In a report published today by Bloomberg analyst (and reliable Apple leaker) Mark Gurman, Apple is getting ready to launch a swathe of new products. Gurman claims that the tech giant could host a virtual event on the 8th of March to make the announcements. This would be very early for an Apple event by recent standards but not unprecedented. Apple does hold a spring event in most years but typically towards the end of March or early April.
In terms of the expected announcements, we’ll likely see the arrival of a third-generation iPhone SE with 5G and the A15 chip. The most recent information suggests the design will be identical to the second-generation SE. There have been some reports that Apple might be recycling the design of the iPhone XR (minus Face ID) but that seems more likely for next year. It will be a shame if Apple keeps recycling the old design from the iPhone 6. The display technology is really showing its age with a sub 1080p LCD panel.
Gurman also anticipates a new iPad Air will arrive at the event. The current iPad Air hasn’t been updated in over a year and is sporting the last generation A14 chip. Apple likely wants to add the A15 chip and build in support for its Center Stage camera feature that debuted on the iPad Pro. The feature has since arrived on the iPad Mini and standard iPad making the Air the only model that lacks Center Stage.
We should also see iOS and iPadOS 15.4 around the time of the event. It includes some important new features including support for Face ID with marks, Universal Control and a plethora of new emojis.
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