William Gallagher
Further rumors say that Apple is provisionally planning to announce the "iPhone SE 2," or what may be called the "iPhone 9", in mid-April, with shipping from April 22.
Following retail chain Best Buy's stocking of an iPhone case to fit a model with a 4.7-inch screen, a new rumor from Jon Prosser claims that Apple has now held internal meetings to decide on a release date for "iPhone SE 2," also known as the "iPhone 9." Reportedly, the meeting provisionally decided to announce the phone on April 15, and have it shipping a week later on April 22.
Twitter user Jon Prosser adds that "Apple is shipping iMacs to select retail employees who are being asked to work remotely." These staff are reportedly intended to provide both sales and technical support for customers. Prosser did previously claim that there had been a media briefing about the new iPhone on March 26, but said it was inconclusive.
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
His proposed announcement correlates with other sources recently reporting that the low-cost iPhone was entering final production. It also fits with previous claims by analyst Ming-Chi Kuo that the phone will launch in the first half of 2020.
An update to the original iPhone SE has been strongly rumored for several years now, starting back in 2017.
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13 Comments
In the past we used to see CAD/photo leaks of these new phones weeks if not months before release.
I think that iPhone 9 would be a good name for it instead of iPhone SE 2.
(1) It would be good because it would differentiate it from the SE and certain people can quit complaining that it's not tiny sized like the original SE. This new phone can be seen as a slightly different phone than the SE. It would still be budget priced, presumably, but the chassis would be different and the size would be slightly larger than the original SE, thus earning it a different name than the SE.
(2) The name iPhone 9 has not been used yet. Apple skipped over it, so naming this new phone the iPhone 9 would be a good move and it would fill in the missing gap, especially since it's rumored to be based on the iPhone 8 and this iPhone 9 can be seen as an upgraded version of the 8, since it'll have the same dimensions, but it will surely have better internals, such as a newer and more powerful CPU.
We shall see what Apple decides to call it soon enough.
Either way, this is only a minor issue and I don't really think it matters at all what Apple decides to call it. If it's a good phone, then it's a good phone. Apple can call it whatever they want and people who are in the market for such an iPhone will be getting one.
So if you call it 9, what will its successors be in following years? 9.1, 9.2? Doubt it. It's actually interesting little puzzle.
You can safely bet Apple has successors in mind. Cheaper iphone is gateway to $$$ in services, watches, AirPods etc. Not just in US, but in India, China, Brasil, and more of Europe. New devices like AR glasses won't change that.... until 2035 perhaps.