Leaker's iOS 18.3 reveals suggest M4 iPad Air & iPhone SE 4 are close to launch

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A private social media account has claimed the soon-to-release operating system updates will be preinstalled on inbound hardware that could arrive soon, including the fourth-gen iPhone SE and iPad refreshes.

Smartphone screen displaying weather widget with 65 degrees Fahrenheit and battery widgets, plus icons for time, signal, and battery percentage.
The iPhone SE could gain the Dynamic Island



Apple entered the release candidate stage of its operating system updates on Tuesday, meaning the final releases to the public could happen soon. If a social media account is to be believed, new hardware may not be all that far behind.

A private X account with a good track record for accuracy as it pertains to operating system details claims that the 22D8062 build of iOS 18.3 will be preinstalled on the iPhone SE, the fourth-gen model that is anticipated to arrive soon. At the same time, it says build 22D2060 of iPadOS 18.3 will be preinstalled on the 11th gen iPad and iPad Air.

The claim of specific builds of operating systems on yet-to-ship hardware could be considered an indicator that Apple is preparing to ship the identified hardware.

While Apple doesn't tend to introduce new products in January in recent years, there have been rumors of a potential launch early in the year.

Expected hardware



Earlier in the month, it was alleged that the iPhone SE 4 and new iPads were anticipated to launch with iOS and iPadOS 18.3. However, it was also reported that the launches would happen in April, ahead of a release of iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4.

A January launch is possible, but unlikely. Potential issues range from supply chain inventory of important components being used for more expensive and profitable products, to the potential cannibalism of existing premium item sales by introducing cheaper models.

Apple's typical launch cadence also tends to result in product introductions in the early spring, a few months into the year in the last days of the quarter.

Current speculation for the iPhone SE 4 include a switch to the Dynamic Island, an upgrade to a 48MP rear camera, and the update to the A18 chip. This last change is expected as it would make the iPhone SE 4 a new entry point for users to access Apple Intelligence.

The 11th-gen iPad is unlikely to get any real physical changes, but a chip upgrade to the A17 Pro or A18 is anticipated, for similar Apple Intelligence reasons.

Meanwhile, the next iPad Air could arrive with the M3 chip, as well as the potential of a new upgraded display with a 90Hz refresh rate. New Magic Keyboard accessories are also anticipated to roll out.

Rumor Score: Likely

Read on AppleInsider

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 7
    Headline say M4 iPad but last line reads M3 iPad…. 
    williamlondonAfarstar
     1Like 1Dislike 0Informatives
  • Reply 2 of 7
    Wesley Hilliardwesley hilliard Posts: 374member, administrator, moderator, editor
    factsonly said:
    Headline say M4 iPad but last line reads M3 iPad…. 
    He could have expanded on that a bit, but if you follow the link and it explains that there is a rumor that iPad Air might get M3 instead of M4.
    williamlondon
     1Like 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 3 of 7
    saareksaarek Posts: 1,594member
    I wonder if they’ll release the new Apple Watch SE around the same time.

    My daughter goes to high school in September, so I intended to buy her an iPhone SE Watch and iPhone SE combo. No way I’m buying the out of date current gen SE.
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 4 of 7
    m4m40m4m40 Posts: 26member
    The timing doesn’t seem to add up here. 

    I don’t think Apple will hold the x.3 releases back (imo they are gonna go out next week). 
    And I also don’t think the x.4 release will be delayed or have unexpectedly high number of betas. I’d expect x.4 to come out by mid March or late March at the latest. Definitely not April. 
    edited January 23
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  • Reply 5 of 7
    Get ahead of tariffs?
    edited January 23
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  • Reply 6 of 7
    thttht Posts: 5,814member
    m4m40 said:
    The timing doesn’t seem to add up here. 

    I don’t think Apple will hold the x.3 releases back (imo they are gonna go out next week). 
    And I also don’t think the x.4 release will be delayed or have unexpectedly high number of betas. I’d expect x.4 to come out by mid March or late March at the latest. Definitely not April. 
    I don't think the operating system releases are tied to hardware either.

    The iPhone SE and iPad 11 are just waiting on retail stock to dwindle down to something like 1 or 2 weeks of stock, and they do the drawdown starting now knowing the drawdown rate, targeting releases of new hardware in March and April, give or take. An x.y.1 OS update could be released to specifically support the new hardware. They don't want to drawdown earlier due to the holiday months basically rolling from October to February. So the lineup is frozen to minimize confusion, which may optimize for as many sales through that time as possible.

    They don't want people thinking new hardware is coming and freeze people from buying during the holiday season. OS updates just come when they come, ASAP. The only time there is a hard schedule limit on OS releases is September, and they do that as their marketing campaign to drive holiday month hardware sales.
    m4m40
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  • Reply 7 of 7
    It comes when it comes.  I’ll take two iPhone SE, please.  2nd gen is feeling smallish.
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
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