This is absolutely not April Fool's
According to multiple reports, Apple is planning to release a new iPhone this month, believed to be the iPhone 9 or the next in line for the SE. Amidst the coronavirus pandemic which has forced so many people to stay at home in order to limit its spread, stores closing down and numerous tech events being canceled including the Apple WWDC (World Wide Developers Conference) which will only be available online only this year, Apple's plans still remain unchanged.
Earlier this year when the COVID-19 situation in China got much worse, the company's CEO Tim Cook was still confident that it was not going to slow down the manufacturing of new iPhones . Many thought he only said so to protect the brand (so they will not lose investors) which actually made sense because most of the parts are made and assembled in China. It turns out they were wrong as Tim was serious.
To help with the launch, Apple has asked some of its retail store employees to work from home, and is shipping new iMacs to them so they will be able to offer sales and tech support online for customers. The ones selected will be trained to offer Apple online services to their customers.
To further affirm the report according to some sources from carriers in Europe, Apple leaker and YouTuber @jon_prosser, was more specific in a tweet this week, which basically meant that Apple executives are considering Wednesday, April 15th as a launch date for the iPhone 9 (iPhone SE 2).
iPhone 9 update 👀
— Jon Prosser (@jon_prosser) March 31, 2020
Per an internal meeting yesterday, Apple is now preparing for an April release.
Tentative dates:
- Announcement on April 15
- Shipments on April 22
Keep in mind: we’re in the middle of a pandemic, and things could change.
Fingers crossed 🤞 pic.twitter.com/egz8UWXd9F
This will most likely be announced alongside the upcoming iOS 14.
iPhone SE 2020 / iPhone 9 Specs
Here's what we've rounded up according all the various rumours and leaks.
Color and Design
We can confirm that the new iPhone will have be the same size as the iPhone 8 and will come in three color options: White, Black and PRODUCT(Red). The will also be (undoubtedly) silicone and leather cases which will be available as add-ons coming in Black, Red, White, and Midnight Blue colors.
Storage & Misc
Unlike the iPhone 8, the upcoming iPhone SE 2 (iPhone 9) will not have 3D touch, a once usefu;l feature which has been replaced since the release of iOS 13. Three storage tiers have been confirmed for the new iPhone: 64GB, 128GB and 256GB.
Price and availability
iPhone analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities last year that Apple was planning to price the new iPhone from $399 for the 64GB variant.