Next iPad may look more like an iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard support

AppleInsider · August 29, 2020 8:08PM

The next iPad may borrow some of the design and features from the iPad Pro lineup, with allegedly leaked design schematics including thinner bezels, sensors intended for Face ID, and supposed support for the Magic Keyboard.

Apple launched its seventh-generation iPad in September 2019, with it sporting a larger 10.2-inch Retina display and support for the full-size Smart Keyboard. In what could be an indicator for other products that may launch alongside the anticipated "iPhone 12" in September, schematics claiming to show the next iPad suggest it may gain another facelift.

The images published by 91Mobiles depict an iPad with a 10.8-inch display, which is said to correlate with other rumors and speculation about the model. To match the larger screen, Apple will also take advantage of the design language of the iPad Pro to make the bezels slim.

Alleged iPad Schematics (via 91mobiles)

The change in bezel design would also mean the loss of Touch ID, as the images don't seem to show a Home button at all. Another leaker on Thursday claimed it would have Touch ID on the power button, though the schematics also propose the tablet will have the requisite sensors in the bezel to be able to use Face ID.

The edges use the same flat design as the iPad Pro lineup rather than a more gradual curve. Towards the base are claimed to be a USB Type-C port for charging, four microphones, and dual speakers, though this last point could be Apple adding a second grille for design symmetry.

On the back, instead of a camera bump, it will apparently have the same single-camera setup as previous models. There is also seemingly no sign of the LiDAR element found on the Pro models.

There is also a claim that the back includes magnetic connectors, which the publication says would be for Magic Keyboard support.

The report claims the schematics show an eighth-generation iPad, but other rumors have also suggested it could be an iPad Air 4. As the third-generation iPad Air launched in March 2019, it remains a possibility that the schematics show that model instead.

citpeks · August 29, 2020 8:53PM

Before anyone screams "fake!" and says it's impossible to obtain such schematics, do know that Apple openly publishes these drawings as part of their Accessory Design Guidelines for Apple Devices.

It is the bible that case manufacturers use to design their products, with dimensions, sensor locations, warnings, etc.

These drawings in particular are too small to determine whether they're authentic, just recycled from the first iPP 11" and passed off as new, or faked, but like the recently revealed "Air" booklet, do generally fit the pattern of Apple's documentation.

Once any new devices are revealed, and R13 of the guide is published, the score can be tallied.

DAalseth · August 30, 2020 1:39AM

AppleInsider said:
... Another leaker on Thursday claimed it would have Touch ID on the power button, ...

Not a chance. It's too thin. The sensor would have to wrap around the back of the device. As far as having a narrow sensor just in the button, even PC manufacturers have moved away from the single line sensors that you swipe your finger over. They never worked very well.

CheeseFreeze · August 30, 2020 1:56AM

If Covid-19 is a long term thing, I hope Apple will actually bring back Touch ID as a secondary way to unlock the device, as paying and unlocking with Face ID is tricky wearing a mask. I also don’t want the latter security to be turned down so it’s a weaker security level to accommodate the lack of mouth/nose data as part of the recognition phase.

macuserosu · August 30, 2020 3:41AM

I would love it if the put the Touch ID at the camera module like Samsung did. I usually have my index finger near the camera while holding it.

JFC_PA · August 30, 2020 4:36AM

CheeseFreeze said:

If Covid-19 is a long term thing, I hope Apple will actually bring back Touch ID as a secondary way to unlock the device, as paying and unlocking with Face ID is tricky wearing a mask. I also don’t want the latter security to be turned down so it’s a weaker security level to accommodate the lack of mouth/nose data as part of the recognition phase.

Perhaps, yet I don’t find it tricky at all. The moment my iPhone detects my covered face it requests my passcode to authorize ApplePay, or unlock. A matter of seconds and it’s completed. That was implemented a few updates back and works very reliably.

gregoriusm · August 30, 2020 4:47AM

DAalseth said:

AppleInsider said:
... Another leaker on Thursday claimed it would have Touch ID on the power button, ...

Not a chance. It's too thin. The sensor would have to wrap around the back of the device. As far as having a narrow sensor just in the button, even PC manufacturers have moved away from the single line sensors that you swipe your finger over. They never worked very well.

The new Surface Duo from Microsoft has a fingerprint reader on the side, so it looks like it’s doable on a very thin device. When the reviews come out, I’m keen to see how well it works, though.

matrix077 · August 30, 2020 5:28AM

macuserosu said:

I would love it if the put the Touch ID at the camera module like Samsung did. I usually have my index finger near the camera while holding it.

Don’t like this idea. The camera glass should be pristinely clean, not having God knows how many daily fingerprints we take obscuring it. The photo details could suffer as a result.

pascal007 · August 30, 2020 7:05AM

JFC_PA said:

CheeseFreeze said:

If Covid-19 is a long term thing, I hope Apple will actually bring back Touch ID as a secondary way to unlock the device, as paying and unlocking with Face ID is tricky wearing a mask. I also don’t want the latter security to be turned down so it’s a weaker security level to accommodate the lack of mouth/nose data as part of the recognition phase.

