As previously announced, Apple on Thursday activated online preorder sales for its new 4-inch iPhone SE and 9.7-inch iPad Pro in 13 territories, including key markets in North America, Europe and Asia.
Sales went live on Apple.com and through the Apple Store app at about 12:01 a.m. Pacific, 3:01 a.m. Eastern, with initial supply for both products seemingly keeping pace with demand. Apple announced the iPhone SE and new iPad Pro form factor at a special event on Monday.
For today's launch, Apple is opening orders up to 13 regions around the world before the devices land in stores on March 31. Rollout territories include Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Singapore, the UK, US Virgin Islands and the U.S. In China, initial iPad Pro availability is limited to models with Wi-Fi only, though cellular versions are expected to ship in the near future.
Apple plans to expand iPhone SE and iPad Pro sales in April to cover another 47 countries including Albania, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Cayman Islands, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Greenland, Guam, Guatemala, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Lichtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Macau, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey and UAE. Customers in Macau and Thailand will be limited to Wi-Fi iPad Pro models.
As for specs, the iPhone SE borrows much of its technology from Apple's flagship iPhone 6s series. The diminutive iPhone runs a speedy A9 processor with embedded M9 motion coprocessor and sports a 12-megapixel iSight camera, Touch ID and NFC for touchless Apple Pay transactions, advanced wireless communications hardware and more. Color options include silver, Space Gray, gold and rose gold.
Pricing starts at just $399 for 16 gigabytes of onboard storage, or $499 for 64GB. Buyers can also take advantage of Apple's new Trade Up with Installments plan, which brings payments down to as little as $10 per month for 24 months, depending on trade in value. Wireless carriers are also offering payment plans through their respective Web portals.
Apple's new 9.7-inch iPad Pro brings the full-size form factor in line with last year's 12.9-inch iPad Pro. The refreshed tablet now boasts specialized hardware supporting Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard accessories, while adding on new-for-iPad features like a 12MP iSight camera with flash and Apple's True Tone display.
The 9.7-inch iPad Pro comes in at $599 for a 32GB Wi-Fi only version, $749 for 128GB of storage and $899 for the new 256GB option. Step-up Wi-Fi + Cellular variants are priced at $729, $879 and $1029 for 32GB, 128GB and 256GB storage capacities, respectively. Customers can choose from silver, Space Gray, gold and rose gold colors.
For a comprehensive look at both devices make sure to read AppleInsider's iPhone SE and 9.7-inch iPad Pro hands-on coverage.