Is Apple Planning a Media Event on March 31? Here’s What It Could Announce

We’ve been debating for a few weeks now as to whether Apple will be holding a special event in March, since the slate of products that Apple might have to announce is still fairly uncertain, and many wouldn’t necessarily qualify for stage time, but if a new report is true, it looks like Apple may indeed be gearing up for a big spring unveiling of its new stuff, which should inspire confidence that the company has a lot more up its sleeve than just a low-cost iPhone.

According to a new report from German site iPhone-ticker.de shared by MacRumors, Apple is planning a media event for the very end of next month — quite likely Tuesday, March 31, where it will announce the “iPhone 9” (or “iPhone SE 2” if you prefer), and most likely a slew of other products. The report isn’t idle speculation either, but rather cites sources close to Apple, who have also suggested that the “iPhone 9” would go on sale on Friday, April 3.

In fact, there are at least eight things in Apple’s pipeline right now that could see a debut next month, and since it’s unlikely that Apple would hold an event solely to announce a relatively minor update to the 2017 iPhone 8, reports that Apple is planning an event is giving us a higher degree of confidence that there’s more excitement to come.

Back in early 2016, Apple announced the original iPhone SE to some fanfare, with Apple VP Greg Joswiak taking the stage to actually hype up the new four-inch model, noting that despite the larger iPhone models, “some people love smaller phones.”

However, that wasn’t the only thing covered at Apple’s March 2016 event, which also saw the release of two new iPad Pro models, including the first release of a standard-sized 9.7-inch iPad Pro, since the original iPad Pro was only available in the larger 12.9-inch format.

This year Apple could potentially have much more to unveil, but we’re already hearing reports that a new iPad Pro could be coming next month, which by itself would be enough to warrant an event, if what happened in 2016 is any indication.

Even if the reports of a new iPad Pro aren’t entirely accurate, it seems likely that Apple is working on something in the iPad lineup for a spring release, so there’s also the possibility that a refresh of the iPad Air and iPad mini is in the works.

Although Apple slipped new iPads out via a press release last year, that’s largely because it had much bigger plans for its March event, which focused on Apple’s plethora of new services, from Apple TV+ to the Apple Card and Apple Arcade, with almost all of the stage time given to human celebrities rather than Apple’s hardware products.

But There’s More…

As we’ve noted, new iPad Pro models — especially if they gain a new triple-lens camera system and mmWave 5G — would be more than enough to justify a March event, especially at a time when Apple doesn’t have anything else going on that could preempt it. However that’s really not all that Apple is working on, and there are several brand new products that could be coming anytime.

Reputable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggested last month that Apple is also working on a wireless charger — something less ambitious than the failed AirPower — along with its own brand of long-rumoured over-ear headphones, plus of course its AirTags item tracking tags, which we’ve seen more than enough smoke about to know that they’re just around the corner.

So far, we don’t have any concrete information beyond analyst reports to put a solid timeline on any of these products, but if Apple is indeed planning a March event, it’s a safe bet that we’re going to see some pretty exciting things showing up at the party.

[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]