Perhaps, yet I don’t find it tricky at all. The moment my iPhone detects my covered face it requests my passcode to authorize ApplePay, or unlock. A matter of seconds and it’s completed. That was implemented a few updates back and works very reliably.

If you consider 6 (or even 4) digits passcode "secure", you are right. But if you activate long passcodes (alphanumeric), then this isn't really as fast as you say. 4 digits passcodes can be hacked in seconds. 6 digits passcodes can be hacked in minutes.

qwerty52 · August 30, 2020 8:38AM

In this Corona times, if Appel wants to be more competitive on school and college market, it will be nice if the lower range iPads, get some pro futures.

paraeeker · August 30, 2020 10:55AM

FaceID makes sense on laptops and phones. Touch ID is more natural on tablets because they are being handled by the edges when picked up. Also it’s hard to figure out the device’s orientation in the dark. Much easier to feel for the touchID button.

Apple is all about usability, but here methinks they have misstepped. No one’s infallible, of course, but a smarter person/organization makes a U turn when the indications say so!

GeorgeBMac · August 30, 2020 11:31AM

DAalseth said:

AppleInsider said:
... Another leaker on Thursday claimed it would have Touch ID on the power button, ...

Not a chance. It's too thin. The sensor would have to wrap around the back of the device. As far as having a narrow sensor just in the button, even PC manufacturers have moved away from the single line sensors that you swipe your finger over. They never worked very well.

Laptops have had thin fingerprint sensors for over a decade. One could argue that they do not offer the same level of security as Apple's Home Button sensor -- because they almost certainly do not. But, it is obviously possible to put a finger print sensor on a button that is approximately the same size as the finger print sensor on those laptops.

GeorgeBMac · August 30, 2020 11:36AM

pascal007 said:

JFC_PA said:

CheeseFreeze said:

If Covid-19 is a long term thing, I hope Apple will actually bring back Touch ID as a secondary way to unlock the device, as paying and unlocking with Face ID is tricky wearing a mask. I also don’t want the latter security to be turned down so it’s a weaker security level to accommodate the lack of mouth/nose data as part of the recognition phase.

Perhaps, yet I don’t find it tricky at all. The moment my iPhone detects my covered face it requests my passcode to authorize ApplePay, or unlock. A matter of seconds and it’s completed. That was implemented a few updates back and works very reliably.

... 4 digits passcodes can be hacked in seconds. 6 digits passcodes can be hacked in minutes.

How?

There was a hardware device able to bypass Apple security awhile back. But Apple has since eliminated that with an update.

GeorgeBMac · August 30, 2020 11:38AM

qwerty52 said:

In this Corona times, if Appel wants to be more competitive on school and college market, it will be nice if the lower range iPads, get some pro futures.

Such as .... what exactly?

It already has a file system and can use external keyboards and mice. What pro feature(s) is it lacking that a student would need?

razorpit · August 30, 2020 12:37PM

GeorgeBMac said:

qwerty52 said:

In this Corona times, if Appel wants to be more competitive on school and college market, it will be nice if the lower range iPads, get some pro futures.

Such as .... what exactly?
It already has a file system and can use external keyboards and mice. What pro feature(s) is it lacking that a student would need?

I think iPad OS needs A better multi-window management system. While the current slide-in, pop-over options are an improvement over what we had, it’s only slightly better than the old modal method. Also the core Mail and Contacts apps are dumbed down from their desktop equivalents. There’s tasks I do o a somewhat regular basis in those apps that requires me to go to one of my Mac OS machines. I wish there was a paste as text feature, and finally I’m ready for a clipboard manager. For as much as Apple brags about security I think it’s a shame we’re forced to rely on third party options for this feature.

I’m sure others may not consider these “pro” features by their definition, but I believe they are things Apple needs to improve.

nicholfd · August 30, 2020 1:25PM

paraeeker said:

FaceID makes sense on laptops and phones. Touch ID is more natural on tablets because they are being handled by the edges when picked up. Also it’s hard to figure out the device’s orientation in the dark. Much easier to feel for the touchID button.

Apple is all about usability, but here methinks they have misstepped. No one’s infallible, of course, but a smarter person/organization makes a U turn when the indications say so!

iPads default to auto-rotating & Face ID works in any orientation - no problem here.

qwerty52 · August 30, 2020 2:43PM

razorpit said:

GeorgeBMac said:

qwerty52 said:

In this Corona times, if Appel wants to be more competitive on school and college market, it will be nice if the lower range iPads, get some pro futures.

Such as .... what exactly?
It already has a file system and can use external keyboards and mice. What pro feature(s) is it lacking that a student would need?

