Report: Apple to hold March 2016 event to launch Watch 2, iPhone 6c and iPad Pro
Apple will hold its next event in March 2016, at which it will unveil the Apple Watch 2, alongside the rumoured iPhone 6c and the iPad Air 3, according to reports.
Rumours suggest that the Apple Watch 2 will appear at that event but that it won't ship until April, a year after the first Apple Watch went on sale.
Apple has held events in March over the years, including the launch of the Apple Watch and MacBook in 2015 and the launch of the iPad 3 back in 2012.
It seems likely that the Apple Watch 2 won't be the only new product to launch at the March event. A number of Apple products are due an update around that time.
We think we may see the following new Apple products at the rumoured March 2016 Apple event.
Apple Watch 2
In April it will be a year since the Apple Watch launched, so perfect time for a new model to appear.
The new Watch is said to offer sleep tracking and better health sensor technologies.
It may also offer better battery life, a FaceTime camera, and crucially that it will be less reliant on the iPhone.
Read more about the Apple Watch 2 launch date and new features here.
iPhone 6c
Apparently 20% of people polled want a smaller 4in iPhone and it looks like they may get their wish. Rumour has it that an iPhone 6c is coming and that it could arrive in the Spring.
With this in mind it seems likely that an Apple Watch event would also include a launch of the new 4in iPhone, which is said to come in a colourful metalic case (rather than the iPhone 5c plastic case).
It's also expected that the new phone will offer an improved camera compared to the iPhone 5s. The A8 processor is likely to be Apple's choice for powering this new iPhone, rather than the A9 in the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus.
While it's not thought that it will include 3D touch found in the IPhoen 6s and 6s Plus, it is expected that the iPhone 6c will include Touch ID for use with Apple Pay.
Read more about the iPhone 6c launch date and new features here.
iPad Air 3
The iPad Air wasn't updated in September 2015 so it is expected to see an update soon, and the rumoured March event would be perfect for this launch.
The rumours suggest that the iPad Air 3 will be even thinner than the iPad Air 2, that the aluminium it is crafted from will be even stronger than the current model, that a rose gold version might make an appearance, and that the megapixel count on the camera might improve.
We also expect that A9X chip (as found in the iPad Pro) might appear in the new iPad Air 3.
Read more about the iPad Air 3 launch date and new features here.
New MacBook Air
Another product rumoured to be in the pipeline is an update to the MacBook Air with the 11in model disappearing from the line up and a new 15in model being added.
There have been some rumours that it may gain a Retina screen, but it seems unlikely as that would put it in competiton with the MacBook Pro and the MacBook, and we imagine that Apple wants to keep the price down.
It is likley that the new MacBook Air will gain Force Touch features, however.
Read more about the new MacBook Air release date and new features here.
Read more about all the new Apple products expected in 2016 here.
On the following page you can read about last year's March event at which Apple launched the original Apple Watch and the MacBook...
Apple Watch live stream | Apple Watch live blog
Apple Watch launch day has come and gone. In this article we recap the Apple Watch launch event. You can also read our Apple Watch live blog, to see our reaction to all of the announcements and product unveilings as they happened; and look back on our predictions from before the event.
Apple Watch Event: What happened
With the 'Spring Forward' announcement throwing new products and features at us left right and centre, let's recap what was announced:
Apple announces the Apple Watch: Pricing, availabilty and more details
The centrepiece of the Apple announcement was, of course, the Apple Watch. Apple recapped many features that were originally announced back in September along with hands on demos and even an interview with a marathon runner about how the Apple Watch helps her train.
Some new details were also announced, such as the battery life of the Apple Watch - something that has caused much discussion online. The Apple Watch boasts an 18-hour battery life on a single charge.
The Apple Watch will be available in two different sizes (38 & 42mm) in three different collections. The Apple Watch Sport boasts a lightweight anodised aluminium case in silver and space grey with Ion-X glass with a variety of durable, colourful straps. The Watch Sport will be available for between £299-399 inc VAT.
Read our first look review of the Apple Watch, plus everything you need to know about Apple's Watch and iWatch buying advice.
The Apple Watch features highly polished stainless steel and space black stainless steel cases, protected by sapphire crystal. The Apple Watch comes with a choice of three leather straps, a stainless steel link bracelet, Milanese loop or a black or white sport band. The Apple Watch will be available for between £479-949 inc VAT.
