True to my geek nature, I am more excited about Apple’s March event than a child on Christmas morning. And we’re less than a week away. Next Monday, March 21 Apple will (finally) hold its Spring event and introduce its first product line-up of 2016. Rumors have consistently predicted a 4-inch iPhone SE, smaller iPad Pro (or Air 3, who knows), additional Apple Watch bands, and one more thing. But Apple also loves to add a little spice to its announcements, so I’ve got my fingers crossed for a closing performance by Adele.
So, what are we absolutely positive Apple will debut?
The 4-inch iPhone of course! Rumored to have the title, iPhone SE, this new phone was created to meet demand. Users said, “our hands are too small!” And Apple was like, “No problem, we’ll create a Special Edition.” It’s also expected to be a more affordable option and completely replace the older iPhone 5s. The iPhone 5s is currently priced, off contract, at $449 and the iPhone SE is expected to fall in the same range. With the iPhone’s release, it’s also expected Apple will finally debut the iOS 9.3 update with Night Shift mode.
The iPhone SE is expected to look a lot like the iPhone 6 or 6s with the size of the iPhone 5. However, internally it’s also getting an upgrade, including a 12-megapixel camera, A9 processor, and support for Apple Pay. It’s also been rumored the iPhone SE will include the Live Photos feature, but don’t expect 3D Touch.
Can we expect a baby iPad Pro?
I sure hope so. It’s widely accepted we’ll see a 9.7-inch iPad. Whether that iPad will be an iPad Air 3 or a smaller iPad Pro is yet to be revealed. Part of the reason why it’s been labeled as another iPad Pro are the features and upgrades expected such as four-speaker audio, smart connectors for Smart keyboards, an A9 processor, and, best of all, support for the Apple Pencil. All together, that makes the new iPad a very tempting option. Especially if the price is in line with current models, starting at $499 for the 16-gigabyte with Wi-Fi connectivity. It’s the perfect middle ground, I feel, for someone not quite ready to buy the laptop-priced iPad Pro but who does want a super boost to their iPad productivity and usability. Sign me up.
Wherefore art thou Apple Watch?
Don’t get your hopes set on a new Apple Watch; we probably won’t see that until September. However, Apple is expected to release new watch bands in different materials and colors. Personally, I haven’t been a big fan of Apple designed watch bands thus far. I’m hoping the company can prove me wrong here.
My new Macs bring all the boys to the yard…
The rumor mill has been nearly silent on the subject of new Macs. However, tis the season to upgrade. Let’s be honest, the Macbook Air is no longer a lightweight option compared to the company’s other laptops. And the Macbook Pro and 12-inch Macbooks are due for an upgrade as well. Apple, what are you waiting for? Do it.
Surprise! One...More...Thing!!!
In the past, Apple did a great job of keeping the details of its product launches secret. But these days, the rumor mill usually manages to figure out the majority of what we can expect to see. However, that doesn’t mean we don’t hope to see something that surprises us. And much talk has been given to this event’s tagline: “Let us loop you in.” Perhaps there’s a surprise hidden in the meaning of the tagline. Or maybe it just refers to the Apple HQ address. We’ll have to wait and see.
When & How to Watch
Definitely come on over to iPhone Life; we’ll be covering the event live on our website. We’ll have a special event page ready soon and will share those details in a blog post later this week.
Apple will be streaming the event live online and on Apple TV. The keynote will begin Monday, March 21 at 10 a.m. Pacific, 1 p.m. Eastern. It will be held at Apple's headquarters at 1 Infinite Loop in Cupertino, Calif.
Top Image Credit: catwalker / Shutterstock.com