I think iPad OS needs A better multi-window management system. While the current slide-in, pop-over options are an improvement over what we had, it’s only slightly better than the old modal method. Also the core Mail and Contacts apps are dumbed down from their desktop equivalents. There’s tasks I do o a somewhat regular basis in those apps that requires me to go to one of my Mac OS machines. I wish there was a paste as text feature, and finally I’m ready for a clipboard manager. For as much as Apple brags about security I think it’s a shame we’re forced to rely on third party options for this feature.

I’m sure others may not consider these “pro” features by their definition, but I believe they are things Apple needs to improve.

Exactly! If “flexibility” is not related to the definition of “pro”, I have no problem to drop the word “pro”.

dcgoo · August 30, 2020 4:22PM

If you consider 6 (or even 4) digits passcode "secure", you are right. But if you activate long passcodes (alphanumeric), then this isn't really as fast as you say. 4 digits passcodes can be hacked in seconds. 6 digits passcodes can be hacked in minutes.

Except you only have 5 chances to get it right. Personally I use a short alphanumeric password, mainly because when the keyboard pops up, there is no clue as to the length of the password. I do the same thing on my watch (except no alpha).

georgie01 · August 30, 2020 4:57PM

razorpit said:

I think iPad OS needs A better multi-window management system. While the current slide-in, pop-over options are an improvement over what we had, it’s only slightly better than the old modal method. Also the core Mail and Contacts apps are dumbed down from their desktop equivalents. There’s tasks I do o a somewhat regular basis in those apps that requires me to go to one of my Mac OS machines. I wish there was a paste as text feature, and finally I’m ready for a clipboard manager. For as much as Apple brags about security I think it’s a shame we’re forced to rely on third party options for this feature.

I’m sure others may not consider these “pro” features by their definition, but I believe they are things Apple needs to improve.

It sounds like you actually want a macOS computer but think you want an iPad...

The primary benefit of an iPad isn’t the size but rather the simplicity while still allowing powerful functions. We’ve all been reading for years how the iPad needs this or that to be ‘Pro’, yet I did 95% of my dissertation in 2011 on the iPad 1 and even got a special mention for how nice it looked (the only part I didn’t do on the iPad was create some figures because at the time there wasn’t an app for that).

Since the beginning people have simply been unwilling to change their perspective of what a computing device is. Rather than working within the beneficial limitations they keep thinking ‘options’ and ‘functionality’ are what make something Pro, and that’s not true.

Hank2.0 · August 30, 2020 5:55PM

Next iPad may look more like an iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard support

Next iPad may look more like an iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard support a Microsoft Surface.

razorpit said:

I think iPad OS needs A better multi-window management system. While the current slide-in, pop-over options are an improvement over what we had, it’s only slightly better than the old modal method. Also the core Mail and Contacts apps are dumbed down from their desktop equivalents. There’s tasks I do o a somewhat regular basis in those apps that requires me to go to one of my Mac OS machines. I wish there was a paste as text feature, and finally I’m ready for a clipboard manager. For as much as Apple brags about security I think it’s a shame we’re forced to rely on third party options for this feature.

When is an iPad not an iPad? When it's a Mac...

...and yes, I'm a cynic . I mean really, if this trend continues, what the heck would be the difference between a 12" iPad Pro and a 12" MacPro Air, other the the operating system?

GeorgeBMac · August 30, 2020 7:53PM

georgie01 said:

razorpit said:

I think iPad OS needs A better multi-window management system. While the current slide-in, pop-over options are an improvement over what we had, it’s only slightly better than the old modal method. Also the core Mail and Contacts apps are dumbed down from their desktop equivalents. There’s tasks I do o a somewhat regular basis in those apps that requires me to go to one of my Mac OS machines. I wish there was a paste as text feature, and finally I’m ready for a clipboard manager. For as much as Apple brags about security I think it’s a shame we’re forced to rely on third party options for this feature.

I’m sure others may not consider these “pro” features by their definition, but I believe they are things Apple needs to improve.

It sounds like you actually want a macOS computer but think you want an iPad...

The primary benefit of an iPad isn’t the size but rather the simplicity while still allowing powerful functions. We’ve all been reading for years how the iPad needs this or that to be ‘Pro’, yet I did 95% of my dissertation in 2011 on the iPad 1 and even got a special mention for how nice it looked (the only part I didn’t do on the iPad was create some figures because at the time there wasn’t an app for that).

Since the beginning people have simply been unwilling to change their perspective of what a computing device is. Rather than working within the beneficial limitations they keep thinking ‘options’ and ‘functionality’ are what make something Pro, and that’s not true.

I've never heard anyone ask that the iPad needs to "Pro" level in terms of laptop functions.

But, it was lacking some core features that made it less than functional when asked to do many laptop tasks -- such as word processing and speadsheets because, without an external keyboard and mouse it was possible but very clumsy.

At this point, it can probably perform 80-90% of typical laptop functions quite well with its biggest limitation now being screen size -- but that's a limitation of the form factor as few want to deal with a 14" or 16" tablet.

Next iPad may look more like an iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard support

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