Apple Store Down Ahead of New iPad Air and iPhone SE Pre-Orders

Apple's online store is down ahead of iPad Air and iPhone SE pre-orders, which are set to begin at 5:00 a.m. Pacific Time in the United States.
apple store down

The new ‌iPhone‌ SE features the same 4.7-inch display as the current model, but now offers the toughest glass in a smartphone on the front and back — the same as on the back of the ‌iPhone‌ 13 and ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro.

The device's new 12MP Wide camera system offers a range of improvements and computational photography features including Deep Fusion, Photographic Styles, Portrait Mode, and Smart HDR 4.

The new ‌iPhone‌ SE contains the same A15 Bionic chip from the ‌iPhone‌ 13 and ‌iPhone‌ 13 Pro. With a 6-core CPU, the A15 Bionic means that the ‌iPhone‌ SE is 1.8x faster than the ‌iPhone‌ 8. The 16-core Neural Engine, aimed at machine learning tasks, performs 15.8 trillion operations per second, making it 26x faster than ‌iPhone‌ 8. The 4-core GPU delivers 2.2x faster speed than the ‌iPhone‌ 8.

The A15 Bionic also gives the new ‌iPhone‌ SE longer battery life than the previous-generation and older 4.7-inch ‌iPhone‌ models despite having a compact form-factor and 5G connectivity. It continues to support fast charging and be compatible with Qi-certified chargers for wireless charging.

The new ‌iPhone‌ SE is available in two new colors, Midnight and Starlight, alongside PRODUCT(RED). The new ‌iPhone‌ SE starts at $429, up from $399 on the 2020 model, and is available with 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB of storage. Preorders begin on Friday, March 11, with the first devices shipping on March 18.

Available in a new array of colors, the new ‌‌iPad Air‌‌ features Apple's Ultra Wide front camera with Center Stage for a more natural video conferencing experience, a USB-C port with up to 2x faster transfer speeds, and 5G on the cellular models.

In terms of the ‌M1‌'s pure performance, the 8-core CPU delivers up to 60% faster performance, and the 8-core GPU delivers up to 2x faster graphics performance compared to the previous ‌‌iPad Air‌‌. That makes it faster than the fastest competitive tablet, and 2x as fast as the best-selling Windows laptop in its price range, according to Apple.

The USB-C port is now up to 2x faster than the previous generation, with data transfers up to 10Gbps, enabling it to support a range of USB-C accessories, including cameras, external storage, and displays with up to 6K resolution. Lastly, the new ‌‌iPad Air‌‌ supports the second-generation Apple Pencil.

The new ‌‌iPad Air‌‌ is priced from $599. It is available in 64GB and 256GB configurations, and comes in space gray, starlight, pink, purple, and blue colors. The new ‌‌iPad Air‌‌ is available to pre-order on Friday, March 11, and will be available from March 18.

Related Roundup: iPad Air
Buyer's Guide: iPad Air (Buy Now)
Related Forums: iPad, iPhone

Popular Stories

apple tv 4k new orange

New Apple TV Expected Later This Year With These New Features

Saturday July 12, 2025 3:09 pm PDT by
A new Apple TV is expected to be released later this year, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the next Apple TV, according to rumors. Rumors Faster Wi-Fi Support The next Apple TV will be equipped with Apple's own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. He said the chip supports ...
iphone 16 pro ghost hand

5 Reasons to Skip This Year's iPhone 17 Pro

Thursday July 10, 2025 4:54 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series in two months, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive. If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 16 New Features

Friday July 11, 2025 12:40 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are only two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:A redesigned Dynamic Island: It has been rumored that all iPhone 17 models will have a redesigned Dynamic Island interface — it might ...
Apple Watch Ultra 2 Complications

Apple Watch Ultra 3: What to Expect

Sunday July 13, 2025 10:30 am PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 is nearly over, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the Apple Watch Ultra 3:Satellite connectivity for sending and receiving text messages when Wi-Fi and cellular coverage is unavailable 5G support, up from LTE on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 Likely a wide-angle OLED display that ...
iphone 16 pro pro max

iPhone 17 Pro Models With BOE Displays Will Be Sold in China Only

Thursday July 10, 2025 11:59 pm PDT by
iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models with displays made by BOE will be sold exclusively in China, according to a new report. Last week, it emerged that Chinese display manufacturer BOE was aggressively ramping up its OLED production capacity for future iPhone models as part of a plan to recapture a major role in Apple's supply chain. Now, tech news aggregator Jukan Choi reports...
top stories 2025 07 12

Top Stories: iPhone 17 Pro Rumors, iOS 26 Beta 3, and More

Saturday July 12, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
The iOS 26 public beta release is quickly approaching, while developers have recently gotten their hands on a third round of betas that has seen Apple continue to tweak features, design, and functionality. We're also continuing to hear rumors about the iPhone 17 lineup that is now just about right around the corner, while Apple's latest big-budget film appears to be taking off, so read on...

Top Rated Comments

Jim Lahey Avatar
44 months ago
I'm surprised Cook hasn't put an end to this theatre yet. Imagine the amount of polishing cloths they could sell during the hours that the store is artificially closed :oops:
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
44 months ago

Are you torn between devices? Colors?
Colors! LOL, might just order the iPhone 13 Pro Max 1TB Alpine green. I'm not too sure. I need to see what it looks like in the real world.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
44 months ago
I don't think I'll be able to go to sleep tonight. Will definately be placing an order for something. Just not sure what tho. Apple, I'm ready to give you my money :)
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kstotlani Avatar
44 months ago
This is coming in between me checking delivery status of my MacBook Pro M1 Max BTO every single hour. I have been doing this for 6 weeks already.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JPack Avatar
44 months ago
SE3 battery capacity is 12% bigger than SE2. Pretty decent upgrade for $29 more.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
freedomlinux Avatar
44 months ago

I'm surprised Cook hasn't put an end to this theatre yet. Imagine the amount of polishing cloths they could sell during the hours that the store is artificially closed :oops:
I'm sure Apple has done the research and calculated how much negative impact there is from closing the store. My guess:

* Minimal - people who can't order right now will order later, so the sale is not lost
* People who are trying to track an existing order get annoyed
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)