iPhone ‘5se’ and iPad Air 3 to Officially Launch on March 18th

A recent report from 9to5Mac states that Apple is gearing up to launch the iPhone 5se and iPad Air 3 just three days after they’re supposedly going to be announced according to the site’s unnamed sources. The products are rumored to be unveiled at the March 15th keynote and now are reportedly set to officially go on sale in store and online March 18th.

Apple is currently on target to start selling its next iPhone and iPad models the same week that the new products are introduced in March. Apple is currently planning to introduce a new 4-inch iPhone dubbed the “iPhone 5se” and a new iPad Air at an event on Tuesday, March 15th, then put the products up for sale online and in retail stores as early as Friday, March 18th, according to sources. Apple is unlikely to offer pre-orders for the new devices, according to sources who cautioned that the plans could still change.

This is pretty interesting. Normally, Apple waits around two weeks after the unveiling to release one of their iPhones or iPads for marketing reasons and to offer preorders. And yes, I know Apple waited over two months after the iPad Pro was unveiled to release it, but that’s not my point.

This could be a new strategy for Apple. You see, in the two weeks separating the launch and unveiling, Apple normally will build up hype for the upcoming products by releasing commercials, talking to the press, and more. Of course, that would be rather hard in three days time, so it’ll be interesting to see what type of approach they actually wind up taking. Here’s one hypothesis: considering the iPhone 5se isn’t a flagship and Apple isn’t looking for the phone to overcome the current flagships (iPhone 6s/Plus) in sales, they may simply build up hype after the launch. However, I can’t really say the same for the iPad Air 3. They may take an approach where they launch the iPhone 5se first and then in about another week or two they make the Air 3 available for purchase.

So what’s the new iPhone 5se set to feature? Well, the body of the phone is set to be built and appear vey similarly to the iPhone 5s, however a recent leak suggests that it will have a body that looks like the iPhone 6 and 5s at the same time. The phone is also set to have an A9 and M9 processor-based system, 2GB of RAM, Apple Pay support, always-on Siri, the iPhone 6’s camera system, and the ability to take Live Photos. It’s also rumored to come in the same colors as the iPhone 6s: Space Gray, Silver, Gold, and Rose Gold.

And the iPad Air 3 you may ask? Well, I’m kinda still sketchy about that, so I’ll let 9to5Mac tell you:

The iPad Air 3 is said to include a Smart Connector and support for Apple-branded accessories, which could mean that updated Smart Keyboards and Apple Pencil support for the 9.7-inch device are in the pipeline. The new iPad is also expected to include a variant of the A9 processor, an upgraded camera system, and potentially a rear flash for brighter photos.

Along with these two products being unveiled at the March 2016 keynote, Apple is also set to unveil some new Apple Watch accessories, like a Space Black Milanese loop band, new Sport bands, and NATO-style nylon bands.

What do you think about the latest rumor? Do you think it’s legit? Leave your opinion below in the comments!