Apple launches new iPhone SE, Mac Studio at latest event
Apple has announced a new version of its budget iPhone SE, an updated iPad Air and a compact yet powerful Mac Studio desktop computer at its latest media event.
The one-hour pre-recorded ‘Peek Performance’ showcase was perhaps not as eye-catching as its premium iPhone launches, but there were still several exciting new products for tech fans.
The first on show was a refreshed budget iPhone SE model, which now features 5G mobile connectivity and Apple’s superfast A15 processor housed in its classic 4.7-inch chassis with bezels at the top and bottom.
The new iPhone SE will be an attractive value proposition at the lower end of the market as it is set to retail from just £419 in the UK.
CCS Insight chief analyst Ben Wood also praised Apple’s industry-leading software support, which should see the new iPhone SE supported for up to seven years.
He said that this makes Apple’s devices “more sustainable than those that become obsolete after as little as two years when software and security updates end”.
Next to be announced was an updated iPad Air, which will feature Apple’s speedy M1 chip and the same slim 10.9-inch design as its predecessor, though this time it will be made from recycled aluminium.
Customers in the UK will be able to buy the fifth-gen iPad Air with optional 5G from £569 on 18th March, which is the same day that the iPhone SE will go on sale.
Apple rounded out its event by unveiling a small Mac Studio computer that will be powered by a new M1 Ultra processor and support up to 256GB of RAM memory.
Mac Studio is the most expensive of the bunch by some distance as it will cost from £1,999 in the UK.