Customers stand beneath an Apple logo. (Photo : Reuters/Mike Segar)
Ahead of the fast approaching March 15 event by Apple, rumors are firing up on the products that the tech giant is likely to reveal that could include the 4-inch iPhone 5SE and variants of the MacBook Pro and Air 2016. New reports said that the smallest of the iPhones is practically a clone of the iPhone 6 and 6S while the refreshed MacBooks will finally get Siri.
In a report, Apple Insider pointed to a Twitter post by known gadget leaker @OnLeaks that purportedly showed off the iPhone 5SE as but a mini clone of the iPhone 6 and 6S. The upcoming device is said to have completely borrowed the industrial design template introduced by Apple back in 2014 though in scaled down rendition.
According to my source, two prototypes of the new 4" #iPhone were tested by #Apple. Here's what they look like... pic.twitter.com/RgVblGdCRi
— OnLeaks (@OnLeaks) February 24, 2016
In the schematic shared, which @OnLeaks was provided by his source with inside knowledge of Apple's supply chain, the 5SE clearly appears to be "an amalgamation of iPhone 5 and iPhone 6 hallmarks, including separate porthole groupings on the bottom of the handset accommodating the loudspeaker and main microphone."
Adjustments, however, have been implemented, as shown in the drawings, apparently to suit with the downsized built of the iPhone 5SE. The newest member of the iPhone family, basing on the sketches provided, has a screen display that stretches diagonally at four inches while its bigger siblings sport 4.7-inch screen profile for both the iPhone 6 and 6S and 5.5-inch for the iPhone 6S Plus and 6 Plus.
But the leaked drawings, @OnLeaks said, could still deviate from the final cut as the source had made clear that they represented prototypes or samplers that were actually tested by Apple but with no assurance of ending up as the commercial release. Also, the latest information came without the supposed iPhone 5SE specs and features, which are rumored to be headlined by A9 processing chips and most of the specifications found on the current iPhone flagship model.
As these details are like to be unveiled next month, Apple fans are looking forward as well to get a glimpse of a flavor or two of the 2016 MacBook Pro and Air. The Mac refresh this year, rumors said, will mark the laptop line's jump to the Intel Skylake platform that will boost the machine's power and efficient use of energy.
Yet beyond the purported hardware upgrades stuffed with the new Macs, what could prove as the devices' killer features are the upgrades hardcoded with its operating system. According to 9to5Mac, the OS X 10.12 that will unbox with both the 2016 MacBook Pro and Air will finally include Siri.
And like its iPhone version, Siri in the new Macs will readily respond to 'Hey Siri' provided the machines are plugged in when in use, 9to5Mac added on its report.
The new OS X 10.12, the same report said, will roll out as a free download at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) this coming June 2016 and it is believed that the tech giant will use the event to announce the MacBook Pro and Air 2016 release date details.
