Apple event - as it happened: No new iPhones, but plenty of education updates and an affordable, upgraded iPad

New iPad features support for computer learning in schools

Apple has held its latest product launch, revealing new iPads and sweeping updates to its education offering.

The event didn't bring with it many new announcements, despite expectations that Apple could update the iPhone SE or other products. Those sorts of updates have been expected early in the year, but it's likely that it will either be in a press release sent out after the event or in another announcement later on.

Instead, the event focused on education, revealing a range of new releases intended to be used in the classroom. They're ranged from new products – most affordable iPad ever, which can support the Apple Pencil – to software that allows teachers to more easily use Apple computers in their classroom.

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[27 March 2018 14:43 · Andrew Griffin]

The event will get started at 4pm UK time. (That's in about an hour, wherever you are.)

[27 March 2018 14:45 · Andrew Griffin]

There's not usually much to be gained from looking for clues in Apple's event invites. But there does appear to be one in today's: that handwriting appears to suggest something about the Apple Pencil, which appears to chime with rumours that the company is going to launch a cheaper version of the iPad, meant for schools, that supports its stylus.

[27 March 2018 14:50 · Andrew Griffin]

There won't be a live stream of this event. (t's not clear why: perhaps it's security concerns around the fact that it's happening at a school, though of course if they wanted to stream it enough they'd have moved it.) But there will be video coming after, which is why you'll see the Apple Events app appear on your Apple TV, among other things.

[27 March 2018 14:53 · Andrew Griffin]

Here's the AP's report on what it expects to happen today:

Apple is hoping to return to the head of the class in the competition to get high-tech products into U.S. classrooms. 

The trend-setting company is expected to provide more details about its renewed emphasis on education Tuesday at a Chicago high school. The curriculum may include a lower-priced iPad and a variety of services tailored for students ranging from kindergarten through high school. 

Apple is trying to regain ground lost to rivals Google and Microsoft during the past few years. 

Google has emerged as the education leader in the U.S. market, thanks largely to laptop computers running on its Chrome software. Some of those so-called Chromebooks sell for $200 to $250 while the cheapest iPad currently costs $329. 

An even-lower priced iPad could help Apple teach Google a lesson.

[27 March 2018 15:00 · Andrew Griffin]

Apple set the date for this event a couple of weeks ago. (Our story from then is here.)

But a lot has happened in the tech world in the intervening couple of weeks. Apple is probably considering themselves fortunate that they've mostly come out of that OK: if Facebook, or even any other major tech company that trades off data, was supposed to be having an event this week it would probably be an incredible headache. But Apple has long been clear about how it uses data – which is mostly that it doesn't, for better or worse.

[27 March 2018 15:25 · Andrew Griffin]

Journalists are in a hallway in the school, waiting to get into the actual auditorium.

That's just one of the many strange things about the location of this event. Another is that Apple just finished building the Steve Jobs Theater, constructed specifically for launches like this. But it clearly wants to show that it's serious about education, and that education is very much the focus of this event.

[27 March 2018 15:25 · Andrew Griffin]

Everyone's in the room now, and looking at the school's stage while they await the event to begin. There's still a while: half an hour or so.

[27 March 2018 15:26 · Andrew Griffin]

[27 March 2018 15:47 · Andrew Griffin]

There are student journalists in the audience, from the school. And the teachers are involved, too: wandering around the room wearing special caps in the school colours.

[27 March 2018 15:48 · Andrew Griffin]

The Apple Store is DOWN. Which you can see if you try and buy an iPhone.

That might not mean anything. But it does suggest that some hardware is going to be announced today, or at least something you can buy: Apple ostensibly takes the shop down to update it, so presumably something is going to be newly available when the event is over.