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Apple's iPad Air 3 and 'iPhone 5se' Event May Take Place March 15

Tuesday February 2, 2016 5:38 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple's next media event, where it is rumored to announce updates across three product categories, is tentatively planned for Tuesday, March 15, according to 9to5Mac. The date could change over the next six weeks.
As the scheduled event is still a month-and-a-half away, the date could conceivably still shift or turn into an online announcement. The media event would be Apple’s first since September, and much like the fall event, is planned to touch on three major product categories for the company.
At the media event, its first since September, Apple CEO Tim Cook and other executives are expected to introduce the new 4-inch "iPhone 5se" and iPad Air 3, alongside minor Apple Watch updates, including new bands.

Apple-Watch-iPad-iPhone
Apple's new 4-inch iPhone is rumored to feature an A9 chip with M9 motion coprocessor, 1,624 mAh battery, 1GB of RAM, Bluetooth 4.2, Apple Pay, VoLTE, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and 16GB and 64GB storage models, but 3D Touch appears unlikely.

The so-called "iPhone 5se" will reportedly ship in late March or early April, and will likely replace the iPhone 5s. Apple's smartphone lineup come September is expected to be the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, and iPhone 5se.

Details surrounding the iPad Air 3 are less clear, but leaked design drawings and aftermarket cases suggest the new 9.7-inch tablet could have a rear-facing LED camera flash, Smart Connector, and four speakers like the iPad Pro.

Taiwanese website DigiTimes also said the iPad Air 3 will have a high-resolution 4K display and up to 4GB of RAM, but the report is questionable due to the publication's mixed track record at reporting on Apple's upcoming product plans.

Last, earlier rumors suggested an "Apple Watch 2" could debut around March, but the wrist-worn device will likely only receive minor updates, including new bands and possibly a FaceTime camera, at next month's purported media event.

Update: BuzzFeed's John Paczkowski has confirmed March 15 as the date when Apple will hold its spring event to unveil a smaller iPhone, a new iPad, and new watch bands.

Related Roundups: iPad Pro, Apple Watch, watchOS 5
Tag: iPad Air 3
Buyer's Guide: 10.5" iPad Pro (Don't Buy), Apple Watch (Buy Now)
[ 198 comments ]


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d4rklamp
35 months ago
Damn all I care about is some updates to the MacBook lineup now that Skylake is available...
Rating: 40 Votes
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oliversl
35 months ago
I really miss the power button at the top. "Please press the right button for 10 seconds", "The one with the plug sign?", "When I try to power off the device the volume change ..."
Rating: 18 Votes
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Chupa Chupa
35 months ago
March 15? Probably will be as disappointing a day for us as it was for Caesar.
Rating: 12 Votes
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Small White Car
35 months ago
To all of the tech-experts in here who think the 5se is just a pointless minor bump that doesn't need an event:

My mother actually asked me about it the other day and I can promise you she is NOT reading Apple rumor sites. Not only did this news somehow get to her, she and my father are both very excited by the concept of this phone.

I can't even remember the last time she asked me about an Apple product before the official announcement.

Once again, the Mac Rumors forum posters make the mistake of thinking their needs are normal or average.
Rating: 9 Votes
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Dydegu
35 months ago
Still seems like a really underwhelming event.

There has to be more.
Rating: 9 Votes
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FSMBP
35 months ago
Just happy that Apple is releasing major products outside of September/October.
Rating: 8 Votes
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vooke
35 months ago
Underwhelming development
Rating: 7 Votes
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AZREOSpecialist
35 months ago
Nobody cares anymore. Apple has replaced innovation with endless regurgitation. The same thing happened the first time Jobs left the company, except now he cannot return to save it a second time.
Rating: 6 Votes
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American Hero
35 months ago
So in other words, I purchased a Verizon iPad Air 2 in October, thinking it would be at least another year before the Air would receive another upgrade... Yet here we are with rumors of an updated Air six months after the September keynote where Apple failed to upgrade the Air, but instead, unveiled just the "iPad Pro" and an "updated" iPad Mini.
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Even worse is the iPhone 5"se." I don't see a point to this product at all. Just release three versions of the iPhone 7-- 5.5", 4.7", and 4.0" and be done with it--dump the older iPhone models out of the Apple store and take some of the saturation out of the iPhone market, and price them accordingly:

iPhone 7 (4.0")
32 GB - $349.99
64 GB - $449.99
128 GB - $549.99

iPhone 7 (4.7")
32 GB - $449.99
64 GB - $549.99
128 GB - $649.99

iPhone 7 (5.5")
32 GB - $549.99
64 GB - $649.99
128 GB - $749.99
264 GB - $849.99


Prices per month for the iPhones would range between $14.58 a month for the 32 GB iPhone 7 (4") and $35.41 a month for the 264 GB (5.5") phone with a 24 month payment installment agreement.
Rating: 6 Votes
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PortableLover
35 months ago
4 inch a9 4 inch a9


4 inch A9!!!! with 128gb same internals as 6s maybe without 3d touch and you have a sale apple!
Rating: 5 Votes

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