M4

Asymco Bulletin is a digest of all the work we have published for the week ending Mar 8, 2026.

Editor's Note

It's been about a month since we launched Asymco One, and we are elated with the response from the community. Most recently, we held our first Office Hour, where we discussed the impact of Apple's latest products and answered questions in front of a live, Asymco One subscribers. We'd like to thank you for your support.

We continue to make improvements in how we create and deliver our content. Please bear with us while we renovate our infrastructure. Should you have any issues or have questions, please reach us at contact@asymco.com.

Finally, if you are on the fence about committing to Asymco One for a whole year, we've introduced the Asymco One monthly subscription. Try it today!

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Research

Apple Services in Europe: Scale and Growth

Since October 2023, Apple has been transparently reporting App Store user metrics across 27 EU nations, updating these figures biannually. This initiative spans a population over 450 million, offering a granular yet rounded down to the nearest million, potentially skewing figures slightly downward. To mitigate this undercounting bias, adjustments are factored into trend analyses.

Through three sampling intervals from 2023 through July 2024, a market landscape emerges. The aggregated data hints at subtle shifts and growth patterns. →

Stairway Update

The iPhone 17e emerges as an incremental refinement—"the new low end, same as the old low end, but better." Apple has streamlined its lineup by axing the mid-memory "e" model, leaving us with two price points. This simplification might appear reductive, yet it strategically consolidates offerings while enhancing value. Notably, the base model's memory has doubled, a move that defies the prevailing DRAM scarcity narrative, suggesting Apple's adept supply chain management and perhaps a bit of market leverage.

By trimming excess and boosting core features, the 17e exemplifies a nuanced approach to product evolution. →

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Nota Bene

Apple introduces iPhone 17e → Apple's iPhone 17e offers double storage at the same $599 price, boosting profit margins. →

Apple introduces the new iPad Air, powered by M4 → Apple's new iPad Air with M4 chip and increased memory boosts performance, enhancing versatility. →

Apple announces new MacBook Air with M5 and MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and M5 Max → Apple's latest MacBook lineup offers the affordable, efficient M5-powered Air, the mid-range balanced performer, and the high-end, powerhouse M5 Pro and Max models for demanding professionals. →

Apple unveils new Studio Display and all-new Studio Display XDR → Apple's Studio Display XDR boasts a 27-inch 5K Retina screen with mini-LED, 2000 nits brightness, and 120Hz refresh, ideal for professionals. →

Say hello to MacBook Neo → Apple launched the MacBook Neo, a budget-friendly laptop with premium features, priced at $599, amid concerns over shrinking margins in the Windows laptop market. →

Apple’s strategy is actually genius if you think about it → "Apple's strategic pivot to on-device AI could dismantle the AI boom by making models redundant and controlling the distribution gateway." →

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Office Hours

Apple Q&A: Horace Dediu & Ben Bajarin discuss implications of Apple’s March 4, 2026 rollout →

We convened our first Office Hours on March 4 to review Apple's latest releases, where we answered questions from a live audience of subscribers, and dissected Apple's latest and strategies. Topics covered:

• MacBook Neo's Market
• iPhone Pricing tiers
• Apple's Margin Strategy
• Siri and Apple's AI Strategy
• Spatial Computing: Ergonomics, AI
• Apple's AI and Spatial Computing
• Cellular Modems and Laptops
• Premium vs. "cheap"
• Changes to Smartphone Market Dynamics
• Product Cannibalization

Full recording and transcript is available to Asymco One subscribers.

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Feedback: Have questions or comments? Reach out to us at contact@asymco.com. We’d love to hear from you.

The high end, the low end and the middle end.

The world’s most popular laptop gets even better with the incredible performance of M5, double the starting storage, and improved wireless connectivity, packed into a thin, light, and durable aluminum design

The world’s best pro laptop raises the bar again with blazing-fast CPU and GPU performance, plus up to 2x faster SSD speeds and 1TB of starting storage.

Apple announced M5 Pro and M5 Max, the world’s most advanced chips for pro laptops, powering the new MacBook Pro. Built using the new Apple-designed Fusion Architecture, M5 Pro and M5 Max feature an advanced CPU, a next‑generation GPU with Neural Accelerators, and higher unified memory bandwidth for a massive increase in AI compute.

Source: Apple Newsroom MacBook Air

NB: This week saw a blast of new products spanning fro…

There's more mid in the mid-range.

Apple announced the new iPad Air featuring M4 and more memory, giving users a big jump in performance and making it more versatile than ever.

