Apple has teased a “Special Apple Experience” for March 4 local time, and speculation is growing that it will use a different format from its keynote-centered launch events.

According to reports by major foreign media including the tech outlet TechCrunch, Apple is preparing to unveil new products sequentially over several days instead of using a traditional keynote to reveal everything from a single stage.

Bloomberg Apple reporter Mark Gurman said Apple is likely to announce new products online over about 3 days and then hold offline hands-on events on March 4 in New York, London and Shanghai. That would be a different approach from its existing strategy of compressing all announcements into one large keynote.

John Gruber of the IT blog Daring Fireball also said the event could be built around “live demos and hands-on experiences.” He said the focus is likely to be on letting people experience the products rather than simply announcing them.

The industry expects Apple to unveil at least 5 new products during the period. The most watched product is a low-priced MacBook. Other candidates mentioned include the iPhone 17e, an iPad Air with an M4 chip, a new entry-level iPad, an upgraded MacBook Air and a new MacBook Pro.

In particular, a new iPad Air with an M4 chip and the MacBook lineup are seen as a signal that Apple is accelerating its next-generation silicon strategy. The potential launch of a low-priced MacBook is viewed as significant as part of efforts to strengthen its push into the education and emerging markets.

Gurman said the products are all targeting a launch this spring, but the exact announcement schedule and the timing for each product have not been finalised. The industry is also analysing whether Apple is trying to maximise media exposure by opting for a strategy that spreads and sustains interest over several days instead of a traditional one-day showcase.

Attention is focused on whether the “Special Apple Experience” will be a starting signal for expanding the product lineup or remain a strategic experiment in changing the announcement format.