Orders for iPhone SE, new iPad Pro to start March 24, delivery from March 31

Zee Media Bureau

Apple will be taking orders Thursday (March 24) for the new iPhone SE and iPad Pro, with deliveries set for March 31 in the United States, Britain, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand and Singapore, with more markets to be added in April.

Apple Inc on Monday unveiled a smaller, cheaper iPhone aimed at new buyers, especially in emerging markets and China, as the technology company looks to reverse a decline in worldwide sales of its most important product.

The new device, called the iPhone SE, has a 4-inch (10-cm) screen and starts at USD 399. It represents Apple`s second bid for the crowded mid-tier market after an unsuccessful foray three years ago.

The $399 starting price is well below the $649 for the current top iPhone model without a contract, which is beyond the reach of many. The new phone, with Apple`s vaunted A9 chip, is much faster than Apple`s previous attempt at an entry-level phone, launched in 2013. It also runs Apple Pay and comes in the wildly popular rose gold colour.

The company also showed off at the event was a new iPad Pro that moves smaller -- a 9.7-inch (24.6-centimeter) display compared with the 12.9-inch (32.8-centimeter) model on the original business-geared tablet.

"It is a large enough display to get all your work done, but easy to carry around," said Apple vice president Phil Schiller.
The smaller, new iPad starts at $599 for US customers, down from around $800 for the original.

Apple also announced it was cutting the entry-level price for its Apple Watch to $299 from $349 as it unveiled a new nylon band for the device.