Apple March 31 event: Everything that could be announced

If the rumor mill is to be believed, Apple has an awful lot of new products in the works. We’re not just talking spec bumps and minor tweaks. We’re talking all-new devices such as an iPhone SE 2 and Tile-like trackers called AirTags are said to be on the way, and there’s even talk of Apple launching a redesigned MacBook Pro with a new keyboard.

Some of these devices are expected to arrive later than others, but a whole heap of them are said to be just around the corner. In fact, out of the mist a date has emerged for the next big Apple event: March 31, 2020.

Every indication suggests this will be a bumper event, with a heavy focus on hardware to counterbalance Apple’s recent emphasis on its services such as Apple TV+ and Apple Arcade. Here’s everything we expect to see the Cupertino giant announce on the day.

?Where and when will it happen

Apple has held an event in March most years since it launched the Apple Watch on March 9, 2015 (2017 is the only year since then that the company skipped the March event). In 2016, the event fell on March 21; it then occurred on March 27, 2018 and March 25, 2019. Given the pattern of the last few years, a date late in the month seems to have become a trend.

German website iphone-ticker.de bolstered that theory when it claimed that Apple had set a date of March 31 for its next event (via MacRumors). The website claimed its information came “directly from the Apple environment,” and that an iPhone SE 2 — a successor to 2016’s iPhone SE — could be launched on April 3 (more on that later).

The event date remains unconfirmed by Apple (unsurprisingly, given the Cupertino firm never publicly confirms events in advance except through media invitations), but it does fall within a window where we would reasonably expect an Apple event to take place. Of course, that’s assuming it’s not delayed or canceled over concerns caused by the recent coronavirus (officially known as Covid-19) outbreak, which has already put paid to Mobile World Congress 2020.

Details regarding where the Apple event will happen remain unknown, but we can make an educated guess. Apple held its 2015 and 2016 spring events in Cupertino, but in 2018 it switched to Chicago. It then returned to Cupertino in 2019. It therefore seems plausible that Apple would host its March 31 event at its Cupertino headquarters, specifically in the Steve Jobs Theater (the same location where it held its September 2019 iPhone event).

iPhone SE 2 resurrects an old favorite

The original iPhone SE was a surprise hit, offering as it did a more compact screen than Apple’s other iPhones without compromising on performance. It addressed a gap in the market for a small-screen iPhone that had gone unfulfilled since Apple launched the larger iPhone 6 in 2014.

Ever since Apple discontinued the iPhone SE in 2017, there have been rumors that it’s been working on a successor, known either as the iPhone SE 2 or iPhone 9. Now, those rumors have picked up pace, with numerous reports — including from Ming-Chi Kuo — pegging the device for an early 2020 launch date. Kuo is widely regarded to have accurate, well-placed sources in Apple’s supply chain and has an excellent track record when it comes to predictions, so having his seal of approval is good news for any rumor.

Given the original iPhone SE launched with the same processor as the then-current iPhone 6s, we’d expect Apple to adopt a similar approach with the iPhone SE 2. That means an Apple A13 Bionic chip is expected (the same one that’s found in the iPhone 11 Pro), with reports claiming it’ll be housed inside an iPhone 8’s chassis with a 4.7-inch display. That’s an older design with thick bezels and a physical Home button for use with Touch ID, but its use will help bring costs down.

Speaking of the price, Kuo has predicted the iPhone SE 2 will launch at $399 for the base model. That claim was backed up by an image from Target’s internal stock system listing an “Apple iPod Touch X Generation” for $399.99, which industry analyst Jon Prosser says is “almost certainly” a new iPhone. That’s the same price that the original iPhone SE launched at and is considerably less than the starting price of the iPhone 11, Apple’s currently cheapest iPhone, which starts at $699.

As we mentioned earlier, iphone-ticker.de believes the iPhone SE 2 will launch on April 3. That’s a shorter time frame than normal — usually, Apple allows at least a week between announcing a new iPhone and its first date of availability — so the April 3 date, being just three days after the claimed March 31 event date, seems a little soon. Time will tell how accurate it proves to be.

A totally redesigned MacBook Pro 13

When Apple released the MacBook Pro 16 in late 2019, it received a near-rapturous reception. We declared it to be the best Mac in years, not because it did anything truly revolutionary, but because its many tweaks addressed almost all the long-standing gripes we’d previously had with Apple’s flagship laptop. The new keyboard felt superb, the speakers were fantastic, and the thinner display bezels were modern and immersive. It even had a redesigned thermal architecture that made throttling a thing of the past.

Given the positive reception, Apple would have to be daft not to bring these changes to its smaller MacBook Pro. According to a number of reports, including from DigiTimes and well-regarded analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple is planning on doing just that in the first half of 2020, which could well mean an appearance at the March 31 event.

As for the price, we’d expect the new MacBook Pro 13 to launch with the same $1,299 price tag as the current model. When Apple brought out the MacBook Pro 16, it kept the price exactly the same as the entry-level MacBook Pro 15 that it replaced, which was impressive given the new features and form factor. It’s therefore likely the company will follow suit with the laptop’s smaller sibling.

AirTags to keep your items safe

In recent years, Apple has branched out from its traditional iPhone-iPad-Mac lineup and added new products to its roster, including services like Apple Arcade and Apple TV+. The latest addition in this recent trend looks to be AirTags, Apple’s Tile-like tracking device to help you find your lost items.

