If you’re an avid technology user, or you run a company that uses technology for conventions or trade shows on a regular basis, chances are you have an ear out for new developments and releases. New releases are exciting, and no company strives to release new and improved technology on a regular basis quite like Apple, and rumors about the latest releases are running rampant in the tech-savvy community.
The “Let us loop you in” event hosted by Apple will announce upcoming technological innovations, product releases, and updates. The media event is scheduled for March 21st, in Cupertino, California.
Apple is expected to release a new 9.7” iPad at the event, and rumors are circulating that this may be an iPad air 3, or an iPad Pro. The release of an iPad Air 3 has been expected and hoped for since 2015, but the latest rumors suggest that a rebranding of the naming of Apple products could result in two types of iPad Pro, instead of the “Air” and “Pro” series. The current iPad Pro has an Apple pencil, four speakers, and a smart connecter. While these features will likely remain, the new iPad is anticipated to boast some pretty amazing additional features.
This may be the very first iPad to have a rear LED flash, a consistent rumor that has been said to come from reliable sources. The iPad will also be expected to have a more powerful processor, although still a similar processor to its predecessor, the iPad Pro. Less confirmable rumors also anticipate a couple accessories for the new iPad, such as a smart keyboard and Apple pencil. We may also see an upgraded screen display quality. After this release, Apple pretty much holds the market on high-tech tablet technology, with its most comparable competitors being within its own company.
Another product anticipated for release at the event is the new iPhone SE. Although it is expected to be very similar in appearance to previous versions, the iPhone SE will likely have newer inner hardware that will bring it technologically up to date with other current Apple products. It may also be smaller, although that rumor is slightly less supportable.
Similar to the iPhone 6, the SE is expected to have an A9 processor, and 8 megapixel rear camera with 1.2 megapixel front camera. To enable Apple Pay, a Touch ID fingerprint sensor has been rumored to be installed. The most fluid rumor that has been hard to confirm is the price. It may be that the iPhone SE will be on the lower end of the iPhone pricing spectrum, or that it will be similar in price to the iPhone 6, placing it above the iPhone 5 price-wise.
The final exciting product to be present at the event are the new watch bands. Although the Apple watches were released about a year ago (that’s several product updates in Apple years), the company is not expected to release an updated version of the Apple Watch. However, the new watch bands will have more color options, varying materials, and possible designer associations. In addition, updates to the Apple Watch have been discussed in certain circles, including an update to coordinate multiple watches with a single iPhone.
Apple Laptop and desktop users will have to wait until June, when the Apple developer conference takes place. For the current event, there are no anticipated plans to upgrade or update these items before that time.
What you can almost definitely expect is a conversation about requests from the US government to allow them to break into user iPhones to receive information about possible terrorist suspicions. In a situation that made national headlines recently, Apple refused to allow Federal officials to access iPhone information belonging to customers, stating that even their employees cannot access that information and claiming it was an invasion of privacy.
iPhones have an encryption feature which keeps information accessed and inputted by the consumer private. In order to bypass these encryptions, the FBI requested that Apple create a version without these security measures. iPhone refused, and with the hearing being scheduled for March 22nd, most believe that a speech from Apple is on the agenda concerning this situation at the event.
The highly anticipated “Let us loop you in” event marks the next in a series of release events hosted by Apple each year. With the invites just reaching consumers on March 10 and containing only a simple message with the name of the event, place and time, the web and tech world has been going wild with anticipation for the mysteriously promoted event. Exciting new releases are on the horizon, and the corporate technology world will have the answers they are looking for after March 21st’s major event.