New iPad Could Receive 3D Camera, According To Apple Rumors
Rumors have long circulated about Apple’s next generation iPhone model, which is expected to be launched at an unannounced event in the coming weeks, though new rumors suggest that Apple’s flagship tablet – the iPad Pro – could receive a major upgrade come next year.
According to a report published this week by MacRumors, the Cupertino, California-based company is rumored to bring a 3D sensing camera technology to its tablet computer.
The rumors, which were originally shared by a Korean website called The Elec, claimed that Apple’s next generation iPad Pro model will be released in March of 2020. Apple last updated the iPad Pro in 2018 when it completely redesigned its popular tablet computer, which came in an 11-inch variant and a 12.9-inch variant. The website has seemingly deleted its post, though several websites including MacRumors, iMore, and SlashGear have reported on the rumor.
According to MacRumors, the 3D sensing camera could use a technology that is known as “time of flight.”
This means that a laser or light on the back of the device is used to measure the amount of time it takes for the light to hit various objects in the camera’s field in order to create a 3D map of a user’s surroundings.
According to the Apple rumor website, the 3D camera technology has previously been expected to make its way to the company’s iPhone lineup, though in a rare move for the company, the feature could first come to the iPad. While the feature is rumored to appear in March on the iPad, Apple wouldn’t likely introduce it on the iPhone until September, as it typically updates its flagship phone offering just once each year.
As The Inquisitr previously reported, this year’s iPhone offering is likely to disappoint users if current rumors are to be believed. While the phone is expected to receive its own laundry list of camera upgrades, it won’t feature the rumored 3D camera, nor will it feature a major redesign. The phone is expected to closely mirror Apple’s current iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR models. The current models were announced in 2018 and were slight upgrades to 2017’s iPhone X, which was the largest redesign to the iPhone since the product was launched a decade earlier.
2020 iPad Pro Said to Feature 3D Sensing Rear Cameras https://t.co/OrjlbzPZZM by @rsgnl pic.twitter.com/8fMidjFnot
— MacRumors.com (@MacRumors) August 26, 2019
The iPad was first unveiled by late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs at an event in 2010, and has seen significant upgrades in the decade that has followed. While the next-generation iPad models are expected to received 3D cameras, the original iPad unveiled almost 10 years ago did not contain a a front-facing or rear-facing camera. Apple introduced cameras on the front and back of its iPad with its second-generation tablet computer, the iPad 2.
According to MacRumors, a company spokesperson for Derkwoo Electronics, a company rumored to be producing the camera module for the iPad, claimed the rumors were untrue. Though as Fast Company noted in 2017, Apple has a history with secrecy and most likely would require its partners to remain tight-lipped about future product features.
