Live Coverage of Apple's 'Let Us Loop You In' iPhone SE and 9.7" iPad Pro Event

Apple's "Let Us Loop You In" event kicks off at 10:00 AM Pacific Time today, and we're expecting to see several product announcements including a new 4-inch "iPhone SE," an updated 9.7-inch iPad perhaps branded as an "iPad Pro," and a few updates for the Apple Watch line, although upgrades to the watch itself will not be coming today.

We're also expecting to see a full set of operating system upgrades today, as Apple has been beta testing iOS 9.3, OS X 10.11.4, tvOS 9.2, and watchOS 2.2 for several months now. Today's event is being held at the Town Hall auditorium on Apple's headquarters campus in Cupertino.

Apple is providing a live video stream on its website and via Apple TV.

apple_march_2016_il4_banner


In addition to Apple's video stream, we will be updating this article with live blog coverage and issuing Twitter updates through our @MacRumorsLive account as the keynote unfolds. Highlights from the event and separate news stories regarding today's announcements will go out through our @MacRumors account.

Sign up for our newsletter to keep up with Apple news and rumors.

Apple's online stores around the world are currently down in advance of the event.

Archive of Live Updates in Reverse Chronological Order

10:05 am: Cook walks off stage, concluding today's event. Be sure to visit the MacRumors front page and forums for the latest news and discussions about today's announcements.

10:04 am: Cook says Apple is looking forward to moving to its new campus in 2017 to begin its next 40 years of history. He thanks everyone in attendance.

f1458583426

10:03 am: Tim Cook: "This is probably the last product introduction in the Town Hall ever."

10:01 am: iPad mini now starts from $269. iPad Air 2 from $399.

f1458583290

10:01 am: 12.9-inch iPad Pro is also now available in a larger 256GB size for $1,099.

f1458583241

9:59 am: The new iPad Pro will be available for pre-order on March 24. That's this Thursday.

9:58 am: Video demo of new iPad Pro showcasing apps and features.

f1458583062

9:57 am: New 9.7-inch iPad Pro costs $599 (32GB Wi-Fi), $749 (128GB Wi-Fi), and $899 (256GB Wi-Fi). Shipping begins March 31.

9:56 am: Four colors: Silver, Gold, Space Gray and Rose Gold.

9:56 am: 5MP front-facing FaceTime HD camera with Retina Flash.

9:55 am: 12MP iSight camera. Focus Pixels. True Tone Flash. New image signal processor. Panoramas up to 63 megapixels. Live Photos. 4K video recording.

f1458582927

f1458582904

9:54 am: The tablet supports many other accessories through its Smart Connector. Also adapters and peripherals such as a USB Camera Adapter and SD Card Reader.

9:54 am: Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard support.

9:53 am: Just like the iPhone SE, the new 9.7-inch iPad Pro has an embedded M9 motion coprocessor. Always-on "Hey Siri" support.

f1458582754

9:52 am: 12 cores of graphics power. More than an Xbox 360 in "a device that you hold in the palm of your hands."

9:51 am: A9X chip.

9:51 am: 9.7-inch iPad Pro has four speakers. More than 2x the audio output of iPad Air 2.

f1458582655

9:50 am: The new 9.7-inch iPad Pro has a True Tone display. Two new four-channel ambient light sensors that measure the color temperature of ambient light, and adjusts the display to match.

9:49 am: The new 9.7-inch iPad Pro is 25% brighter than the iPad Air 2. It also has 25% greater color saturation than iPad Air 2.

9:49 am: Same display materials as 12.9-inch iPad Pro. Oxide TFT display. Custom timing controller. Photo alignment for "incredible" contrast ratio and crisp text. Lowest reflectivity of any tablet.

9:48 am: The new iPad Pro is "the ultimate PC replacement." There are over 1 million apps in the App Store to take advantage of.

9:47 am: Schiller: 600 million PCs in use today that are over 5 years old. "These people could really benefit from an iPad Pro."

9:47 am: Schiller believes this new iPad Pro will be the "ultimate upgrade" for those customers. Also for Windows PC users.

9:46 am: Apple says it has sold over 200 million 9.7-inch iPads to date.

f1458582389

9:46 am: Schiller introduces 9.7-inch iPad Pro.

9:44 am: Cook brings up Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller to talk about what's next for iPad.

9:44 am: Tim Cook back on stage. iPad up next.

9:43 am: iOS 9.3 is available as a free update for everyone beginning today.

9:43 am: Apple reiterates that over 100 CarPlay vehicles are available around the world. More are coming. Joswiak is going over CarPlay improvements in iOS 9.3.

9:42 am: (iPhone SE first wave launch countries: U.S., Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Singapore, U.K.)

f1458582067

9:40 am: Apple VP Greg Joswiak is talking about iOS 9.3 features such as Night Shift.

9:39 am: iPhone SE orders begin March 24. Shipping March 31. 110 countries by end of May.

f1458581948

9:38 am: 64GB iPhone SE is available for $499. Two-year contract price is free for 16GB. Financing starts at $17/month for 16GB model.

f1458581880

9:38 am: iPhone SE pricing starts at $399 for 16GB.

