2026-03-06 23:45:47
It's Apple pre-order week, and we're already tracking solid discounts across every new product that was announced this week. This includes free Best Buy gift cards when ordering the new MacBook Neo, Air, and Pro, plus the first cash discounts on M4 iPad Air on Amazon.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
2026-03-06 23:42:20
We now know how much faster the new MacBook Air with the M5 chip is compared to the previous model with an M4 chip, courtesy of a Geekbench 6 result shared by TechRadar's Lance Ulanoff. However, given the 14-inch MacBook Pro and the iPad Pro were already updated with the M5 chip last year, the result is not too surprising.
Ulanoff ran Geekbench on a MacBook Air with an M5 chip, which has a 10-core CPU. The laptop achieved a score of 17,073 for multi-core CPU performance, whereas the MacBook Air with an M4 chip has an average multi-core score of 14,731, so the new model is up to 15% faster than the previous generation. This is in line with what Apple advertised when it announced the M5 chip back in October, so it was entirely expected.
With the M5 chip, the Geekbench database shows that the MacBook Air is up to 16% faster than the MacBook Pro with the M3 Pro chip from a few years ago, but it is still slower than MacBook Pro models with the M4 Pro chip and newer.
The new MacBook Air is available to pre-order now and launches on Wednesday, March 11.
For additional benchmarks, see our coverage of Geekbench results for the MacBook Pro with the M5 Max chip and the MacBook Neo with the A18 Pro chip.
2026-03-06 23:12:54
Amazon today is joining in on the pre-order discounts for the M4 iPad Air, introducing up to $100 off these brand new models. These exceed the discounts we tracked at Best Buy earlier in the week, with discounts available on every model of the M4 iPad Air at Amazon without the need of a membership.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Specifically, Amazon has up to $80 off the 11-inch M4 iPad Air and up to $100 off the 13-inch M4 iPad Air. All of these discounts have been automatically applied and do not require a coupon code or a Prime membership. The M4 iPad Air will officially launch on March 11.
2026-03-06 23:04:00
Apple's first-generation AirTag 4-Pack has dropped to $64.00 this week on Amazon, down from the original price of $99.00. Free shipping options have a delivery estimate around March 10, while Prime members should be able to get it delivered a few days sooner.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Overall, this is a solid second-best price on the AirTag 4-pack that's within $1 of the Amazon all-time low price. Deals on the 1-Pack have been fluctuating for a few days and are currently gone, but an all-time low price could return soon.
2026-03-06 22:27:59
If you want a MacBook Neo delivered on launch day next week, you might want to act fast, as the laptop is beginning to sell out for March 11 delivery.
A spot check of Apple's online store in the U.S. reveals that some MacBook Neo configurations are now estimated to be delivered between March 16 and March 30.
Here are the estimated delivery dates for each configuration as of 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time:
2026-03-06 22:05:27
Apple's long-rumored smart home hub device will launch in the fall of 2026, according to the leaker and prototype collector known as "Kosutami."
In a new post on X, Kosutami said that the device, colloquially dubbed the "HomePad," is now set to arrive in the fall of 2026. The fall runs from September to December, and usually coincides with Apple's busiest release period of the year.
Apple has reportedly been working on the device for several years, with the aim for it to serve as a centralized location for controlling smart home products, listening to music and podcasts, making video calls, and getting glanceable information like the weather and calendar events.
The device is expected to have a 7-inch square display and a front-facing camera. There may be two versions, with one designed to be mounted on a wall and the other featuring a speaker base that apparently looks similar to a HomePod mini and can be placed on a desktop or countertop.
Built-in sensors will be able to determine when someone is near the home hub, and the displayed content will change based on who is present. It will be heavily reliant on Siri voice commands, and Siri could even have a new personified look on the hub, with one design described as a version of the Mac Finder icon.
Apple could price the home hub somewhere around $350. The device was originally rumored to launch in early 2025, but due to delays with Apple Intelligence, its apparent release date moved to early 2026, and now to the fall. The rumored release timing means the HomePad could arrive alongside products like the iPhone 18 Pro in September or redesigned MacBook Pro models in October.
