Mark Gurman, writing for Bloomberg:

Apple Inc. plans to unveil a long-anticipated overhaul of the iPhone SE in the coming days, a move that will modernize its lower-cost model in a bid to spur growth and entice consumers to switch from other brands.

The company expects to announce the device as early as next week, ahead of it going on sale later in the month, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Apple is unlikely to hold a launch event for the device, opting to reveal it on its website instead, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans are private.

The current iPhone SE was released back in March, 2022 so it’s been a few years without a refresh. It will be interesting to see what the newest iteration of the iPhone SE looks like and what spec upgrades it receives, especially given the recent roll-out of Apple Intelligence.

The current iPhone SE contains an Apple A15 Bionic chip, which powered the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Max, as well as the iPhone 13 and 13 Mini, and the iPad Mini (6th Generation). The most recent Pro-model iPhones contain an Apple A18 Pro chip, with the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus both contain an Apple A18 chip.

Gurman also shared, in his article and on Twitter, that there are stock shortages of several Apple devices, including some of the ones mentioned above:

Mentioned in the story as well: Major shortages hitting the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, MacBook Air, 11-inch iPad Air and 13-inch iPad Air, in addition to the SE.

It will be interesting to see what happens in the coming week with the new iPhone SE!

Bill Gates’ latest book, Source Code: My Beginnings launched today. From the GatesNotes.com website:

Source Code is the story of the early part of my life, from growing up in Seattle through the beginnings of Microsoft. I share what it was like to be a precocious, sometimes difficult kid, the restless middle child of two dedicated and ambitious parents who didn’t always know what to make of me. In writing the book I came to better understand the people that shaped me and the experiences that led to the creation of a world-changing company.

The book is available from a variety of sellers, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Apple Books, among others.

Gates was actually in Boston yesterday, as a part of a book tour, to discuss the memoir with Harvard University Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. at the Emerson Colonial Theater. My brother and I attended the discussion and I thought it was interesting to hear about the early parts of Gates’ life, prior to his days at Microsoft. The two discussed Gates’ childhood and upbringing, his fascination with computers at an early age, his meeting of Paul Allen at school, and his thoughts and views on a variety of other topics.

Mark Gurman, of Bloomberg, on Twitter:

A notable change coming to AppleCare+ next week: Apple is dropping the 2-3 year pay in advance option at physical retail stores and on devices and will only offer monthly and annual subscriptions. You’ll still be able to get those multi-year plans on the online store.

If true, this is just one of the many services out there that will have gone to a subscription model. I do wonder, though, if users will be able to purchase an Apple product at a physical retail store and then make a one-time AppleCare+ purchase online, after-the-fact, like users can currently do.

As it stands today, if a user wanted to purchase AppleCare+ for an iPhone 16 Pro or iPhone 16 Pro Max, the one-time purchase price would be $199 for two years of coverage. The monthly option for the same coverage would cost $9.99/month, which would renew until cancelled. Assuming the user kept paying for monthly coverage for at least two years, they would end up spending $239.76, which ends up being $40.76 more expensive than purchasing the one-time plan for two years of coverage.

Whether or not Apple will update their pricing remains to be seen, but it will be interesting to see how this plays out and what users think of the changes.