14 DAY TRIAL // Apple will bring the Face ID facial recognition system to the iPad as well, with the next-generation model to give up on the home button just like the iPhone X.
A report from Bloomberg indicates that Face ID will be added to the 2018 iPad Pro lineup, but as compared to the iPhone X, the tablet won’t make the switch from LCD to OLED screens. Instead, Apple is considering other improvements that wouldn’t increase the price as much an OLED panel.
While at this point it’s believed the addition of facial recognition would bring a notch to the iPad as well, this still remains to be seen, especially because Apple does have more space under the hood of the tablet than it does on the iPhone.
On the other hand, without a home button iPad users would have to turn to new gestures to control the device, as it’s the case on the iPhone X, but that shouldn’t be a problem given that the tablet already supports such input for navigation.
New Apple Pencil
Together with the new iPad featuring facial recognition, Apple is also planning to introduce a new-generation Apple Pencil, as the company hasn’t yet revised the original version that it launched with the first iPad Pro. Without a doubt, Apple wants to stay close to rival Microsoft, which updates the Surface Pen with improved hardware and new features every year, and 2018 is expected to bring substantial tweaks in this regard.
Of course, Apple could change its plans overnight since we’re still far away from the moment the new-generation iPad is expected to be unveiled, but all these rumors to align nicely given the changes available on the iPhone X. Apple is known as a company that’s trying to keep devices in sync, so it makes sense for Face ID to be expanded to a wider array of products.
The new iPad Pro models will likely go live in mid-2018, possibly at WWDC in June, but this is just a guess for now, and more information is expected to surface soon.