On Friday, a rumour circulated claiming Apple was planning to launch the long-awaited new iPhone SE on that very day.
While it would have been highly irregular for Apple, or indeed any major tech company, to officially launch major hardware on a Friday, these are strange times, so we took the rumour seriously.
The phone didn’t materialise, despite us constantly refreshing our inboxes. However, it may not be too much too much longer before the new SE is in our paws, judging by the comments of one analyst.
Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives writes in a note to investors that indications from supply chains and retailers are the handset, which could be called the iPhone 9 or iPhone SE 2, will be here sometime during the middle of this month.
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He also predicted that, once the launch is announced, the phones will be ready to ship to customers, which will be a bonus to who’ve been waiting a long time to upgrade from their Touch ID-toting iPhone SE.
He wrote (via Marketwatch): “While launching a mid-cycle budget/entry-level smartphone into the backdrop of a consumer global lockdown and unprecedented pandemic will be head scratcher to some, we note that Apple is viewing this as a low-volume, low-touch release with little fanfare as the phones are already ready to ship.”
It’s interesting Ives predicts the handset will be low volume, given we expect this one to sell like hot cakes, as the original iPhone SE did after its launch in 2016.
With the price of flagship smartphones now soaring beyond the £1,000 mark and finances tight for many Brits in light of the coronavirus crisis, we’d expect an affordable iPhone running the latest version of iOS, to be a highly attractive proposition for many smartphone buyers in 2020.
One thing we do agree with Ives about is the prediction of a launch with little fanfare. Given the current climate, Apple is unlikely to host a launch event at all.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.