With all the headlines about Apple and the FBI in the past couple of weeks, it might be hard to remember that it’s nearly time for the company to launch new products again.
Apple will hold an event March 21 to show off updated versions of the iPhone and iPad.
Rumor has it that Apple is going to be thinking a little smaller for its next products.
For the past several years, there’s been a clear trend toward larger phones and tablets. It makes sense: We watch a lot more video on our phones now than we used to.
In fact, we do a lot more on our mobile devices in general.
But as larger sizes continue to test the structural integrity of our pockets, there is some demand for models with a little more portability.
Apple is expected to answer that demand with a 4-inch smartphone — the same size as the iPhone 5S or older, which could be a welcome change for those who want something a bit smaller.
If Apple gives the smaller phone a smaller price tag as well, it could help Apple address growing competition in places such as China and India, where local phone makers have found success by offering mid-range Android phones at low-end prices.
Reports indicate this phone will be called the iPhone 5SE, for “special edition,” or maybe just the iPhone SE, according to 9 to 5 Mac.
The phone is expected to have most of the features of the higher-end iPhone models, with the exception of 3D Touch, the new Apple feature that can sense how hard a user presses on the screen.
The company also is expected to introduce a 9.7-inch iPad Pro, offering a normal iPad-size version of the new productivity-focused tablet it launched last year.
The standard iPad Pro has a 12.9-inch screen, which was a selling point for Apple as it marketed the device to animators, architects and other artists. But, according 9 to 5 Mac, the company is expected to launch a smaller version of the iPad Pro with the same processor and memory as the larger model. It is also expected to support the Apple Pencil stylus and the company’s smart keyboard cover.
Apple also is expected to introduce new bands for the Apple Watch at the March event, although it’s not expected to show off a new Watch model.
With another rumored iPhone model in the works, plus different variants of the iPad, that table’s getting pretty crowded.