9:38 am: Wi-Fi calling. Bluetooth 4.2 Always-on "Hey Siri". Apple Pay. New microphones. Slow-mo up to 240 fps.

9:37 am: LTE is now faster: up to 150 Mbps. More LTE bands. VoLTE. Wi-Fi is up to 3X as fast as iPhone 5s.

9:36 am: Camera improvements: Lots of Focus Pixels. True Tone Flash. New image signal processor. Panoramas can now be up to 63 megapixels. 4K video recording. Edit two simultaneous streams of 4K right on iPhone.

9:35 am: "Incredible" battery improvements and a 12-megapixel rear-facing iSight camera. Same as iPhone 6s camera.

f1458581716

9:35 am: Matte chamfered edges.

9:34 am: iPhone SE has a 4-inch screen. A9 chip performs on the same level as the iPhone 6s. Double the speed of the iPhone 5s.

f1458581604

9:33 am: Apple introduces the iPhone SE.

f1458581440

9:30 am: Cook is running through existing features of the new Apple TV.

f1458581294

f1458581273

9:28 am: Apple TV up next.

9:27 am: Beginning today, Apple Watch starts at $299.

9:27 am: Apple Watch sport and leather bands in new colors for spring. Space Black Milanese Loop as well.

f1458581225

9:27 am: New woven nylon bands for Apple Watch in multiple vibrant colors. Pink, orange, blue, black.

9:25 am: Apple Watch is #1 selling smartwatch. #1 in customer satisfaction.

9:25 am: Tim Cook back on stage. Apple Watch up next.

9:24 am: CareKit is open source and available in April.

9:24 am: CareKit on iPhone has a care card, symptom and measurement tracker, and the ability to share your information with family and medical professionals.

f1458580983

9:22 am: CareKit is a framework for developers to build apps that "empower people to take an an active role in their care."

9:22 am: Apple announces CareKit.

9:20 am: A heartfelt video was played on stage explaining how ResearchKit has transformed research and medicine.

9:16 am: Williams reiterates that ReseachKit provides researchers with insights that "just weren't possible" with traditional health studies.

9:15 am: Cook invites Apple COO Jeff Williams on stage to talk about health initiatives such as ResearchKit.

9:14 am: Tim Cook is back on stage.

f1458580327

9:12 am: Apple introduces Liam, a robot that can break down and separate recyclable materials in iPhones for future use. Video demo shown on stage.

f1458580277

9:10 am: Jackson says that Apple packaging now comes from 99% recycled paper or sustainable forestry initiatives.

9:09 am: Jackson is running through some examples of Apple's renewable energy initiatives in place such as China and Singapore.

9:08 am: Currently, 93% of Apple facilities run on renewable energy. 21 countries around the world using 100% renewable energy.

9:07 am: "Our goal is to become 100% renewable in 100% of our operations worldwide. That's all of our offices. All of our retail stores. And every single one of our data centers."

f1458579999

9:06 am: Cook invites Lisa Jackson, Apple's Vice President of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives, on stage.

9:05 am: "Let's get back to why you're here this morning…"

9:04 am: Cook brings up the ongoing Apple-FBI debate. He says it is important for Americans to "join in the conversation." Apple is grateful for the "overwhelming support" it has received from customers around the world.

9:03 am: Cook reiterates that there are more than 1 billion active Apple devices right now.

f1458579764

9:02 am: Tim Cook is on stage to much applause.

9:02 am: Apple turns 40 on April 1, 2016.

9:01 am: Apple event begins with a video showcasing the company's 40-year history.8:55 am: Apple's web stream is now live with Beats 1 music playing in the background. Tip: you need to be using Safari or Microsoft Edge.

f1458578140

8:35 am: Media are now being let into the Town Hall auditorium.8:14 am: Photo by Chris Ciaccia

8:10 am: Media and guests are getting registered and taking advantage of Apple's food and drink selections.

8:06 am: Less than one hour remaining until Apple's event starts at 10:00 a.m. Pacific (1 p.m. Eastern). Stay tuned!

Related Roundups: Apple Watch 11, iPad Pro
Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

M5 MacBook Pro

Apple Announces New 14-Inch MacBook Pro With M5 Chip

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:07 am PDT by
Apple today updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro base model with its new M5 chip, which is also available in updated iPad Pro and Vision Pro models. In addition, the base 14-inch MacBook Pro can now be configured with up to 4TB of storage on Apple's online store, whereas the previous model maxed out at 2TB. However, the maximum amount of unified RAM available for this model remains 32GB. Like...
Apple iPad Pro hero M5

Apple Debuts New iPad Pro With M5 Chip, Faster Charging, and More

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:16 am PDT by
Apple today announced the next-generation iPad Pro, featuring the custom-designed M5, C1X, and N1 chips. The M5 chip has up to a 10-core CPU, with four performance cores and six efficiency cores. It features a next-generation GPU with Neural Accelerator in each core, allowing the new iPad Pro to deliver up to 3.5x the AI performance than the previous model, and a third-generation ray-tracing ...
apple oct 2024 mac tease

