Apple retail stores running low on iPhone SE ahead of September 9 event

Apple is set to reveal new iPhones, watches, and AirPods on September 9 and roughly a week ahead of the event, the company is running low on various products.

In the fresh edition of his PowerOn newsletter, Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman has revealed that inventory of many Apple products is low at retail stores. A dwindling inventory is often a precursor to what's to come, though that's not necessarily always the case.

First up, Apple seems to be running out of the universally hated FineWoven cases and bands. Hopefully, this means that the end of the cycle is nigh for the fabric option, which was touted as a premium and environmentally-friendly replacement to leather.

Aside from that, the stock is also low for non-FineWoven Apple Watch bands, suggesting new ones might be on the way. Apple Watch and AirPods stock has also been depleted, which is to be expected, given Apple will reportedly introduce the Apple Watch Series 10 and new AirPods during the upcoming event.

Apple retail stores also have low stock levels of various iPhone models. That doesn't just include the iPhones that will be phased out once the iPhone 16 lineup is announced, but also the iPhone SE.

Typically, this would point to an impending refresh, and since it has been more than two years since the iPhone SE 3 was announced, you might be tempted to think that the iPhone SE 4 will arrive next week.

Unfortunately, that's unlikely to happen, with Gurman reiterating that the low-cost model isn't expected to be released until next year.

Another product that's fast disappearing from retail stores is the iPad mini. While rumors indicate that a new model is on the way, it's not clear whether it will be revealed this month.

The iPad mini 7 is reported to be a minor upgrade over the current model, with a faster processor being the biggest highlight.