Apple Planning to Refresh iPad Pro & Bring Back iPhone SE: Report

Apple is planning to hold a launch event in March where it is expected that we will see the release of new line of iPad Pros and a couple of other upgrades for some their existing products.

Apple iPad

 

 

As far as the new iPad lineup is concerned, reports claim that Apple will announce 4 new models. 3 of which will be a refresh and 1 will be a new product iPad in the lineup. The announcement will include the:

• 7.9-inch iPad Mini
• 9.7-inch iPad Pro
• 10.5-inch iPad Pro
• 12.9-inch iPad Pro

The 7.9-inch iPad Mini is due for an upgrade and industry insiders are predicting that we a new upgrade to this model will be unveiled in the launch event. Reports suggest that a 7.9-inch iPad Pro will replace the iPad Mini 4. What exactly warrants the Mini tag to be replaced by the Pro one? Well, the updated model is rumored to feature four speakers, a new 12-megapixel rear camera, a Smart Connecter and a True Tone display.

As for the 9.7-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models, they are just the continuation of the current iPad Pro lineup and will probably see an upgrade in the display and performance departments. A 3D Touch capable iPad isn’t entirely out of question either and is still possible. Expect to see a new and faster A10X chip to be used in both of these iPads too.

What’s new and exciting though is the new 10.5 iPad Pro. According to rumors, this particular iPad is widely expected to come with an edge-to-edge display and without a Home button. That’s right, as it turns out the rumors of the iPhone 7s/8 not having a Home button might be true considering that it might not be present in the new iPad Pro.

However, according to MacRumors, KGI Securities Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has said that Apple will is planning to launch just 3 new iPad models ranging from the 9.7-inch to 12.9-inch. This obviously contradicts the statement of Apple releasing 4 new models but it also holds true with previous rumors that suggested that the iPad Mini will be discontinued and replaced with a 10.5-inch iPad.

Regardless of how many Pro models are launching, all of them will feature 4 microphones and will also be retaining the 3.5mm headphone jack. Keeping the 3.5mm is a surprising move from Apple. Maybe they realized that it actually is a useful feature to have and doesn’t need to be unnecessarily removed.

More than just iPads

Apparently in the March launch event, we will see more than just the launch of some iPads. Reports claim that Apple will also be introducing a 128GB storage option for its iPhone SE. The iPhone SE was the phone that officially retired the iPhone 5s and actually proved to be quite a success mostly due to its lower price range. However, storage options were only limited to 16GB and 64GB.

 

 

Apart from that red color variants of the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus are also expected to be showcased which might be part of the Product RED which is a brand that seeks to engage the private sector in raising awareness and funds to help eliminate HIV/AIDS in Africa.

Source: MacRumors