iPad Pro 2018: What We Know So Far
The iPad Pro 2018 was noticeably absent in Apple’s recent unveiling, fueling speculations that the flagship tablet would be revealed sometime later this year, possibly in the same event when the Cupertino-based tech giant would unveil its latest line of MacBooks. There are a lot of rumors about the 2018 iPad Pro, and a lot of them tease a radical redesign of the long-beloved tablet computer.
As noted in a Forbes report, rumors are high that the iPad Pro 2018 would feature screen sizes of 11 inches and 12.9 inches. Despite these, the upcoming flagship tablets will reportedly be smaller than their direct predecessors, thanks to slimmer bezels that surround the device. The bezels of the 2018 iPad Pro would reportedly feature much of the same design cues as the iPhone X, though they would be just thick enough to allow users to comfortably hold the tablet without triggering an input on the device’s actual touch panel.
The 2018 iPad Pros will also reportedly ditch the Home Button as well. Just like the iPhone X, the upcoming flagship tablets will be adopting a more touch-based interface. In place of the TouchID sensor, the 2018 iPad Pro would reportedly be utilizing a Face ID sensor for security features. The size of its bezels allows the device to be bezel-less, however.
Following its iPhone cues, the 2018 iPad Pro would probably ditch the headphone jack too. Thus, just like the company’s smartphones, this year’s flagship iPads would likely require wireless headphones. Price-wise, the iPad Pro would likely be priced similarly to the outgoing iPad Pro models.
Leak Suggests New iPad Pro Models Unlikely to Debut at Today’s Apple Event https://t.co/AjmdElg1aV by @waxeditorial pic.twitter.com/8ri1Li9Pw7
— MacRumors.com (@MacRumors) September 12, 2018
While the idea of a bezel-less iPad Pro that uses FaceID is indeed exciting, a Cult of Mac report also notes that the upcoming feature would likely come with a notable flaw. See, Apple’s Face ID system only works in Portrait mode in the iPhone X. Considering that the same technology would likely be used in the 2018 iPad Pro, there is a good chance that the security feature would have to be used in Portrait mode as well in the flagship tablet. This is no problem for a smartphone, but when users are holding a 12.9-inch tablet, Face ID’s orientation limitations would likely cause some inconvenience to owners.
The 2018 iPad Pro is expected to pack Apple’s A12 Bionic processor, or maybe even an A12X chip, as well a 4GB of RAM. Storage options would likely remain similar to last year’s models. The 2018 iPad Pro would likely be released in the same event as the 2018 MacBooks, which is expected to be held sometime in October.
