Customers stand beneath an Apple logo. (Photo : Reuters/Mike Segar)
Apple this coming March 21 will reveal its first batch of devices for 2016 and it's nearly confirmed that fans will soon get a hold of the next iPhone and iPad - the 4-inch iPhone SE and the 9.7-inch iPad Pro. However, the tech giant is also likely to pull off a surprise by at least announcing the soon-to-arrive MacBook Pro 2016 and a sequel to the 12-inch MacBook.
The smallest iPhone
In releasing a new 4-inch iPhone that is said to be powered by A9 processing chip, the same engine found on the iPhone 6S, Apple is gunning to expand its coverage. The company has previously indicated that a sizeable chunk of iPhone users remains stuck in the small screen so it expects that the SE will finally convince them to upgrade.
The iPhone SE, apart sharing the modern and powerful internals of the 6S, also fuses the sexiness and solid build of that last three iPhone models, elements that Apple hopes will propel the new and compact build to record sales. The device, analysts said, will start selling at $450 and in the process will make iPhone 5S cheaper at around $300 a pop.
9.7-inch iPad Pro
Instead of making a sequel of the iPad Air 2, Apple has reportedly opted for the feature-rich iPad Pro or a smaller version of the productivity-optimized tablet that was introduced last year. Leaked details of the device indicate that the new iPad will mostly mirror the functions of its bigger siblings such as multitasking and the ability to connect with accessories like a keyboard dock.
According to Apple Insider, the smaller iPad Pro will debut at $599 or $100 more from the usual introductory price of the device. But the more premium price will also mean a huge bump from the basic storage space of 16GB to 32GB. One big bonus is native support for the Apple Pencil and the Night Shift Mode - two features that will be hardcoded with iOS 9.3 that will roll out with the tablet.
Possible MacBooks intro?
Many believe that the MacBook is ripe for some refresh, which fuels the speculations that a surprise unwrapping of the Apple March 21 event is the introduction of new MacBooks. While Apple fans are expecting the 2016 versions of both the MacBook Pro and Air, the safe expectation would be the follow up to the 12-inch MacBook that rumors say could be followed by an A10X processing chip.
There is a slim chance too that a variant of the MacBook Pro will be revealed, which will highlight the line's jump to Intel Skylake chip. The 2016 MacBook Air will have to wait until the WWDC in June with the release date to happen in the coming months.
