Apple press event coming week of March 21 with new iPad & new 4-inch 'iPhone SE,' said to lack 3D T

AppleInsider

Apple's rumored March press event will happen the week of March 21, possibly on the 21st itself, and feature a new iPad as well as the 4-inch "iPhone SE," reports said on Saturday. A separate leak meanwhile claimed to show the SE's display, lacking any 3D Touch sensors.

Echoing a claim highlighted by AppleInsider on Friday, Apple is not planning to hold the event on March 15 as was once rumored, according to sources for Re/code and BuzzFeed News. The latter site indicated that Apple is planning to hold the event on the 21st itself, and that it will be a small-scale presentation, likely at the company's Town Hall within its Cupertino headquarters.

Korean site UnderKG earlier suggested that the event will take place on March 22.

BuzzFeed's sources said that in addition to the new iPhone and iPad models, the company will be showing off extra Apple Watch bands. As expected, the new 4-inch iPhone will allegedly have a faster processor than the iPhone 5s, plus support for Apple Pay.

The site didn't reveal any new details on the new iPad, but referred to rumors that Apple's next 9.7-inch iPad will fall under the "iPad Pro" line, sharing features of its bigger sibling including an A9X processor, quad speaker ports, a Smart Connector, Apple Pencil support, and even a matching Smart Keyboard cover.

Images shared by French site NowhereElse compare a display panel said to be for the new 4-inch iPhone with one from an iPhone 6s, and purportedly show the absence of 3D Touch sensors. Leaving the technology out could be one way of keeping prices low and distinguishing the "SE" from the flagship iPhone 6s.

thewhitefalcon

I just hope we're not going to gum up the iPad lineup even more by selling the 9.7" Pro for $649 or something while keeping the Air line around.

jfc1138

What do "3D Touch" sensors look like anyway?

rogifan_old

thewhitefalcon said:

I just hope we're not going to gum up the iPad lineup even more by selling the 9.7" Pro for $649 or something while keeping the Air line around.

Agreed. Air line needs to go.

levi

rogifan_old said:

thewhitefalcon said:

I just hope we're not going to gum up the iPad lineup even more by selling the 9.7" Pro for $649 or something while keeping the Air line around.

Agreed. Air line needs to go.

I suspect they'll keep it around with a price reduction, and ax any other 9.7 inch model 

satchmo

Meanwhile Apple computers remain ignored for another month. 

nolamacguy

man life is so unfair. im a victim to everything Apple is so clearly doing wrong. 

deegee1948

I think what will happen eventually, if not immediately, is this. There will be only two lines: iPad and iPad Pro. The current mini 4 will drop that designation off and simply be an iPad (7.9"). The current Air 2 will drop that designation also, and be simply an iPad (9.7"). The iPad Pro line will consist of the current 12.9" model, and the new 9.7" model to be introduced. The mini 2 and Air will cease to be sold. Maybe a "price surprise" for the better for consumers to kick start sales again, and that's about it. Making them all Wi-Fi plus cellular at WiFi-only prices would be one way to give us all a break, instead of the shaft....er, instead of the Apple tax! We'll know soon I guess.

edited February 2016

ericthehalfbee

I'm sure if they make a smaller iPhone with new internals that they'll sell a ton of them. I still know a few friends and co-workers who hung on to their 5S simply because they liked the size. Getting the same size but with a faster processor, better camera and Apply Pay would make for a compelling upgrade.

Add in new iPads, possible Mac updates and (long shot) a new Watch and this should make for an interesting Mar-May quarter when Apple announces earnings (if the devices are available right after the announcement).

anantksundaram

I've had 3D Touch since the first day it has been made available to consumers. I have to be honest and say that I have not used it all that much since the first couple of weeks. It's a 'nice to have' feature, not necessarily 'must have', at least in the case of people like me. 

In other words, it's probably not the end of the world that the new 4-inch iPhone does not have the feature. I doubt that it's going to matter a whole heck of a lot. 

edited February 2016

rayz2016

anantksundaram said:

I've had 3D Touch since the first day it has been made available to consumers. I have to be honest and say that I have not used it all that much since the first couple of weeks. It's a 'nice to have' feature, not necessarily 'must have', at least in the case of people like me. 

In other words, it's probably not the end of the world that the new 4-inch iPhone does not have the feature. I doubt that it's going to matter a whole heck of a lot. 

Agreed. It's a nice-to-have, but I wouldn't call it a deal-breaker. 

ericthehalfbee

Rayz2016 said:

anantksundaram said:

I've had 3D Touch since the first day it has been made available to consumers. I have to be honest and say that I have not used it all that much since the first couple of weeks. It's a 'nice to have' feature, not necessarily 'must have', at least in the case of people like me. 

In other words, it's probably not the end of the world that the new 4-inch iPhone does not have the feature. I doubt that it's going to matter a whole heck of a lot. 

Agreed. It's a nice-to-have, but I wouldn't call it a deal-breaker. 

That is until it gets added functionality either in iOS itself or in your favorite Apps.