Unlike many Apple rumors, which are based on intangible supply chain whispers, there seems to be solid evidence for the existence of AirTags. Code in iOS 13 contained references to the tracking product, indicating it would work with Apple’s Find My app, which would let you press a button to have the AirTags emit a sound. AirTags may even work with augmented reality, whereby a red balloon would appear on your iPhone screen to indicate the position of the lost item.

The AirTags name was first spotted in iOS 13.2 code by 9to5Mac, lending further credence to the idea that Apple is indeed working on a new item tracker product. While they were at first expected to launch at Apple’s September 2019 event, that never happened, leaving March 31 as a strong possibility for their debut.

iPad Pro gets the triple lens treatment

Apple hasn’t brought out a new iPad Pro since late 2018 while other models in the iPad range have seen upgrades, so the Pro version is due for an update. The ever-reliable Kuo has predicted a refresh is coming for the iPad Pro early this year, although he’s been light on detail. According to MacRumors, the new pro-level tablet will come with a triple-camera array and feature 3D sensing for augmented reality, something Apple has made a point of supporting in its recent iPhones.

The idea of a triple-lens setup has received several boosts in recent months. First, in December 2019 iGeeksBlog released renders of an upcoming iPad Pro model with details supplied by noted leaker OnLeaks; the device had a triple-lens camera. Then, in late February 2020 another well-regarded leaker, Ben Geskin, revealed designs supposedly showing a case design for the upcoming iPad Pro. The kicker? A square camera cutout, just like that on the triple-camera iPhone 11 Pro.

But while the deluxe camera setup now looks like a dead cert, very little else has been revealed about the new iPad Pro. Other than its dimensions — which OnLeaks expects to be the same as the current iPad Pro, at least for the 11-inch model — we don’t know much else.

However, that doesn’t mean we can’t make some predictions. Apple usually debuts its new processor generations in the iPhone, followed shortly after by the iPad Pro. Given the A13 Bionic launched in iPhones in September 2019, we’d expect the A13X to come hot on its heels in the iPad Pro.

When Apple redesigned the iPad Pro to feature a larger display, Face ID and much thinner bezels, it upped the price tag from $649 to $799 for the smaller model and from $799 to $999 for the larger model. We’d expect those new prices to remain the same for the upcoming iPad Pro, given that Apple will almost certainly keep the same low-bezel design. While expensive, an advanced camera array could be enough to sway many potential customers.

StudioPods could be an audio masterclass

Apple has long been rumored to be working on its own brand of over-ear headphones. While the company owns Beats, it doesn’t sell any over-ear cans bearing the Apple logo. Yet with it expanding more into audio in recent years, first with AirPods, then HomePod, then most recently with AirPods Pro, now could be the time for the so-called StudioPods to make an appearance.

The evidence looks good. We earlier mentioned how a leak from Target’s stock system pointed towards an upcoming iPhone SE 2 — well, that same leak hinted at a new pair of Apple headphones, too. Listed as “Apple AirPods (X Generation)” and priced at $399.99, these are almost certainly the rumored over-ear headphones.

Why? Well, it’s only been a couple of months since the $250 AirPods Pro launched, and these were framed as the high-end version of Apple’s AirPods (hence the “Pro” moniker). It’s unlikely another, even higher-end version of AirPods are in the works, so it’s highly likely this leak points towards some other audio product — namely, the StudioPods.

Given the headline features Apple brought to the AirPods Pro — highly accurate audio and noise cancellation capabilities — we’d expect similar specs in the StudioPods. After all, with a name like that, Apple is apparently framing these as high-end headphones for use in a studio. The company has always been willing to launch expensive products if it can make them the best in the industry, so expect a similar situation with the StudioPods.

Everything else Apple might announce at its March 31 event

That’s not all Apple apparently has planned for its March 2020 event. Several other products have been slated for the date; if everything rumored makes an appearance, it could be one of the most jam-packed Apple events in recent memory.

For one thing, there is much talk of a new Apple TV box coming soon. Code in the tvOS 13.4 beta was recently spotted by 9to5Mac that hints at a new Apple TV, with a new device codenamed T1125 nestled among the lines of code. Apple’s current Apple TV models sport the product codes J105A and J42D, suggesting that T1125 is something entirely new. The most recent Apple TV was announced in September 2017, over two years ago, meaning a new version could be on the horizon.

Elsewhere, another expected announcement concerns software, not hardware. In another case of new info being uncovered in iOS beta code (this time for iOS 13.4), eagle-eyed analysts have spotted references to something called CarKey.

What is this exactly? Well, it looks like it could be a new feature that allows your iPhone or Apple Watch to remotely unlock your car, provided your vehicle has an NFC reader. The Apple Watch can already unlock your Mac when you sit down at your desk, but this would be a step above in terms of functionality.

According to the code, you may even be able to temporarily share access to your car with trusted people using the Messages app, then revoke access once they’re done. Its appearance in iOS 13.4 beta code doesn’t necessarily mean the feature will launch with that particular version of iOS, but it’s certainly a possibility. We expect iOS 13.4 to come out in March 2020, meaning its appearance at Apple’s March event could be on the cards.