Tiny IPhone: Apple's Big Event Pushed Back To March 21

(RTTNews) - Apple Inc.'s (AAPL) first product event of the year, when it is expected to launch a new smaller iPhone and a new iPad model, has reportedly been pushed back by a week in March.

According to media reports, the launch of Apple's new 4-inch iPhone and new 9.7-inch iPad is now expected to be in the week of March 21. This means the event will be held a day before Apple is set to appear in court to answer a motion to comply with the FBI in unlocking a phone used by one of the suspects in the San Bernardino, California, terror attack.

Apple is said to have asked its employees to keep their calendars open for March 21 to 23, while the launch of the new iPhone and iPad was widely expected to take place on March 15. However, the company has not yet officially announced the event.

The new 4-inch smartphone could now be called iPhone SE, and not iPhone 5SE as was rumored initially.

While the iPhone SE's body will reportedly be nearly identical to the iPhone 5s, the new smartphone is said to include Apple's latest A9 and M9 processors, an NFC chip for Apple Pay, support for always-on Siri activation, the iPhone 6's camera system, and the ability to take Live Photos.

The new iPad Air 3, said to be a smaller version of the iPad Pro, is said to include a Smart Connector and support for Apple-branded accessories, which could mean that updated Smart Keyboards and Apple Pencil support for the 9.7-inch device are in the pipeline.

The new iPad is also expected to include a variant of the A9 processor, an upgraded camera system, and potentially a rear flash for brighter photos.

Apple is also reportedly planning to launch an upgraded Apple Watch, which could come with a FaceTime Camera and newer straps.