Apple 'to reveal three new devices in March'

Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 5SE, the iPad Air 3 and an updated Apple Watch on March 15.

Rumours the tech giant would host a reveal event this spring have been strong since before Christmas – when the talk of a new, small iPhone first began – and now critics believe the date has been set.

According to sources close to 9 to 5 Mac, Apple is now ready for a mid-March product reveal - but given that the date is still six weeks away, they warn it could conceivably change or just merely be an online announcement.

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The event, the first for Apple since the September unveiling of the iPhone 6S, is expected to feature a new smartphone from the company. Dubbed iPhone 5SE – or 6C, or 7 Mini, according to various critics - it will be a new entry level 4ins model set to replace the ageing 5C. It could come with a new, faster A9 processor, improved camera and a design much similar to that of the current "rounded edge" look of the iPhone 6. It will serve as an appetiser for the larger reveal of the iPhone 7 in September.

Apple is also strongly rumoured to introduce a new iPad, too. The 9.7ins iPad Air 3 has been in the pipeline for a while - some expected it to surface late last year – and so far, leaks have suggested a thinner tablet than the Air 2, but upgraded with a raft of iPad Pro-inspired features, such as enhanced speakers and a smart connector for a keyboard.

The company was also expected to launch the Apple Watch 2 at a spring event, but more recently, rumours suggest it will in fact only introduce an updated version of the timepiece, with new software and band options. According to TechCrunch, a minor hardware revision could be on the cards, though, in the form of a new FaceTime-camera equipped smartwatch.

"All in all, this isn't the most exciting sounding Apple event out there," says BGR, but the introduction of the new, smaller iPhone will whet the appetite of fans nonetheless.