The Watch Edition is the most sought after collection, boasting a custom 18 carat gold body that's twice the strength of normal gold. It's partnered with uniquely designed straps with 18 carat gold clasps. That level of craftsmanship is reflected in the price though, as the Watch Edition starts at £8,000!
All three variations of the Apple Watch will be available to pre-order online on the 10April. But what if you're not too sure whether you want one From the 10 April, you'll be able to go to stores and go hands on with the Apple Watch, before its general release on the 24 April.
If you want to find out more details about the Apple Watch, its features and availability, click here. And in the following video, the Macworld team discuss the Apple Watch announcements:
Apple announces brand new MacBook: Pricing, availability and more details
Apple announced a brand new MacBook, not a redesigned MacBook Air as rumours suggested. Every part in the new MacBook was redesigned in order to create a notebook that weighs 2 pounds and is only 13.1mm thin (24 percent thinner than the MacBook Air). As well as it being extraordinarily thin, the new MacBook comes packing a 12" retina display that's also the thinnest display ever used on a Mac.
The most impressive feature may be the new Force Touch trackpad that brings you a new level of interactivity with your Mac. Similarly to how Force Touch works on the Apple Watch, you can set custom actions for a force touch on your Mac. If you force touch an address, it should open the Maps app and search for the address, for example. It also has a built in Taptic engine that gives you varying levels of feedback that are dependent on the interaction.
To make the new MacBook as thin as possible, Apple opted for the more compact USB-C port. The USB-C port doesn't just deal with data transfer but also video out and charging. While there may be a need for adapters at the moment, Apple reassured the audience that other companies would adopt the hardware soon.
For the first time ever, there's a variety of MacBook finishes to choose from - Silver, Space Grey and Gold, just like the iPad Air and iPhone 6. They'll be available to buy from Friday 10 April, with prices starting at £1,049.
Read also: New Retina MacBook Air release date rumours: New MacBook unveiled at Apple Watch event
and: Here's why it doesn't matter that the MacBook is expensive, underpowered and only has one port
Apple announces new MacBook Air
Apple also announced new MacBook Air models at the event. We've got information about the new 13in MacBook Air here.
The new MacBook Air models feature Broadwell processors, faster flash storage and better graphics, and upgrades Thunderbolt to Thunderbolt 2.
Apple announces new 13in MacBook Pro
Apple also announced new 13in MacBook Pro with Retina display models at the event. We've got information about the new 13in MacBook Pro here.
The new MacBook Pro models feature new processors and a Force Touch haptic touchpad.
Apple didn't update the 15in MacBook Pro at the 9 March event, however.
Wondering which MacBook is best for you Read: MacBook Air vs MacBook Pro comparison review, 13in Apple laptops compared
On the next page you can read what we predicted would happen ahead of the event...
Apple updates 13" MacBook Pro and 11/13" MacBook Air: Pricing, availability and more details
Apple also announced that it would be updating the 13" MacBook Pro with Retina display with the all new force touch trackpad, as well as upgraded internals including a fifth generation Intel Core processor and Intel Iris Graphics 6100. Even with the updated internals, the new MacBook Pro boasts a longer battery life.
The 11" and 13" MacBook Air also had a hardware upgrade. It too will feature fifth generation Intel Core processors (up to 3.1 GHz) and integrated Iris Graphics 6100. It'll also include Thunderbolt 2 that can deliver up to 20Gbps, two times faster than the previous generation.
New 13-inch MacBook Air (early 2015) preview
How to watch Apple Watch launch event live stream: Follow Apple Watch announcements with our Apple Watch live blog
The Apple Watch launch event*, with its slogan 'Spring Forward', is on Monday 9 March at 10am PST - that's 5pm UK time. (UPDATE - we thought it was 6pm but forgot to take into account the change to Daylight Savings Time in the US the night before, which gives the event its name - thanks to Clare Newsome for pointing this out. Non US- or UK-based readers should take a look here to see when the event starts in your local time.) As a keen Apple watcher, you're probably wondering how to follow the Apple Watch announcements as they happen. Is there an Apple Watch live stream
This article itself should be your first port of call for Apple Watch updates: bookmark it and come back on Monday night (the event starts at 5pm UK time, as we said, but we'll start posting build-up and pre-event rumours a few hours beforehand). We're sending journalists to the event, and they will update this page with Apple Watch news, pricing details, launch dates, new features and more titbits as soon as they emerge. We'll run an Apple Watch event live blog right here.
