Apple March 27 Chicago event: New iPads, and other things we hope to see

apple-event-march-27 — Chicago, anyone?
Apple

Apple is having a spring event this year -- but it's looking to be a big departure from the usual Bay Area confab. The March 27 press conference will play out at the Lane Tech College Prep High School in Chicago. The invitation puts the focus squarely on education: "Join us to hear creative new ideas for teachers and students," it says, under the "Let's take a field trip" headline.

The last purely education-focused Apple event was in January 2012 in New York City. It was the launch of digital textbooks, and wasn't about hardware at all.

That said, some rumored Apple hardware refreshes have been piling up, and the company could well use the March event to launch some of them. And anything that doesn't hit on March 27 could be kept on deck for the company's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), which kicks off on June 4 in San Jose.

To that end, here's our best guess as to what Apple could unveil on March 27 in Chicago:

ipad-pro-12-33 — Could Pencil make its way onto lower-cost iPads?
Sarah Tew/CNET

New iPads: Apple is supposedly working on updated iPad Pro models that borrow the Face ID technology found on the iPhone X. But we wouldn't expect those to hit until later in the year, if they arrive in 2018 at all. Instead, a refresh of the entry-level 9.7-inch iPad, released almost exactly a year ago, is far more likely. It's not fancy, but it's by far the best iPad value, and a perfect candidate for the education market. A processor refresh, at the least, is due. Maybe new cameras, or even new iPad accessories.

Pencil, perhaps? The Apple Pencil is a great tool, but it's limited to expensive iPad Pros. I'm going out on a limb and guessing that Apple finds a way to include Pencil support in lower-cost iPads, to support art and other graphics-based work on iPads in schools. Maybe that would mean a redesigned, more school-friendly Pencil, too, that doesn't have an easy-to-lose end cap, is easier to hold in smaller hands, and doesn't roll off tables. (An eraser function would also be nice). Consider the invite graphic (at the top of this story): lots of flowing pencil-like lines. Probably no accident.

swift-playground-robots-education-programming-ios-3200.jpg — Apple's Swift Playgrounds app already supports robotics.
James Martin/CNET

Coding initiatives: Apple's been intent to spread Swift to kids, via the iPad Swift Playgrounds app and through other efforts. Last December, Apple expanded its Everyone Can Code program to Chicago schools to teach Swift, which could be part of what Apple revisits at this event. Maybe it's a new app, or coding toolset, but look for something that brings tech-focused learning to the pre-college set.

Wild card: New keyboard? If Apple is really going all-in on iPads as the new computer, then something needs to be done to help the lower-cost iPad hit that goal. There are plenty of great Bluetooth keyboards, but Apple hasn't made its own keyboard accessory. Its smart keyboard cover only works with iPad Pros via the Smart Connector. Maybe lower-cost iPads could also get the smart connector...or, maybe not.

Education pricing plans: Apple already offers discounts for educators, but ramping up the deals here -- on iPads, Macs, software and services -- would help the company regain strength in the education market, which has been tilting towards Google's Chromebook platform in a big way over the past few years.

What not to expect in Chicago

In addition to iPad Pros, I also think it's a bit too early for Apple to be showing off new MacBooks. That includes a rumored MacBook Air revamp which is said to be in the works.

Don't expect these other Apple products, both real and expected: the AirPower charge pad announced last September that still hasn't been released, or the rumored iPhone SE 2. This Apple event is explicitly about education, so expect a tighter focus than the norm.

Or not! Remember that, still and all, these are all guesses on my part. We'll know for sure once the event kicks off in Chicago at 10 a.m. CT (11 a.m. ET, 8 a.m. PT) on Tuesday, March 27. CNET will be there, covering it live.

Apple's March 27 event in Chicago takes place at school: Apple just sent out invitations for an education-focused event.

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