “first-look” treatment Thursday, when Apple sent out a new photo to get fans excited about the premiere of Star City season one.

 The eight-episode series debuts May 29 with two episodes, followed by one new episode each Friday through July 10.

Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed Thursday what had previously been rumored: The company will launch new products starting Monday, March 2.

The graphic he posted on X hints at the new MacBooks that are expected to be among the announcements. Beyond notebooks, the iPhone 17e, revamped iPads and possibly more could all be unveiled in just a few days.