get ready —

Apple wants to “loop you in” at its March 21 press event

New iPhones and iPads expected, new Macs distinctly possible.

Apple wants to “loop you in” at its March 21 press event
Apple

Apple has just sent out invitations for a press event on March 21st, as expected. The invitation, pictured above, provides few hints about what is coming, but it does use the standard iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and MacBook finish colors (space grey, silver, gold, and rose gold). The event will take place at Apple's Cupertino campus and will get going at 10:00am PDT (5pm GMT).

The company is expected to make a handful of small announcements. One is a new 4-inch iPhone, which to date has been called the "iPhone 5SE" or simply "iPhone SE" in rumors. It's expected to include specs similar to the iPhone 6S (minus the pressure-sensitive 3D Touch screen) and to replace the iPhone 5S in the iPhone lineup. The second expected announcement is a new 9.7-inch iPad with updated internals and some features imported from the iPad Pro, including the Smart Connector and Apple Pencil support. The iPad Air 2 was introduced in October of 2014, and this is the longest Apple has gone without updating the standard iPad's hardware since the first model was introduced in 2010.

The event is also expected to usher in some more minor hardware and software updates, including some new Apple Watch band options, iOS 9.3, WatchOS 2.2, OS X 10.11.4, and tvOS 9.2. The timing is about right to introduce some new Skylake-based MacBooks and MacBook Pros, too, but we haven't heard anything specific about Mac refreshes. That doesn't mean it won't happen; it just means it's less likely to happen.

We'll be on the ground at the event to bring you firsthand coverage and impressions of any and everything that Apple announces. Full reviews will follow as soon as we have hardware in our hands.

Channel Ars Technica