Apple goes retro with $399 iPhone SE, smaller iPad Pro

CUPERTINO, Calif. — Typically forward-looking Apple is making a bid to extend its product line by taking a cue from its past.

The company unveiled the iPhone SE Monday, which executives described as "the most powerful 4-inch phone ever." The phone starts at $399, or $17 a month without a service contract. Orders start March 24 and the phone will become available March 31.

The iPhone SE features the same processing power of the flagship 6S, which is double that of the earlier iPhone 5S. It also packs the same graphics capability of the 6S, and includes a 12 megapixel iSight camera.

One missing feature: 3D Touch, which iPhone 6S owners use to access different aspects of the mobile-operating system depending on how hard they press on the screen.

Apple allowed reporters at the event to briefly try out the new phone. Physically, it felt nearly identical to the old iPhone 4, with the more defined sides of that earlier phone than later iPhones.

SMALLER IPAD PRO

Apple took a similar retro approach for its newest iPad Pro, shrinking the business-focused tablet to a 9.7-inch diagonal size that echoes that of the standard iPad. The differences include a display that is superior to that of the standard iPad, with increased contrast ratio and a 40% less-reflective screen than an iPad Air 2. It is also 25% brighter. The device will go head to head with Microsoft's Surface Pro.

Prices for the new iPad Pro are $599 (32 GB) and $749 for 128 GB device. There's also a $899 version with a massive 256 GB capacity.

Both the new iPhone and iPad have an improved ability to sense ambient light and reduce screen glare accordingly. Researchers have determined that looking at bright screens late at night can impede deep sleep.

In other product news, Apple announced Siri  voice dictation for Apple TV.

Apple seems to have learned a lesson from its last event, which came under fire for being held in a huge arena in San Francisco and featured updates to products that underwhelmed many critics. Monday's event in a small auditorium on its campus was a more subdued event for around 300 that seemed to better fit the incremental news.

"While not 'swing you around the room' in terms of excitement, it did answer a few, very important questions, like how will Apple compete better in emerging region smartphones," Patrick Moorhead, an analyst with Moor Insights & Strategy, told USA TODAY.

Features like the A9 processor and its graphic processor, though not the modest storage offering, are high-end for a phone priced in the mid-range, he said.

PRIVACY FIGHT

The occasion was not without a nod to Apple's ongoing battle with the FBI, in which Apple is fighting an order that it provide the agency with code that can break into the iPhone used by a killer in the San Bernardino mass shooting.

That case took a startling turn late Monday as a judge granted the government's last minute request to cancel Tuesday's planned hearing in Riverside County just east of Los Angeles. The government will update the court on its position April 5.

Apple CEO Tim Cook kicked off the town hall by reiterating his company's steady drumbeat about the need for personal data security.

"We need to decide as a nation how much power the government should have over our data and over our privacy," Cook said. "We did not expect to be in this position, at odds with our own government. But we have a responsibility to help you protect your data and protect your privacy. We owe it to our customers and we owe it to our country. We will not shrink from this responsibility."

Cook's message was delivered after a short video introduction that listed a stream of Apple products that have been released since the company was founded. Its 40th anniversary is April 1.

Laughter greeted a moment when the word "Newton" appeared on the screen, and then was quickly scribbled over. Newton was an unsuccessful portable digital assistant created during a period that co-founder Steve Jobs was exiled from Apple. The notable glitch aside, Cook announced that 1 billion Apple devices are now in circulation globally.

With the FBI battle in the constant background, Monday's event was focused on Apple's core competency: products.

Apple's environmental issues lead Lisa Jackson took the stage to talk about the company's commitment to producing its tech gadgets in an eco-conscious way ("We are 100% renewable energy in 23 countries," Jackson said).

Then followed a presentation about ResearchKit, which leverages the iPhone to help doctors broaden patient research. Apple also announced CareKit, which will help post-operative patients keep better track of their progress after leaving the hospital.

Cook closed the uncharacteristically short presentation — one hour as compared to the typical two — by noting that "this will be the last product event here," the same theater where the iPod and App Store were unveiled.

Then a drawing of the company's in-progress headquarters flashed on the screen, a bold and massive circle with an open atrium.

"In 2017, we look forward to welcoming you all there," he said.

That might imply that next fall's predicted event for an iPhone 7 could happen in San Francisco, while future Apple product unveilings will be held at the new flagship. Presumably that building, which observers have likened to a spaceship, will include some products that don't as consciously look back to Apple's past.

Follow USA TODAY tech reporter Marco della Cava on Twitter: @marcodellacava