Apple’s iPhone SE and 9.7in iPad Pro event now expected on 21 March
Seems like the 15th is a bit too soon for Apple's next showcase
Got an itch for a smaller iPhone or a new 9.7in iPad? Both are reportedly coming soon, if the ever-increasing chatter is any indication, although it might be just a bit longer than we previously expected.
Reports previously pegged 15 March as the big date for the reveal of both the so-called iPhone SE and the new, smaller iPad Pro (full-sized version shown above), but now multiple reports claim that the date has slipped back a little further into March. Recode says it will occur during the week of 21 March now, while BuzzFeed News is a bit more specific, saying it will happen on the 21st itself.
Why the move? Well, it’s tough to call it a delay, seeing as Apple still hasn’t announced or confirmed anything, but BuzzFeed News says it will be a “smaller affair than Apple’s last one,” which was the big iPhone 6s and Apple TV blowout at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco. Perhaps Apple opted to trim down its plans: the company will need to be in U.S. District Court in Riverside, California on 22 March to answer for its recent showdown with the FBI over user privacy.
In any case, if the rumours and reports are true, we already have a good idea of what to expect from the event. The iPhone SE, as it’s now being referred to (previously the iPhone 5se, 5e, and 6c), is Apple’s first 4in handset since 2013, and it offers an iPhone 5s-like build with the A9 and M9 co-processors from the iPhone 6s, along with other components from the more recent devices.
And the 9.7in tablet is said to be called an iPad Pro, rather than the iPad Air 3 as previously speculated, with Apple building in support for the Pencil and Smart Keyboard peripherals. Apple is also expected to show off some new Apple Watch band options, and if the latest reports prove true, it ought to be about three weeks before we see all of that in action.
[Sources: Recode, BuzzFeed News]
Andrew Hayward
Freelance Writer 