I use it all the time at work. I have people I call/text numerous times a day as my top favorites and the Phone plus iMessage icons in the lower left of my screen so I can specifically 3D Touch either and instantly call or message them. I literally use it probably 100 times a day just on these two alone.

My wish list would be to allow me additional customization (I don't need "create new contact" in the Phone popup, and would rather be allowed to add an extra number or two instead). But I'm betting this will come in iOS 10.

entropys

I use 3D Touch a lot on my 6S.  After four months I have decided I prefer a smaller phone. If the SE is as full featured as my current phone I will buy one and give the 6S to my father. But I would miss 3D Touch. So no sale, and while most people seem happy with larger screens, I suspect I am not that unusual.

Releasing new tech without it, like the iPad pro, just means that developers are less likely to do cool things with it.
Sure, there will be tonnes of 6S and 6S+ around with it, but there will also be tonnes of new iPhones and iPads without it.  So if you are a developer, even within Apple let alone third party, why would you go to all that effort to utilise something a large slice of your base can't use? Leaving aside the inconsistency that would be created using the apps across devices. A very UN-Apple thing. If it doesn't have 3D Touch, it means that nothing useful will come of it and it will wither on the vine.

This is almost as bad as keeping for sale devices using the A5 chip well beyond its useful life. And they wonder why iPad sales slumped.

apple ][

It's been awhile since the last Apple event. Bring on the new one! I assume that Apple will be streaming it live again, and I assume that I will be watching it again.

As always, I hope that there's something completely new that nobody knows about and something that nobody has even thought about mentioning in any rumor. 

As for phone size, they can't just keep going bigger, and I think that it's a good move to offer some options for people who like smaller phones. My current iPhone is a 5S, and it suits me great.

Hell, I think that it would be cool to see an iPhone Nano with a 2" or 2.5" display.

edited February 2016

cali

iPhone SE = Special Edition.
Makes way more sense than 5se.

apple ][ said:

It's been awhile since the last Apple event. Bring on the new one! I assume that Apple will be streaming it live again, and I assume that I will be watching it again.

As always, I hope that there's something completely new that nobody knows about and something that nobody has even thought about mentioning in any rumor. 

As for phone size, they can't just keep going bigger, and I think that it's a good move to offer some options for people who like smaller phones. My current iPhone is a 5S, and it suits me great.

Hell, I think that it would be cool to see an iPhone Nano with a 2" or 2.5" display.

My cousin waited years for an "iPhone Nano". He finally settled for a 5s.

rotateleftbyte

Rayz2016 said:

Agreed. It's a nice-to-have, but I wouldn't call it a deal-breaker. 

Sadly, the Hacks (Press) won't see it that way. They and their generally anti-Apple stance will see it as a dumbed down device not worth even $1.
They are always after the new/shiny shiny features despite most of them being useless/not applicable to 95%+ of the users. Just look at MS Office. For most of us the new features since the 2003 version have been 'MEH' or even 'WTF?' when it comes to the Ribbon.
Those column inches have gotta get filled somehow.

jdw

Sounds like a pretty lackluster event if there is truly no new MacBook. All the reports I am seeing online say "iPhone & Pad" exclusively. I couldn't care less about the iPhone, and although a new iPad is somewhat interesting, the specs of the 2nd Gen. MacBook would be the real meat of the event. Will Apple add a second USB-C port? Will it be powerful enough to use for serious tasks finally? Will it be the replacement for the MacBook Air?

If there is no new MacBook at this particular event, such means Apple is delaying it in order to show something big about the MacBook Pro lineup. Perhaps they want to ditch the AIR and make it "MacBook" and "MacBook Pro" only. Dig up these details, AppleInsider!

edited February 2016

wood1208

Most people OK without 3D touch. Important features needed in new 4"er were ApplePay, VoLTE/VoWiFi, better camera, relatively better performance. Essentially shrink down version of bigger sibling.

mattinoz

ericthehalfbee said:

I'm sure if they make a smaller iPhone with new internals that they'll sell a ton of them. I still know a few friends and co-workers who hung on to their 5S simply because they liked the size. Getting the same size but with a faster processor, better camera and Apply Pay would make for a compelling upgrade.

Add in new iPads, possible Mac updates and (long shot) a new Watch and this should make for an interesting Mar-May quarter when Apple announces earnings (if the devices are available right after the announcement).

Not sure if calling it the SE makes it sound like a more compelling upgrade than calling it the 5SE both really sound like a product Apple doesn't believe in and that has always been a bad sign. 

I think there more than enough scope to make a compelling upgrade on the 5S and make a true iPhone nano/mini/minus as a distinct product. The rumors aren't backing that thou. They seem to be backing An iPhone C type product that to me just didn't have a product distinct other than being cheap. Why go cheap when you can just hold on to a 5s in quality working condition.

techlover

Why doesn't Apple come out with another un-apologetically plastic phone with polka dot cases?

mr o

I find it curious that there is a correlation between 'size' and 'features':

Whether it be a 21.5 inch iMac, a 13 inch Macbook Pro or a 4 inch iPhone. Small does not necessarily mean *amateur*. It's just that I value portability a lot.

>:x