iPhone SE reportedly nabs more than 3.4 million reservations in China

The iPhone SE, which was unveiled a week ago during a special event, is apparently very popular in China. According to a report from CNBC, the new 4-inch smartphone has managed to grab more than 3.4 million reservations, with a little over one day to go before the reservation window closes.
As always when talking about the Chinese market, you'll see most news outlets report this number as "pre-orders", however as a general rule in China these don't work like they do elsewhere. They're called reservations and no money changes hands before the actual purchase, unlike a 'western' pre-order where you generally do pay right when you make it.
This means that many people can reserve a new device, but that doesn't guarantee that all of them will actually buy a unit in the end. Unfortunately it's impossible to tell whether that's the case in this situation too, but it is how things generally go in the Chinese market.
That doesn't make the 3.4 million amount less impressive, it's just unclear whether we can already count these as sales or simply the number of people who have shown interest in the iPhone SE.
The same report states that the most popular color version is gold, followed closely by rose gold. The iPhone SE starts at CNY 3,288 in China, which right now translates into $506. Not anywhere near the $399 starting price in the US, but not as high as the prices in Europe have turned out to be either. The handset will be out on March 31, which is this coming Thursday.

Source | Via

Event Highlights of Apple iOS Models

For lovers of the Apple and iOS models, Apple held an event on Monday 20^th March 2016 and these were the highlights.

• Apple added a 9.7-inch model to its iPad Pro line. It’s essentially the same robust tablet as its larger counterpart, featuring an A9X chip that balances power and efficiency. It’s also compatible with the Apple Pencil and smart keyboard. It, however, features a two-tone display that uses light sensors to adapt and match the color of the screen to the user’s environment. Preorder March 24 and shipping March 31.
• Apple unveiled a smaller iPhone SE with a 4-inch display. The SE is essentially an iPhone 6S—matching it in graphic and computing power—in the body of an iPhone 5/5S. It will be available in space gray, silver, gold, and rose gold. The 64GB version will be available for $499. Preorders begin March 24 and will ship March 31.
• Apple is adding a new open-source framework called CareKit that helps patients manage their conditions with their mobile devices. Patients can also use CareKit to communicate with their doctors or family members about their health. It will be available in April.
• Updates to tvOS, the Apple TV’s operating system, include folders for apps, dictation (which also works for inputting usernames and passwords), iCloud photo library, and live photos.
• Apple outlined some of the features of iOS 9.3, an update that has already begun shipping. Features like, Night Shift (shifts your device’s display from blue to orange in the evening). You can now lock down the Notes app with your password/fingerprint, and CarPlay will get better Apple Music and Maps apps.
• The 12.9″ iPad Pro will be getting a 256GB model.

Everything we think we know about Apple's 4-inch iPhone SE

The name

 

There's been a lot of back and forth over the name. When rumors first began about a 4-inch iPhone, some suggested it would be called the iPhone 6C — a play off the "lower end" iPhone 5C that debuted alongside the iPhone 5S in 2013. Early this year 9to5Mac reported it would actually be called the iPhone 5SE, but now it says the new, smaller iPhone will be known as the iPhone SE.
Honestly, this makes sense. The rumors that Apple would call its smaller iPhone the iPhone 5SE always struck us as odd because the "5" moniker implies that this is an older device. And that's not strictly true.
Sure, the smaller screen of the iPhone SE seems to be a throwback to earlier models, but that doesn't mean you want to call your phone something that suggests it was made in 2013.

The design is like the iPhone 6, just smaller

Although the iPhone SE has a smaller 4-inch display — similar to the iPhone 5, iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C, the design language around the phone is rumored to be much more akin to the iPhone 6 series of devices.

In other words, don't expect chamfered edges and sharp sides — expect smoother corners and curved glass.
From where we sit, this makes a lot of sense. If Apple is going to release a smaller iPhone, having that phone look as much like the bigger iPhone devices will make the whole line feel cohesive.
Plus, we think it would be hard to get people excited about a new phone if it still looks like something that is a few years old.

I will come in Pink Color

Apple's iPhone 6S in rose gold.

Image: Jhila Farzaneh/Mashable

It's a rose gold world.
Apple made a huge splash with the rose gold (although let's be real, it's pink) last fall and we can expect it to continue the trend with its new devices.
Although early rumors suggested the iPhone SE could come in hot pink and not rose gold, we're now expecting that the new, smaller iPhone will be available in rose gold, gold, space gray and silver.
This was made even more clear with the invite to Apple's event, which prominently features the rose gold hue.

Smaller screen, decent specs

The iPhone SE may have a smaller display, but its internal specs are rumored to be quite solid.
The precise specs of the device have gone through some changes. Initially, it was thought that the iPhone SE would have an A8 chip, the same as the iPhone 6.

More recent rumors, however, suggest that the phone will have the A9 processor

More recent rumors, however, suggest that the phone will have the A9 processor, the same chip in the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus. We're not sure of the clock speed but we wouldn't be surprised if the iPhone SE was clocked a bit slower to help further differentiate between the two devices. An analyst note from Ming-Chi Kuo from KGI Securities (an analyst with a history of being on the money) pegs the iPhone SE has having an A9 processor, M9 motion coprocessor and a 12-megapixel camera.
The camera rumor is fairly new — earlier reports had the iPhone SE has having the same 8-megapixel sensor used on the iPhone 6.
Having the new camera sensor also means the iPhone SE is now reported to support taking Live Photos, a feature introduced with the iPhone 6S.
The iPhone SE is expected to come in 16GB and 64GB capacities. We'd really hoped Apple would just get rid of 16GB altogether, but in this case, we're really not surprised.
Other expected features include a Touch ID fingerprint sensor (naturally), 802.11ac support, and NFC support for Apple Pay.
Kuo also pegs the battery on the iPhone SE as being slightly larger than that of the iPhone 5S.

No 3D Touch

One big flagship feature from the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus not expected to make it to the iPhone SE is 3D Touch.
3D Touch is awesome and its a new user-interface paradigm, offering users to access more features in an app or game simply based on how hard they press on the screen.
And because it's so great, it's not a surprise that we probably won't see it on the iPhone SE. Even though the specs on the device look good, it looks like Apple is going after a slightly different market than it is with the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus. Not including 3D Touch lets Apple better differentiate the iPhone SE from its flagship phones.

Cheaper price

One of the reasons users may forgive Apple for forgoing 3D Touch on the iPhone SE is because of price.
KGI Securities is pegging the price at between $400-$500. That's notable because the iPhone 6S starts at $649.

The lower price will open the iPhone up to new market segments.

The lower price will open the iPhone up to new market segments. Now, to be clear, even in the predicted range, the iPhone SE will be much more expensive than the range of inexpensive Android phones coming out of China. Still, a price difference of $150 dollars or more shouldn't be ignored. It might make the most difference in markets where Apple is trying to grow its business — such as India and Latin America — but it would be appealing to many customers in the U.S., too.
As carriers continue to drop phone subsidies and move to monthly plans, more consumers are considering buying their phone outright — or at least, considering what a phone costs. Spending a few hundred dollars less for a phone that still feels pretty new could be compelling, especially to users with older devices.

Related: The iPhone SE Specs