Apple Expected to Announce These Two to Three Products 'This Week'

Sunday October 12, 2025 7:05 am PDT by
Apple plans to announce new products "this week," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple's "Mac Your Calendars" teaser last October In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the products set to be updated this week include the iPad Pro, Vision Pro, and "likely" the base 14-inch MacBook Pro, with all three likely to receive a spec bump with Apple's next-generation M5 chip. Gurman...
maxresdefault

Here's Everything Apple Announced Today

Wednesday October 15, 2025 3:54 pm PDT by
We didn't get a second fall event this year, but Apple did unveil updated products with a series of press releases that went out today. The M5 chip made an appearance in new MacBook Pro, Vision Pro, and iPad Pro models. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. We've rounded up our coverage and highlighted the main feature changes for each device below. MacBook Pro M5...
joz macbook tease

Apple Teases Upcoming M5 MacBook Pro Launch: 'Something Powerful is Coming'

Tuesday October 14, 2025 11:59 am PDT by
Apple marketing chief Greg Joswiak today teased the launch of an upcoming product, saying "something powerful is coming" on social media. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. A short animation accompanying Joswiak's teaser reveals a brief glimpse of a MacBook Pro along with the words "coming soon." The shape of the MacBook Pro is a V, which is the Roman numeral...
airpods max 2024 colors

AirPods Max 2: Everything We Know So Far

Tuesday October 14, 2025 8:43 am PDT by
Apple's AirPods Max have now been available for almost five years, so what do we know about the second-generation version? According to Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the new AirPods Max will be lighter than the current ones, but exactly how much is as yet known. The current AirPods Max weigh 0.85 pounds (386.2 grams), excluding the charging case, making it one of the heavier...
HomePod mini and Apple TV

Apple's Next Rumored Products: New HomePod Mini, Apple TV, and More

Thursday October 16, 2025 9:13 am PDT by
Apple on Wednesday updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro with its next-generation M5 chip, but previous rumors have indicated that the company still plans to announce at least a few additional products before the end of the year. The following Apple products have at one point been rumored to be updated in 2025, although it is unclear if the timeframe for any of them has...
Vision Pro M5 Announcement

Apple Updates Vision Pro With M5 Chip, Dual Knit Band, and 120Hz Support

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:14 am PDT by
Apple today updated the Vision Pro headset with its next-generation M5 chip for faster performance, and a more comfortable Dual Knit Band. The M5 chip has a 10-core CPU, a 10-core GPU with Neural Accelerators, and a 16-core Neural Engine, and we have confirmed the Vision Pro still has 16GB of RAM. With the M5 chip, the Vision Pro offers faster performance and longer battery life compared...
macbook pro blue

Apple's M5 MacBook Pro Imminent: What to Expect

Tuesday October 14, 2025 4:35 pm PDT by
Apple is going to launch a new version of the MacBook Pro as soon as tomorrow, so we thought we'd go over what to expect from Apple's upcoming Mac. M5 Chip The MacBook Pro will be one of the first new devices to use the next-generation M5 chip, which will replace the M4 chip. The M5 is built on TSMC's more advanced 3-nanometer process, and it will bring speed and efficiency improvements. ...
MacBook Pro M5 Screen

New MacBook Pro Does Not Include a Charger in the Box in Europe

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:59 am PDT by
The new 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M5 chip does not include a charger in the box in European countries, including the U.K., Ireland, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Norway, and others, according to Apple's online store. In the U.S. and all other countries outside of Europe, the new MacBook Pro comes with Apple's 70W USB-C Power Adapter, but European customers miss out....

Top Rated Comments

profmjh Avatar
125 months ago
Wow. I cannot believe how ungrateful you people are.

Did you not read the information? Did you not see the incredible technological and design achievement?

Apple Watch now comes with a nylon strap. Not just some ordinary nylon strap, no sir. This one has -- and I'm quoting here -- over 500 threads woven together in a unique, colourful pattern. Yes, you read that right. Over 500. Woven. Colourful pattern. Unique. No-one else has ever done stripy watch straps before. Made of nylon. In colourful patterns.

It gets better. Monofilaments connect four layers of the weave to create a single durable strap with a comfortable, fabric-like feel. That's right: monofilaments. Four layers. Durable. Comfortable. Fabric-like.

I'm buying ten. In each colour. Right now.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PoppaKap Avatar
125 months ago
Apple should've just skipped the event and updated the website with these products.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Radon87000 Avatar
125 months ago
Hey Phil,my 5 year old PC has a GTX 970 SLI config.It destroys your iPad Pro
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
td1439 Avatar
125 months ago
Oh, it's f.lux
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ChrisNM Avatar
125 months ago
WHY the bitching and/or gloom and doom conclusion jumping? S***'s annoying, and makes people look like whiny, entitled kids.
Personally, I don't think it is whiny or unreasonable to expect Apple to introduce MacBook Pros with the new Skylake processors when all of their competitors did it 5 months ago. I think it is a legitimate criticism.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Piggie Avatar
125 months ago
"The Ultimate PC Replacement"

Wow, that must go down in history as THE dumbest thing anyone has ever said about computing......!
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)