Don't call it an event, it's an experience: Apple's March 4 media gathering

There is a chance we could see some of Apple's new Apple Intelligence featured alongside the iPhone 17e, but don't make this into some grand event. Expect a simple web post with an in-person product hands-on.

Apple sent out an invite on Monday morning inviting select individuals to in-person experiences in New York City, London, and Shanghai on March 4. This is clearly a product showcase for devices that will be revealed via press release that week, possibly the day before.

Don't get your hopes up. Creators are already putting on their shocked faces trying to say everything from a robot to a new Mac Pro could arrive at this simple press event.

If this were a full event, it would involve bringing media to Apple Park to watch a video showcase. While there could be some video shared with these press releases beyond simple ads, they won't be full event videos like you'd see at WWDC or an iPhone reveal.

The iPhone 17e is the most obvious product, plus there are iPads and Macs waiting in the wings to roll out. It's tough to say what else is coming in this minor release, but there's also the chance that the answer is nothing.

A base iPad with A18 could arrive in the spring and will most likely launch with the M4 iPad Air. Then there's the M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pros. After those launches, we'll see Mac Studio, iMac, and possibly a Studio Display.

However, it seems we'd have greater indication of an imminent launch if any of these products were ready.

What we're not going to see

I don't think this is where Apple's refreshed Apple Home launch will occur. So, don't expect an Apple TV, HomePod, or that rumored hub device. Those would likely be WWDC products at this point given the beta nature of the upcoming Apple Intelligence release.

Macs and iPads are possible, but I think Apple is okay just releasing an iPhone 17e on its own. There's also the chance that Apple could start laying the groundwork for bigger early-year launches by releasing a new color for iPhone 17.

In 2027, this announcement window will be for the iPhone 18e and iPhone 18. I expect this could be what the new second iPhone launch will look like going forward.

Rumors have suggested that Apple Intelligence isn't going to get one giant drop in the spring with iOS 26.4 like previously expected, but I'm skeptical. Yes, we got the new betas today as I write this, but beta 1 isn't going to have anything without Apple making an announcement first.

The timing of this beta seems ominous given the proximity to the media experience invites. Apple could easily do two betas between now and March 4 without having anything Apple Intelligence-related. It would then show what's coming at the media presser alongside the iPhone 17e, then inject those features in a beta 3.

There's also the chance that iOS 26.4 is a much more focused release with the new video podcasting platform being included. Again, Apple never said it would be iOS 26.4 for Apple Intelligence, that was all rumor based on timing.

Even the rumors said "spring" for the new Apple Intelligence features. It is most definitely not currently spring, so let's just hold our horses. Either it is a later beta or it's iOS 26.5 in early April.

Perhaps that's the "delay" we heard about. Not some catastrophe, but the publication covering for their own incorrect rumor by saying it was Apple's failure, not theirs. Either way, it's not which point update that gets the update that matters, it's the timing.

Spring is very much still around the corner.

Whatever the case, this March 4 media invite isn't just for Apple Intelligence, if that's being shared at all. It's hardware, and may only be the iPhone 17e.

Waiting for the shoe to drop

It's been an exhausting few years being an Apple fan as artificial intelligence discourse took over the scene. As silly as it might be, we may be on a precipice as important as Apple fixing its MacBook keyboards after the butterfly switch debacle.

I don't know where Apple will discuss the renewed Apple Intelligence or how it will roll out. However, if it launches and it is anything other than impressive, things will only become more insufferable among my peers.

People I respect in the space, podcasts I enjoy, and blogs I read have all shifted into this increasing series of mistrust, annoyance, and contempt for Apple. It's all centered around these ideas that Apple is a failure at AI and must compete to be relevant, even though that belief is held solely within the microcosm of the tech nerd space.

Apple had a record-breaking quarter yet again, continues to take over more of the market in nearly every category it competes in, and invents new technologies to ensure their products can do things no one else's can. However, because people are unhappy with the crappy little avatars created in Image Playgrounds, they believe Apple is a boring failure of a company and look to entities like Google and Microsoft as beacons of innovation.

It's an upside-down world and I'm tired of it. As an Apple fan, I know we need one of those moments the company is famous for.

Pull that iPod out of a pocket, get the MacBook from an envelope, show that Mac cursor move to iPad, reveal a whole new way to interact with software in 3D space – do the thing that makes Apple what it is. Provide us with a new and powerful on-device Apple Intelligence powered by Apple Foundation Models that perform useful tasks, act proactively for the user, and give developers new and interesting features to target.

It's what's coming, and it'll be significant, but above all, it'll be private, secure, and actually useful to the user.