8 New Things Apple Might Unveil at the March Education Event

Last week Apple began sending out press invites for an education-focused keynote event scheduled for Tuesday, March 27.

That event, which will take place at a Chicago area high school, will cover "creative new ideas for both teachers and students."

Continue reading to learn about several new products and services we can expect from the March event — as well as several "wildcard" announcements that Apple could surprise us with.

8 (Likely) 9.7-inch iPad

While there’s no guarantee that Apple will unveil new hardware at its “field trip” event, but if it does, then the rumored 9.7-inch iPad is the most obvious candidate. Apple’s lower-cost iPads have, in recent years, been aimed pretty specifically at the education sector — and last year’s iPad was also launched in March.

That will likely turn out to be especially true this year. While last year’s entry-level iPad was fairly inexpensive, this year’s tablet will reportedly be priced at an ultra-affordable $259. That will likely make it a popular device among students and parents, and a perfect fit within the March 27 announcement lineup.

7 (Likely) iOS 11.3

As of today, it’s officially spring in the Northern Hemisphere. That means that the final version of iOS 11.3 could launch basically any time. And while it’s not strictly an education-based platform, based on the timing of the event, we could certainly hear a bit more about iOS 11.3 next week.

If iOS 11.3 isn’t rolled out next week, then we might see a release date announced at Apple’s education event. iOS 11.3 introduces new battery health settings, additional Animoji, and tweaks to the Health app, and a new Business Chat feature in iMessage, among other new additions. It’ll launch alongside tvOS 11.3, watchOS 4.3 and macOS 10.13.4.

6 (Likely) ClassKit SDK

Apple is very likely to use the March 27 event as a way to highlight its new ClassKit framework. In fact, it’s worth venturing that ClassKit may be one of the primary announcements at the keynote. If you don’t know what ClassKit is, then don’t worry. There hasn’t been that much information about it.

Basically, it’ll be a developer framework aimed at education apps. It was first spotted in early February via code hidden within an iOS 11.3 beta by Brazilian-based developer Guilherme Rambo. As far as the specifics of the framework, we’ll have to wait and see.

5 (Unsure Bet) Entry-Level MacBook

Apple is largely expected to unveil a “more affordable” 13-inch MacBook device this year — though it’s not clear if it’s supposed to be a MacBook Air successor or a new MacBook device.

Either way, its starting price is rumored to be anywhere from $799 to $999, which could hint at Apple aiming the marketing for the device at the education sector. Of course, Apple doesn’t typically unveil new Mac products until WWDC in June — but with an education-focused MacBook, Apple could change that this year.

4 (Unsure Bet) AirPower & AirPods Case

These two accessories are unsure bets for Apple’s March 27 event, but only because they don’t necessarily fit into the education theme of the keynote. Other than that, there are quite a few reports suggesting that Apple could unveil the devices this month.

A tipster at Best Buy and several media outlets covering the supply chain have all suggested a March launch date for AirPower and the AirPods case — so there’s a strong case for a March rollout. On the other hand, Apple could simply release the accessories via press release. So whether the company will mention them on March 27 remains to be seen.

3 (Unsure Bet) iBooks Author Update

Apple’s iBooks Author app, which allows users to create books and textbooks, is long overdue for an upgrade. The platform was last refreshed in October 2012. And since Apple’s upcoming event promises “new ideas” for both teachers and students, we could certainly see an update here.

There’s other evidence that Apple is going to revisit the platform, too. The company recently rebranded iBooks as “Apple Books” in an iOS 11.3 beta. And Bloomberg reported in January that Apple was working on a complete revamp of the app — due to be released “in the coming months.”

2 (Wildcard) Blush Gold iPhone X

Apple could unveil a gold blush-colored iPhone X on March 27, but there might not be a lot of evidence to back it up. To be clear, there is a precedent for releasing a new iPhone color so close to its discontinuation date — Apple unveiled a PRODUCT(RED) iPhone 7 and 7 Plus this year last year, before nixing the lineup in the fall.

Similarly, analyst reports from last year suggested that Apple could launch the gold-colored iPhone at a later date than the other finishes. Combined with recent reports about the color being “in development,” there’s a chance that Apple could unveil it next week. Just don’t count on it.

1 (Wildcard) iPhone SE 2

Apple is rumored to be working on a successor to its surprisingly popular iPhone SE device. That device is obviously a mid-range iPhone, and its price point could make it appealing to students and those in the education field.

But, of course, some analysts have cast doubt on the so-called iPhone SE 2 entirely. Other reports indicate that the device will launch this year, but could be announced in May or June — possibly via press release, or at Apple’s WWDC event. It’s up in the air, and while it’d be a nice surprise, we’re just not 100% sure what to expect.