You can also read up the news that's specific to the Apple Watch in more detail on our dedicated articles (which are worth reading in advance of the event, since they're chock-full of pre-event speculation and analysis): Apple Watch UK pricing & release date and Apple Watch review. And for any non-Apple Watch announcements, you'll find coverage both here and on the products' respective articles: New MacBook Air release date, iPad Pro release date, Apple Pay UK launch date rumours, Apple Beats music service rumours and so on.
But what if you want to watch the Apple Watch launch event live and enjoy Craig Federighi's jokes You can watch a live stream of the Apple Watch event on Apple's events page. But this isn't available to everyone: the Apple Watch live stream will work only on Apple devices, and only on Apple devices running software of a comparatively recent vintage. You need to be running Safari 5.1.10 or later on OS X v10.6.8 or later; Safari on iOS 6.0 or later; or Apple TV software 6.2 or later on a second- or third-gen Apple TV.
In other words, if you don't own an iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Mac or Apple TV, you probably can't watch the launch event live. (You should really buy one of those devices, though. They're pretty good.) There's a good chance that someone will post a mirror or proxy of the Apple Watch live stream somewhere, and if we find one we'll post a link. But the PC users out there might have to make do with our Apple Watch live blog on this page.
In our Apple Watch live blog further above, we will exhaustively cover everything that happens, comment on the developments with our expert perspective, and also make silly jokes.
*It's possible that the event isn't about the Apple Watch at all, but I think we can agree that this would be a quite colossal surprise.
What to expect from Apple's 9 March event: Apple Watch
It's pretty obvious from Apple's 'Spring Forward' tagline that the Apple Watch is going to be among the main attractions for this event. Of course, the smartwatch has already been unveiled, first shown off during Apple's iPhone event back in September, but there are still many mysteries surround the device.
For example, we still don't know the prices of the many different configurations available, and perhaps more importantly we don't know when we're actually going to be able to buy one. See: Apple Watch hands-on review
But does Apple really need an entire event just to announce the price, release date and some extra information about the Apple Watch Possibly not. There are several other rumoured devices that could well put in an appearance during the event.
What to expect from Apple's 9 March event: New MacBooks and Mac Pro update
Another product rumoured to be in the pipeline is a new MacBook Air with a Retina display - quite possibly a 12-inch Retina display, in a major change to Apple's laptop line-up. Leaks and insider sources suggest that the next MacBook Air will be slimmer than ever and see a radical redesign.
We had heard rumours that we could expect this new MacBook early in 2015, so a March event would fit the bill. Find out everything you need to know in our Retina MacBook Air rumour round-up.
Alternatively, or perhaps in addition to the Retina model, the current 11in and 13in MacBook Airs could get an update, as they were last updated in April 2014.
The Mac Pro is also due an update; the latest model was launched in December 2013. Mind you, the Mac Pro is a pretty hardcore techie machine to update in front of a fashion-dominated audience, so we'd be surprised.
What to expect from Apple's 9 March event: Magic Mouse & Magic Trackpad
One of the rumours about the aforementioned Retina MacBook Air suggests that Touch ID could be included in its trackpad, and that the Magic Mouse and Magic Trackpad peripherals could get the same treatment, meaning an update to those devices could also be on its way.
What to expect from Apple's 9 March event: iPad Pro
We expect that Apple will want to spend a significant amount of time talking about a new iPad Pro, and had expected that it might get its own event, but it's certainly a possibility that Apple has decided to unveil the rumoured tablet on 9 March.
We won't be holding our breath, though, as there is lots of speculation to suggest that the iPad Pro won't arrive until later in the year.
If you're wondering what on earth an iPad Pro is, you can find out more about it in our iPad Pro/iPad Plus rumour roundup. But in short, it's the rumoured 12.9in tablet that would be powerful enough to compete with the likes of the Microsoft Surface Pro 3.
What to expect from Apple's 9 March event: Apple TV
It's highly unlikely that we'll see a new Apple TV in March but we're including it here anyway with the tiny glimmer of hope we've got in mind. We've been speculating the release of a new Apple TV for a long time now, so it feels massively overdue.
What are you hoping to see at the 9 March event Let us know in the comments. We'll be bringing you all of the news and photos from the event live on this very page, so keep it bookmarked and come back on 9 March from 6pm GMT.