German iPhone rumours site iPhone-Ticker has suggested that Apple is planning a special event to announce the launch of its iPhone 9 (or iPhone SE 2) at the end of March.
The most likely date for the announcement appears to be Tuesday 31st March, with the iPhone 9 or iPhone SE 2 then being released on 3rd April.
March has been a favourite time for Apple to announce keynotes.
Last year, it chose 25th March to unveil services such as Apple News+, Apple Arcade and Apple Card, while the previous year it staged an event dedicated to education and new iPads on 27th March.
Should the rumour prove true, the likelihood is that iOS 13.4 will be released in the same week in April as the new iPhone.
The new iteration of the operating system will include novel features such as iCloud Drive folder sharing and new Memoji stickers.
9to5Mac also reports that this year’s March keynote may in addition include news of an updated iPad Pro for release this March, plus a new ‘AirTags’ feature, which is thought to be tile-like item trackers.
Add to that statements from respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo that a new Apple wireless charging pad is about to be unveiled imminently, along with premium over-ear Bluetooth headphones and new MacBooks featuring scissor switch keys, and those March announcements could be pretty copious.
For now, it’s wise to treat these rumours with a degree of scepticism – however, that timeline has some previous form to stand on.