Although no event has been announced yet, Apple was rumored to be planning one for March 15, at which it was expected to unveil the rumored iPhone SE and the iPad Pro 2. However, reports now suggest that the event has been pushed back to March 21.
iPhone SE event date changed
KG News, a Korean website, initially reported that the date of Apple’s rumored event had been changed, but now Re/code reports that the date is now March 21, citing multiple unnamed sources. However, the tech website added that it’s unclear whether Apple had already been planning the event for March 21 or if it had been previously planned for March 15 but was later pushed back to the 21st.
BuzzFeed concurred on the March 21 date, citing its own unnamed sources and adding that it will probably be held at Apple’s Town Hall venue at its Cupertino, Calif. headquarters. The website’s sources also reportedly said that the event will be a smaller one than the last one, which Apple held at San Francisco’s Bill Graham Civic Auditorium.
BuzzFeed also noted that the date is one day before the iPhone maker’s showdown in court with the FBI over whether it should be forced to help agents hack into the iPhone recovered from one of the two San Bernardino shooters.
Rumored iPhone SE said to be the main attraction
Although Apple has not confirmed that it is working on an updated 4-inch iPhone, multiple sources have reported that it is and have given various names, including iPhone 5SE, iPhone 6c and others. More recently, we’ve been hearing reports that it will be called the iPhone 5SE.
Although earlier reports suggested that the smartphone would just be an updated iPhone 5s, it sounds like the iPhone SE will actually be a 4-inch version of the iPhone 6s. It’s expected to have an A9 processor with an M9 motion processor, near-field communications, Live Photos support, and a 12-megapixel camera. It’s not expected to have a Touch ID sensor, however.
iPhone SE won’t be the new low-cost iPhone
Interestingly, the iPhone SE isn’t expected to be an updated low-cost model of Apple’s smartphone line. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has a very strong record in reporting details on the company’s products before they are unveiled, said over the weekend that the phone will be priced at between $400 and $500. The analyst said that instead, Apple will slash the price of the iPhone 5s in half, making it the low-cost model. Currently it occupies the $400 to $500 price range in Apple’s iPhone lineup.
The iPhone 5s has the Touch ID fingerprint scanner, and since the iPhone SE isn’t expected to have it, interested buyers who want a less expensive or 4-inch iPhone may find themselves in a bit of a conundrum. In other words, there will be a $225 iPhone with Touch ID and a $400-$500 iPhone model without it. If this is true, it seems like a very odd decision not to include Touch ID in the iPhone SE.
iPad Pro 2 also expected
In addition to the iPhone SE, we’re expected to see the iPad Pro 2. This would be a fast update from the first iPad Pro, which was released late last year. One of the most recent rumors about this tablet is that it will have a 9.7-inch display. Initially it was reported that Apple was planning to unveil the iPad Air 3 at the March event, but later rumors pointed to a new iPad with the Pro branding.
The smaller size would suggest that the tablet will be called the iPad Pro Mini, but currently websites are referring to it as the “iPad Pro 2.”
