Apple Store down, signalling that new iPhone 7 and SE could be released alongside iPads

It isn't clear that Apple actually has to take its store down to update it, and it almost certainly does so instead as a way of flagging new products

Tables of Apple Mac products on display in the new Apple Store In Covent Garden on August 5, 2010 in London, England (Getty)

The Apple Store has gone down, probably signalling new iPhones are on the way.

It's not possible to buy anything from Apple online at the moment. And while that might just be because the store is being updated, it's far more likely that it signals new products are about to drop.

That could include an updated iPhone 7, potentially in a new red colour, as well as an iPhone SE. The latter phone currently packs the iPhone 6s's insides into a smaller body – and so it's likely that the new phone could bring the updates that came with the iPhone 7 into a 5s package.

The company is also set to launch updated iPads, including at least one new iPad Pro, and potentially a new MacBook. Apple might also use the time to unveil a new set of Apple Watch bands, which it usually does ahead of spring.

Apple hasn't said anything about March releases, and was expected to hold an event this month. But it seems that it will instead launch the new products on the store, without holding an event about them.

The company's website usually goes down ahead of its major launches. In the past, that was thought to be necessary because of the architecture of the site – it's since been updated so that it's probably no longer necessary, but Apple continues to take it offline to build anticipation.

The Apple Store was scheduled to go down for about five hours. That means it's expected to come back up around noon in the UK, or in the early morning US time.

Full details on Apple's rumoured spring products can be found here.