Apple downsizes iPhone, iPad Pro

Apple has confirmed it will release a smaller iPhone.

At an event in the US this morning NZT – which some Apple fanboys rated a bit of a "zzzz" –  the company confirmed it will add a 4-inch iPhone SE to its lineup.

News of the smaller handset had already been widely leaked. It reverses the recent trend for ever larger displays (the iPhone 6 S Plus sports a 5.5-inch screen). It might not have set social media on fire but it's practical. And, like the old iPhone 5S, can be held in one hand and controlled by one thumb.

It's positioned as a radical embrace of a smaller form factor, but some investors will simply see it as a simple pep-up of the iPhone 5S (the four-inch model that has remained in Apple's lineup since its 2013 release, gradually been shuffled down the ladder to become the company's "budget" handset).

The company also demoed a 9.7-inch version of the iPad Pro – that is, the size of a regular iPad. The beefier iPad is designed to work with the Apple pencil. The new model joins the supersize 12.9-inch screen version released last year.

Apple is pushing the iPad Pro as a PC replacement, but the lack of a USB port will kill that argument for many (there is a Lightning to USB C charging cable and optional USB C adapter).

Local availability and pricing
New Zealand pre-orders for the iPhone SE and 9.8-inch iPad Pro will open March 24, with shipping from March 31.

The iPhone SE will cost $749 for a 16GB model or $949 for a 64GB model. It is available in the same colours as the 6 series, and as well as being smaller has the same external appearance.

The robustly-priced iPad Pro runs from $1049 for the 32GB wi-fi-only model to $1819 for the 256GB model with wi-fi and cellular.

Apple is billing the iPhone SE as the "world's most powerful 4-inch phone." It features the same A9 chips as the top-of-the-line 6 series and the same 12-megapixel rear camera and 4K video. It also supports the Touch ID fingerprint recognition found in larger iPhones but not 3D Touch (the feature that lets you lightly touch an icon for a preview or quick-access options).

iOS 9.3: Night Shift
A new version of iOS (the software that runs iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch) will be available for free download later today.

iOS 9.3's signature feature is a new Night Shift mode that automatically shifts the colour temperature of the display based on the time and location of your device.

It reduces the amount of blue light emitting from the screen and is a response to research that's found exposure to bright blue light in the evening can make it harder to sleep.

iOS 9.3 also features new health and education wraps; read a wrap up here.

Dig at Microsoft
Elsewhere at the event, CEO Tim Cook reaffirmed his opposition to the FBI's legal bid to access encrypted iPhone data, Apple Watch pricing was lowered a tad, and marketing exec Philip Schiller had a crack at Apple, saying 600 million people use PCs over five years old and “this is really sad”. Microsoft could shoot back that millions of people quite happily use iPads of around that vintage, something of a problem for Apple as the company clocks quarter after quarter of declining tablet sales.

We'll have to see if the new 9.7-inch Pro helps re-boot iPad sales. 

Apple did reveal today that 9.7-inches is customers' preferred displayed size. Of 308 million regular, Air, Pro and Mini iPads sold so far, 200 million have been 9.7-inch models.

The company's shares fell slightly during the event.