Apple plans March 15 event for iPad Air 3 and iPhone 5se unveiling

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iPad Air 3 will pick up some tricks from the iPad Pro.
iPad Air 3 will pick up some tricks from the iPad Pro.
Photo: Apple

The grand unveiling of Apple’s newest iPad and iPhone is reportedly just over a month away.

Although the iPhone-maker usually waits until fall to reveal its latest and greatest iOS devices, a new report claims Apple has set its sights on March 15 as the date for its first big keynote of 2016.

The date of Apple’s keynote is subject to change, as it is still six weeks away and hasn’t been announced to the public, but sources who spoke to 9to5Mac claim that the iPad Air 3, iPhone 5se and new Apple Watch hardware are ready to share the spotlight at a March 15 event.

The event will be Apple’s first big product introduction since September 2015, when the company unveiled the iPhone 6s, 6s Plus, Apple TV, iPad Mini 4 and iPad Pro. Apple traditionally holds an event in October to reveal new iPads, but the company skipped it last year and jammed all new products into its big fall event.

The iPad Air 3 is likely to be the headliner of the keynote. Apple’s newest tablet is expected to look a lot like the iPad Pro, adding four-speaker audio, a smart connector and possibly even support for the Apple Pencil. Other new features may include improved cameras, an A9X processor, a rear camera flash and a better display.

It sounds like the Apple Watch 2 won’t make its debut at the March 15 event, though. 9to5Mac reports that we will see some new bands made of a different material than currently offered, and Apple will deliver software upgrades too.

As for the 4-inch iPhone, supposedly to be called the iPhone 5se, pricing will allegedly begin at $450 for a 16GB model, though there would also be a 64GB model available.

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