Apple kicked off their latest event today at their 1 Infinite Loop headquarters, revealing a new four-inch iPhone SE, a new 9.7-inch iPad Pro and new Apple Watch straps. Here’s everything you need to know!
iPhone SE
As expected, the star of the show was Apple’s new four-inch iPhone. The iPhone has some small cosmetic changes to match the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, but is largely the same phone as the iPhone 5S.
The differences are largely internal, where Apple have installed the same A9 chipset as the bigger iPhones released last autumn. They’re calling it “the most powerful four-inch phone”. The iPhone SE also includes NFC for Apple Pay and a 12-megapixel rear camera, but doesn’t include 3D Touch.
The phone will retail for £359 for the 16GB model, £439 for the 64GB model. It goes on pre-order on March 24th, and arrives with customers on March 31st. We’ve already prepared dozens of new cases and accessories for the new iPhone, available via the button below.
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iOS 9.3
Apple have released their next version of iOS, 9.3. The new version includes a ‘night shift’ mode which tunes the display towards warmer colours, preventing harmful blue light which can make it harder to get to sleep. The new version also includes password-protected Notes and some new education features. The update should start to roll out today.
iPad Pro 9.7
A new iPad Pro was announced today, with a smaller 9.7-inch display that matches that of the Air and the original iPad but has the features of the original iPad Pro – including four speaker audio, a 12-megapixel camera with flash, and a powerful A9X chip.
Surprisingly, Apple spent the most time on the iPad’s display, which is a ‘True Tone display’. Essentially, it’s a screen that gets warmer or cooler depending on your environment. The screen is also reportedly less reflective than any other tablet, is 25% brighter than an iPad Air 2, has more colours and better colour saturation.
The iPad Pro also includes compatibility for Apple’s Pencil and Keyboard Cover accessories. Apple also announced USB Camera Adapter and an SD Card Reader Lightning accessories, allowing the iPad to copy files off cameras or connect USB peripherals like keyboards or microphones.
The iPad Pro will be available in rose gold, champagne gold, silver and space grey. It’ll cost £499 at 32GB, £619 for 128GB, and £739 for a whopping 256GB of storage. Models with LTE cost £100 on top of these prices. It’ll go on pre-order on March 24th, with orders shipping on March 31st.
Apple Watch
Apple announced a few new band options for the Apple Watch, but the big news is the price. The cheapest 38mm Apple Sport now starts at £259, down from £299.
The new band is made from woven nylon and uses a four-layer construction; it’s available in pink, scuba blue, royal blue, gold and space grey. You can also get the sport band in new colours: yellow, apricot, royal blue. The final addition is the expensive Milanese loop in space black.
Encryption
Apple took a few minutes in its event to address its current legal fight with the US Government’s Department of Justice, which has asked the company to unlock an encrypted iPhone belonging to the San Bernardino shooter. Apple oppose the move, as it could set a precedent allowing the government to break into phones whenever they want. Here’s Cook:
We built the iPhone for you, our customers, and we know it is a deeply personal device. We need to device, as a nation, how much power the government should have over our data and our privacy. We owe it to our customers and we owe it to our country. This is an issue that impacts all of us, and we will not shrink from this responsibility.
Wrap-up
That’s all the news from the big event. What do you think — are you enticed by a new four-inch iPhone? How about an expensive but powerful 9.7-inch iPad Pro? Maybe just a new band for your Apple Watch? Let us know in the comments below!