This is Rumor Replay, a weekly column at 9to5Mac offering a quick rundown of the most recent Apple product rumors, with analysis and commentary. Today: new iPads are on the way, plus a curious iOS Invites app, and more. Here are this weekβs Apple rumors.
New iPads and iPhone SE 4 launching βby Aprilβ
There was a rumor this week widely misconstrued as claiming new iPads and the iPhone SE 4 would be launching as early as January. Mark Gurman quickly refuted the idea, and in the process offered his own expected timeline.
He said that new iPads and the iPhone SE 4 would be coming by April, some time before iOS 18.4 launches.
My takeaways
This rumor mostly just confirms what we were already expecting, but with a potential iPad Air tidbit.
The forthcoming iPhone SE 4 and new base iPad were always rumored to launch around March. But Gurman references βiPadsβ plural in his post, which presumably references the forthcoming M3 iPad Air.
Gurman had previously mentioned the new iPad Air would debut βaround the same timeβ as the iPhone SE 4, but since we just got the M2 Air last May, I personally wasnβt expecting the M3 revision until April at the earliest, and more likely May or June. Such a release could still fit the βaround the same timeβ window.
Now though, it sounds like the new iPad Air may debut in March at the same time as a revised base iPad and iPhone SE.
Invites app in the works at Apple
This week my 9to5Mac colleague Filipe EspΓ³sito exclusively reported on signs of Apple developing a new βInvitesβ app.
Code was discovered in the latest iOS 18.3 beta to indicate ongoing work of the app, which could be a standalone app or possibly integrated into other parts of iOS like iMessage.
My takeaways
Very little is known about this potential app. My initial thought, though, is that it sounds more like a new feature set than a full-blown app.
I could definitely see Apple bring an upgraded invite system to the Calendar app. And maybe even make an API thatβs used by other built-in iOS apps or even third-party calendars.
Fantastical, for example, offers a great system for managing calendar invites, polling invitees for availability, and sharing a bookable schedule with others. Appleβs Calendar app could use similar upgradesβall of which may potentially be covered by Invites.
iPhone 17 Pro design change
Itβs becoming more clear that Apple is planning to bring design changes not just to the iPhone 17 Air, but its 17 Pro line too.
The latest on that front: Weibo leakerΒ Fixed-focus digital shared that the iPhone 17 Pro will use a βslope rather than a stepβ for the connection between the back shell and the main body.
My takeaways
Itβs hard to read too much into this leak, since itβs a translation and doesnβt seem entirely clear anyways.
It sounds like the iPhone 17 Pro may go back to more of a curved sides design. Every model since the iPhone 12 has used flatter sides.
This could go hand-in-hand with the shift toward an aluminum frame, as has been reported elsewhere.
Personally, I do like curved sides on the iPhone. However, iPhone sizes have increased recently, so Iβm concerned curved sides could negatively impact grip.
What do you make of this weekβs Apple rumors? Let us know in the comments.
