Apple announces ‘___’ event on March 15th in ___ ahead of expected 4″ iPhone 5se/9.7″ iPad Pro, Apple Watch updates, new software, more

Apple has officially announced its upcoming spring event scheduled for March 15th in ___. The company is expected to introduce the iPhone 5se, 9.7-inch iPad Pro, new Apple Watch bands, software updates, and more. 9to5Mac originally reported the March 15th date at the beginning of February before today’s event details were official. As for what’s in store for this event, here’s what’s rumored and expected:

Apple has saved new iPhone launches for the fall in September starting with the iPhone 4s in 2011, but we’re expecting that to change at this spring event.

The iPhone 5se is expected to be a 4-inch model entry in a lineup of flagship 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch iPhones. As a smaller device that won’t be flagship status, the iPhone 5se will feature a mix of specs from the iPhone 6 and 6s but packaged in an iPhone 5-sized casing.

As we reported, these features and specifications include the faster A9 chip and M9 chip with always-on Siri and Live Photos feature introduced in the iPhone 6s, Apple Pay introduced in the iPhone 6, 16/64GB models, and space gray/silver/gold/rose gold finishes.

We’ve also reported schematics via a case maker that show a nearly identical design to the iPhone 5se, save for slightly curved edges.

The smaller iPad Pro is expected to be a shrunken version of the 12.9-inch tablet introduced last fall. Apple typically updates its 9.7-inch tablet annually, but focused instead last year on refreshing the 7.9-inch iPad mini and introducing the 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

Rumored changes include adopting the iPad Pro’s quad-speaker design, adding Apple Pencil support, bumping up from the A8X and M8 chips to the A9X and M9 chips, a possible Smart Connector, and maybe even a rear flash for photography which would be a first for any iPad.

Both of these devices are expected to go on sale on March 18th, which is a quick turnaround compared to other product launches after Apple events.

While the Apple Watch hardware isn’t expected to be upgraded until later this fall, we are expecting to see new Sport band colors, a space black version of the Milanese Loop, and maybe even all-new NATO-style nylon straps that 9to5Mac originally reported as being in development.

Finally, Apple has been testing new feature-packed versions of each of its software platforms — iOS 9.3, OS X 10.11.4, watchOS 2.2, and tvOS 9.2 — which don’t yet have final versions or release dates but are expected to debut for everyone around this event. A standalone update to iTunes that enhances the Apple Music experience is also expected to be unveiled.

Overall, the event is expected to be an interesting sequel to last year’s March event where Apple re-introduced the Apple Watch, unveiled the 12-inch MacBook, and introduced iOS 8.2 to the public.

9to5Mac will be covering the event in detail on March 15th and before so stay tuned.

Filed under: Apple Watch, iOS Devices Tagged: Apple event, Apple Music, Apple watch, iOS 9.3, iPad Air 3, iPhone 5se, iTunes, OS X 10.11.4, tvOS 9.2, watchOS 2.2

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