For Apple (News - Alert) fans, March 21 is shaping up to be one spectacular day, as a major event is scheduled that should reveal a host of new products. Not only are there new products afoot, but also some changes to previously-held strategies that will give Apple something of a new angle on an old market.
Perhaps the biggest plan is that Apple's shaking up the iPad line, with new reports suggesting that the 9.7 inch iPad may be added to the iPad Pro range of tablets. That's a fairly big upgrade, especially given that the 9.7 inch version boasts the same specs and features as the larger versions. That's everything, including the 32 gigabyte and 128 gigabyte onboard storage measures, the A9X processor, and the RAM (News - Alert) loadouts. The display technology even has to match up so that the 9.7 inch version will work with Apple Pencil. Previously, some had believed that the new tablet would be a new version of the iPad Air, possibly known as the iPad Air 3. With this new development, the original iPad Air and the iPad Mini 2 may end up phased out.
That won't be all that's on hand, as reports also suggest that a new four-inch iPhone (News - Alert) SE is also slated for unveiling. Originally thought to be named the iPhone 5se, the iPhone SE is expected to bring in a 12 megapixel rear-facing camera, along with an A9 chip and Apple Pay support, giving the mobile payment system another platform from which to operate. Prices are expected to be between $400 and $500. Lastly, a new system of watchbands for the Apple Watch are also expected out, and these are expected to be both colorful and smaller than the previous version of watch band.
Overall, this latest Apple Town Hall event is said to be smaller than last year's event, and reports that the next day will feature an FBI hearing may have some impact. Apple could use some good news, especially in light of a declining stock price that's been on a mostly downhill trend since around July of 2015. It would be easy to say that things aren't looking all that great for Apple, especially given that the overall technology doesn't seem all that much improved or even particularly different; we're talking about a smaller iPad, a smaller iPhone and colorful watch bands. It's been said that Apple's at serious risk of losing its mystique and reputation as an innovator, and consumers may be losing interest in Apple's lineup of increasingly familiar tools.
Still, Apple's known for its surprises, that “one more thing” of Jobs fame that would often take a sub-par event and turn it completely on its head, so only the event itself will give us the best idea of just where the company's going.