Apple gets ready to hijack the conversation at MWC22

Apple gets ready to join the conversation at MWC 2022

Against a backdrop of war and pandemic, annual big time industry event, Mobile World Congress (MWC), begins today. Apple rarely attends the show in person, but it looks like it will be a hot discussion topic at the show as it may announce when its iPhone SE with 5G launch event this week.

Will Apple send out the invitations this week?

MacRumors tells us Apple may intend sending out invitations to its spring event on March 1. This is earlier than many had anticipated it would host such a launch, but is based on Mark Gurman’s recently repeated prediction of a March 8 launch.

The logic behind the claim is that a March 8 launch date would usually imply invitations will be distributed around March 1.

In truth, the latest claim offers little that’s new, but it wouldn’t be the first time Apple has managed to jump into the conversations taking place at industry events.

Take the consumer electronics show (CES): For years Apple dominated the tech media landscape with new product releases timed to take place at around the same time as CES. That Apple now intends to make its presence felt at the world’s most important mobile phone industry trade show makes equal sense.

So it feels quite plausible.

Wooing the industry as 5G rollout intensifies

Apple knows the importance of MWC.

That importance, combined with the industry’s focus on 5G, makes an Apple decision to set industry tongues wagging at the imminent debut of its lowest cost 5G iPhone feel as inevitable as using multitouch to control a smartphone.

Most Apple competitors will introduce new 5G products at MWC, and Apple wants carriers to recognise that it has its own new products coming into play. Since iPhone 12, Apple has done a good job surfing the 5G evolution, and there is plenty of upside in that space yet. iPhone SE with 5G extends the company’s reach by price.

Apple continues to surf the 5G deployment wave well

What to expect from iPhone SE 2022

We’ve already speculated on what to expect from iPhone SE 2012.

The device will look very much like the existing SE, but will have an A15 Bionic chip, a better rear camera and 5G. Apple is also expected to introduce a new iPad Air, a refreshed 13-inch MacBook Pro and a high-end Mac mini alongside the iPhone SE.

Why timing matters

Apple’s timing matters because the imminence of the launch event frees its MWC outreach teams to more easily engage in confidential discussions with carriers on the basis of that looming debut.

Given most carriers are chasing numbers to turn their existing 5G deployments into profitability, I imagine networks will be keen to add Apple’s take on a mid-priced iPhone to their range. The device is, after all, probably destined to hit market at c.$399 with carrier deals to bring it well within reach of the  large number of people willing to agree 2-year contracts.

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