Apple has recently sent out media invitations for its March 21 event at the company's Cupertino campus. The invitation does not reveal much, only bearing the text "Let us loop you in."
It was previously believed that the event will be held on March 22, which would be the same date as Apple's FBI hearing in a California court over the ongoing legal battle on encryption. The date is now confirmed as March 21, and at the event, Apple is expected to unveil the 4-inch iPhone SE, the smaller 9.7-inch iPad Pro and new Apple Watch bands.
Apple fans who are not members of the media but would still like to watch the March 21 event need not worry, as the event will be live-streamed online.
At the dedicated webpage for the event on Apple's official website, it is stated that the keynote can be watched live on March 21 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific or 1:00 PM Eastern.
The live stream will utilize the HTTP Live Streaming technology of Apple, which requires viewers to be on specific devices to be able to watch the event.
The supported devices are as follows:
• iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch with Safari, running iOS 7.0 or later
• Mac with Safari 6.0.5 or later, running OS X 10.8.5 or later
• PC with Microsoft Edge, running Windows 10
• Apple TV 2nd and 3rd generation running software 6.2 or later
• Apple TV 4th generation
Does the text in the invitation bear any hidden meanings? Conservatively, the text plays on the address of Apple's headquarters, which is One Infinite Loop. Speculatively, the text could be alluding to the fact that the iPhone SE will have a hole through which a lanyard loop can be attached, similar to older versions of the iPod Touch.
The iPhone SE is expected to be powered by Apple's A9 chip with a 12-megapixel rear-facing camera and Apple Pay support. The smartphone is said to have a price of between $400 and $500.
The 9.7-inch iPad Pro, on the other hand, is said to be very similar to the larger 12.9-inch iPad Pro released last fall, with Apple's A9X processor and 4GB of RAM. The main difference between the two iPad Pro models would be their size.
In addition to the product unveilings, it is also widely expected that Apple and its CEO, Tim Cook, will use the event to comment on its ongoing feud with the FBI. The timing of the event could not be a mere coincidence, and it would give Apple a prime stage to air its thoughts on the legal issue before it goes to court the following day.