Source: Apple Newsroom

NB: The most significant difference between the two iPad Air…

Asymco Bulletin is a digest of all the work we have published for the week ending March 1, 2026.

Office Hours

Our first Office Hours interactive seminar and Ask Me Anything questions/answer session will be on March 4th, after, presumably all the new announcements Apple will be making during the week. I will be broadcasting to you en vivo y en directo from Paris.

Apple March 4 Special Event – Q&A → Join us for an exclusive Asymco One live Q&A on March 4 at 3pm ET to dissect Apple's latest business moves. →

Research

How many Apple users are in China?

Greater China (GC) is a specific reporting segment for Apple, encompassing Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao, with a combined population nearing 1.5 billion. This region is not just a significant contributor to Apple's revenue—accounting for 18% of net sales in Q4 2025—but also a dynamic landscape of technological adoption and consumer behavior. The smartphone user base in GC has surged from 690 million in 2016 to nearly a billion in 2025, with projections reaching 1.08 billion by 2029.

The iOS ecosystem within GC exhibits varied dynamics across its constituent regions. While Macao maintains a steady iOS share of around 60%, Mainland China and Taiwan show different trajectories. Analyzing these trends through mobile OS share data reveals iOS's ascent, suggesting robust potential for further penetration and user engagement. As Apple navigates this complex market, understanding GC's historical growth patterns and future prospects is crucial for capitalizing on emerging opportunities and sustaining its competitive edge. →

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Nota Bene

Apple #1 phone vendor in Europe → Apple leads Q4 2025 with a 7% YoY shipment rise driven by iPhone 17, while Samsung follows with 4% growth; Xiaomi faces a 6% decline amid shifting regional dynamics. →

Are Solid State Batteries Finally Here? → Donut Lab has partnered with VTT for independent battery tests, with full reports and videos to follow. →

iPhone becomes India’s top single export item → In 2025, Apple's iPhone exports from India, driven by Tata and Foxconn plants and a robust supply chain, reached $23 billion, making smartphones the top export category. →

Apple’s App Store growth is reaccelerating → Apple's Services, beyond just the App Store, are poised for robust growth, driven by global market expansion and strong hardware demand. →

Here’s why demand for Macs has spiked → Mac lead times have surged to multi-year highs due to increased demand, notably impacting models like Mac Studio, MacBook Pro M4, and Mac Mini. →

A resource for AVP news → "AVP VIP offers a weekly, ad-free digest of tech news and insights, accessible to Asymco One members." →

Apple to Start Assembling Mac mini in the United States This Year → Apple revamps the Mac mini with M4 chips and boosts U.S. chip sourcing, starting at $599 without display, amid rising demand. →

Apple Pay Aiming Launch in India This Year → Apple Pay aims to launch in India by late 2026, pending regulatory approvals and fee negotiations with card issuers. →

iPhone and iPad approved to handle classified NATO information → Apple's iPhone and iPad achieve unprecedented NATO compliance, marking a pivotal shift in secure mobile technology acceptance. →

Eddy Cue says Brazil is Apple TV’s second-largest market, talks Netflix-Warner merger → In an interview, Apple's Eddy Cue highlighted Brazil as the second-largest and fastest-growing market for Apple TV subscribers, while noting potential impacts from proposed streaming regulations and a possible Netflix-Warner deal. Specific user and device numbers were not disclosed. →

DRAM Shortage Will Cause ‘Seismic Shift’ in Smartphone Market, But Apple Will Be Less Affected → A looming DRAM shortage due to AI demand will slash smartphone sales by 13% in 2026, forcing a market shift towards pricier devices, with relief not expected until mid-2027. →

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Feedback: Have questions or comments? Reach out to us at contact@asymco.com. We’d love to hear from you.

Just in time for Personal AI

The Mac mini remains a smaller part of Apple’s Mac lineup, accounting for about 5 percent of global Mac sales last year, according to Consumer Intelligence Research Partners. In 2024, Apple gave the desktop its first major redesign since 2010 and introduced M4 and M4 Pro chips. In the U.S., the Mac mini starts at $599, though buyers must provide their own display and accessories.

At the same time, Apple is increasing domestic chip sourcing. The company plans to purchase more than 100 million chips this year from TSMC’s Arizona facility, reinforcing its long-term strategy to expand U.S. manufacturing while managing tariff pressures on imported products.

Source: The Mac Observer

NB: As demand for Mac mini spikes, assembly ...