Apple is gearing up for a crowded 2026 hardware calendar, but tucked inside the usual iPhone and Mac churn are a few products that almost never see the spotlight. After years of minor tweaks or complete silence, three of Apple’s most neglected devices are finally lining up for meaningful attention. For long-time users of these niche products, the coming months could bring the most consequential changes in a generation of updates.
Based on current reporting, the rare refreshes center on Apple TV, AirTag, and the MacBook Air. Each sits in a different corner of Apple’s ecosystem, yet all three are poised to benefit from a broader strategy shift as Apple prepares what some observers describe as a near-complete lineup overhaul for its 50 year milestone. I see these updates as a test of how far Apple is willing to push beyond its iPhone comfort zone.
Apple TV: from quiet streaming box to AI-era hub
Apple TV has spent years as a quiet workhorse under the television, but the next version is shaping up as a more ambitious living room anchor. Reporting points to a new Apple TV 4K after a long gap, with the current model dating back roughly three years, which makes any hardware change a relatively rare event in Apple’s streaming lineup. One detailed rundown of neglected devices notes that a New Apple TV is on the short list of products overdue for attention, grouped alongside HomePod mini, AirTag, and Studio Display as hardware that has gone years without a meaningful refresh.
What makes this Apple TV cycle stand out is how it intersects with Apple’s broader push into on-device intelligence. A separate report on upcoming hardware describes an Apple TV model built around a faster A17 Pro chip, explicitly framed as a way to support a revamped version of Siri powered by Apple Intelli. If that holds, Apple TV would shift from being a simple streaming puck into a primary home endpoint for Apple’s large language model features, handling richer voice interactions, smarter search across apps like Netflix and Disney+, and potentially more responsive HomeKit automation scenes triggered by natural language.
AirTag: a small tracker with a big strategic role
AirTag is another product that rarely gets hardware love, yet it is now central to how Apple thinks about location, safety, and accessories. A comprehensive forecast of upcoming devices notes that a new AirTag is part of a broader slate of more than 20 products Apple is expected to launch this year, with one section explicitly flagging that a new AirTag was added to the list of 2026 hardware. That same planning document groups AirTag alongside iPhone, Apple Watch, and Mac updates, which is a sign that Apple now treats the tiny tracker as a core part of its ecosystem rather than a side experiment.
The rarity of this refresh is underscored by earlier coverage that placed AirTag in a small club of devices that have gone years without a new version. One analysis of neglected products highlighted AirTag alongside Apple TV 4K, HomePod mini, and Studio Display, noting that each had last been updated roughly three to five years earlier. For AirTag owners, that long gap raises expectations that the next version will not just tweak the battery or casing, but potentially improve range, privacy controls, and integration with features like Precision Finding on newer iPhones.
MacBook Air: a rare mid-cycle rethink
Unlike Apple TV and AirTag, MacBook Air is not neglected so much as it is carefully paced, which is why the next revision stands out. Multiple product roadmaps describe Apple working on a new MacBook Air that uses chips codenamed M5 and M5 Pro, with one guide explaining that the codenames correspond to those processors even though the exact refresh timing is still unclear. That same overview notes that MacBook Air is expected to keep its current design, which suggests Apple is focusing this cycle on performance, battery life, and perhaps AI acceleration rather than a cosmetic overhaul.
Another forward-looking breakdown of Apple’s 2026 lineup reinforces that expectation, listing a MacBook Air (Early 2026) as part of a wave of devices that could arrive in new colors and configurations. In that report, the MacBook Air is described as coming in a refreshed palette that includes the light blue from 2025, which positions the notebook as a more playful counterpart to the MacBook Pro while still benefiting from the latest silicon. The same roadmap, which surveys Everything Apple Is in 2026, places MacBook Air alongside higher end Macs, an iPhone Fold, and LLM Siri features, underscoring how central the thin-and-light laptop remains to Apple’s broader strategy.
How these rare updates fit into Apple’s 2026 roadmap
To understand why these three products matter now, it helps to zoom out to Apple’s overall 2026 plan. A detailed guide to upcoming Apple products lays out a dense calendar that includes new iPhones with an A18 Pro chip, updated Apple Watch models, and multiple Macs. Within that context, Apple TV, AirTag, and MacBook Air are not isolated curiosities, they are part of a coordinated effort to modernize the entire ecosystem around faster chips, better connectivity, and deeper integration with Apple’s AI stack.
Another roundup of Apple’s 2026 plans, framed as a look at Top Stories for the year, highlights an iPhone Fold mockup, LLM Siri, and a low cost MacBook as part of the same wave of innovation. In that narrative, Apple TV becomes a home endpoint for AI, AirTag a smarter node in the Find My network, and MacBook Air a mainstream laptop that can run the same intelligence features as higher end Macs. The connective tissue is silicon and software, and these rare updates are how Apple extends those capabilities into corners of the lineup that have not been touched in years.
A landmark year and what it means for longevity
All of this is happening as Apple approaches a symbolic anniversary. One analysis of the company’s roadmap notes that Apple is set for a landmark year in 2026, with reports predicting that Apple might launch over 20 new products as it marks 50 years since its founding and aims to refresh nearly its entire lineup. That same report describes how Apple is planning this broad push, which helps explain why even low frequency products like Apple TV and AirTag are finally getting their turn. When a company is trying to showcase progress across the board, leaving obvious laggards untouched would send the wrong signal.
There is also a practical angle for buyers who care about longevity. Guidance on device support notes that, generally, once Apple stops releasing software updates for a model, hardware support continues for a few more years, although the exact timeline can vary. That pattern applies most visibly to iPhones, but it also shapes how long accessories like AirTag and Apple TV remain viable in the ecosystem. A rare hardware refresh effectively resets the clock, which is why these 2026 updates matter for anyone deciding whether to buy now or wait.
