No New Apple iPhone SE Release In March 2017, Only iPad Air 3 & iPad Pro 2?

The latest Apple rumor mill churns out the possibility of a simultaneous release for the iPad Pro 2 and iPad Air 3 next year. Meanwhile, Apple fans might not see a new iPhone SE, at least, during the first quarter of 2017.

Apple’s small-form factor iPhone SE has not even celebrated its first birthday yet but specs and release rumors about its next-generation model are already going around online. The iPhone SE was first introduced March of this year and with the usual annual upgrades for mobile devices, some speculations are now suggesting that a new version of the 4-inch iPhone could be set for release around the same time next year. DBS Designing, a YouTube channel, has even made an iPhone SE concept video, which shows the Apple phone with a full-screen display and highly-advanced specs. Watch it below.

However, if the recent claim of analyst Ming-chi Kuo is to be believed, as cited by Apple Insider, the updated version of the iPhone SE will not get a March 2017 release as Apple wants to further increase gross margins and protect the latest flagship devices from more in-house competition.

“In a note to investors obtained by AppleInsider on Friday, Kuo says Apple will prolong iPhone SE’s lifecycle beyond the usual one year rotation in a bid to boost gross margins and minimize cannibalization of high-end flagships like the iPhone 7,” the report explained.

A new iPhone SE may not arrive early next year but tech enthusiasts can still look forward to other rumored Apple devices — the two updated versions of iPads in particular. The March 2017 launch timeframe also pops up when talking about the rumored release of the next-gen iOS slates with the latest grapevines telling us that both the iPad Air 3 and iPad Pro 2 could take the spotlight during an Apple event taking place before the first quarter of 2017 ends.

Going over the iPad Pro’s release history, the very first model (12.9-inch Retina display) was revealed September 2015 and its 9.7-inch variant arrived six months later. The tech industry, looking forward to the next upgrade, unsurprisingly expected an iPad Pro 2 debut at Apple’s September 2016 event. But unfortunately, it did not mention any new iPad, thus, making the release speculations for iPad Pro 2 shift now to a March 2017 launch.

Moreover, PC Advisor explained why there might be a need for the Cupertino-based tech to wait for early 2017 before releasing any upgraded version of the iPad Pro, especially if they are planning to use a more advanced chipset.

“The current A9X chip – which is used by both iPad Pro models – is based on the 16nm FinFET process, the same used by the new generation of graphics cards from nVidia and AMD. In order to produce a chip with significantly faster performance without high power consumption, Apple will have to wait until chip manufacturers are ready to move down to 10nm, which is rumoured to be late in 2016.”

As for the iPad Air 3, the waiting game for this Apple tablet has actually been a lot longer, as original release predictions for it were traced back to October 2015. But, according to recent reports, the iPad Air 3 is purportedly going to be the final model to be released for the iPad Air series and it will also be unveiled in March 2017 together with the iPad Pro 2.

However, MacWorld brought up that a simultaneous release of these two iPads could pose a marketing debacle for Apple, especially if both will have the same screen size.

“Having a brand-new (presumably 9.7-inch) iPad Air alongside new iPad Pros of the same screen size would be confusing for customers, and it’s hard to see how Apple would differentiate the two,” the post noted.

Are you following the news regarding the iPhone SE, iPad Air 3, and iPad Pro 2? The Inquisitr will continue to keep you in the loop for more updates about Apple’s upcoming devices. Meanwhile, make sure to take all the release speculations circulating online with a pinch of salt as we wait for official announcements from the iPhone maker.

[Featured Image by Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images]