What to Expect at Apple's March 21 Event

It's iPhone time again. Apple is having an event on Monday, March 21 at its headquarters in Cupertino, Calif., and the most reliable rumor-mongerers are saying that we're going to see a new iPhone and iPad, at the very least.

We'll be at the Apple event, which you'll be able to watch for yourself at 10 a.m. PT right here. Watching the event will require an iPhone or iPad with iOS 7.0 or later, a Mac running Safari on OS X 10.8.5 or later, a PC running Microsoft Edge on Windows 10, or an Apple TV.

Here's what we're pretty sure of, what we're wondering about, and what really won't show up.

What We'll Probably See

iPhone SE
Mark Gurman of 9to5Mac.com is the world's premiere Apple leaker. When he runs a rumor story, it has a very, very good chance of being true. And he's saying that we're going to see an iPhone 6s crammed into a 5s body, featuring an Apple A9 processor, 12-megapixel camera with 4K video recording, Touch ID but no 3D touch, and the 5s's 4-inch screen and metal frame. The new phone will apparently come in 16GB and 64GB sizes and start at $450.

New iPad Pro
Gurman also says he has the scoop on the new iPad. It's a 9.7-inch version of the iPad Pro with quad speakers, a brighter screen, an A9X processor, and Pencil support. The new iPad will start at $599 for 32GB, and the existing iPad lineup will also remain on the market.

iOS 9.3
iOS 9.3 is already in preview, so it'll probably be released with the new iPhone. The new mobile OS features Night Shift, a mode which dims your screen in the evening, along with an improved Notes app, and more Apple Music streaming options in CarPlay.

Apple WatchOS 2.2 and new Watch Bands
WatchOS 2.2 is also in beta, so it'll almost certainly be released at the event. According to Cult of Mac's walkthrough, it has an updated Maps app, and according to AppleInsider, it lets you pair several watches with one iPhone.

Maybes

Skylake Retina Macbook Pro
Our lead laptop analyst Joel Santo Domingo points out that Apple's pro laptop lineup is way behind other manufacturers when it comes to adopting Intel's latest processors, which can dramatically improve battery life. A spec bump likely would come in the form of a press release rather than a big flashy on-stage demo, however.

Elimination of the Mac Mini
Apple hasn't paid attention to the Mac Mini in a year and a half, and it's not clear that the company cares about this product any more at all.

Probably Not

iPods
We last saw an update to the iPod touch last July, and its A8 processor is the same as the one in the iPhone 6. The new iPhone SE will revitalize the iPod touch's 4-inch form factor, making the existing product more relevant. I don't see Apple as hustling to update this until next year. The music iPods were also updated last July, and there's nothing about them that needs to be refreshed.

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How to Watch Apple's March 21 iPhone Event

New iPad mini
The iPad mini 4 is relatively fresh and there's no reason for Apple to update it until it beefs up processor power for all its iOS products this fall.

Mac Pro
Apple's high-end developer machine is most likely to get an update at the company's Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) in June.

12-inch Macbook and Macbook Air
The Macbook Air needs a bigger update than just a spec bump, and it'll probably, finally get a Retina screen this year. The 12-inch Macbook needs to be dovetailed into that product lineup as well. WWDC is a better platform for this launch than Monday's more iOS-focused event.

New version of OS X
OS X is also traditionally announced at WWDC in June.

iPhone 7
New flagship iPhones usually come in September or October nowadays.

Apple Watch Hardware
MacRumors.com says Apple will keep the current hardware model on shelves until the fall.