Apple’s new iPads and the iPhone SE 4 are ‘on the iOS 18.3 train’

With Samsung announcing Unpacked for January 22 and every other tech company announcing major new products this week, a rumor began circulating Tuesday that Apple was planning on getting in on the January fun. 

But almost as soon as it started, the rumor that Apple was planning to launch the iPhone SE successor later this month was debunked as “completely untrue” by Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman. However, Gurman does offer some clarification, explaining that while “the new iPads and iPhone SE replacement are being developed on the iOS 18.3 train,” they won’t launch when the update arrives later this month.

It’s not clear whether Apple will hold an event to launch the new products, which are expected to include an 11th-gen iPad and possibly a new AirTag. Apple held a spring event in May 2024 to launch the M4 iPad Pro, 13-inch iPad Air, and Apple Pencil Pro, but hadn’t previously held a spring event since the Peek Performance event in 2022 when the Mac Studio and M1 Ultra chip debuted.

Gurman and others have reported that Apple is likely to launch new products in March or April, which should be several weeks after the release of iOS 18.3. Apple began testing the update in December and released the second beta this week.

The iPhone SE 4, now expected to be called the iPhone 16E, will reportedly be a complete overhaul of Apple’s budget phone with a modern design based on the iPhone 14.