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iPad Pro Update With Face ID Expected This Year

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Apple often releases a feature on the iPhone first, which then makes its way to the iPad in a few months. It seems fitting that Face ID would be one such feature. Evidence has been mounting of an upcoming iPad refresh, and late spring/early summer is typically when Apple chooses to release these new models. However, there are some contradictions. For example, Apple just released a new iPad Pro design last year with the 10.5″ model, which shrunk the bezels of the 9.7″ iPad Pro. Apple may be reluctant to release a new iPad model a year after the last big refresh. Apple also has another problem: Face ID. To Notch or not to Notch? That is the question. Or, rather, how many notches are needed? Is the iPad ready for the iPhone X treatment?

The Rumor

Eurasian Economic Commission registration for new iPads.

Above you can find an Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) registration acknowledgement for new iPads. The EEC regulates electronic devices sold in Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia. All devices capable of encryption must be registered before they can go on sale. This is how we know that new iPads definitely are coming soon. However, this is all we know from this leak. It doesn’t tell us what these new iPads will look like.

https://twitter.com/filipekids/status/956546796888776704

That’s where iOS 11.3 comes in. Filipe Espósito, journalist, noticed references to a “Modern iPad” in the iOS 11.3 beta. That might seem like a strange name. Isn’t every new iPad a “Modern iPad?” Not exactly. The iPhone X was referred to as the “Modern iPhone” in iOS software prior to the release of the iPhone. The “modern” moniker, to Apple, means that the device in question will be an iPad in the same vein as the iPhone X. That likely means smaller bezels and Face ID. But these theories aren’t without their flaws.

The 10.5″ iPad Pro

We’re going to need a bigger notch.

Research and development are expensive. For a product to be profitable, it typically requires a few years on the market. While it’s true that Apple updates their product line yearly, they save the tremendous changes for every few years. This is because it’s easier to do a small upgrade in specifications, such as a new processor, new camera, or more memory, than to introduce a new form factor and new features. Apple needs to contract new suppliers, draw up new designs, and ensure every piece works perfectly with the rest. That’s why I’m suspicious of a brand new design just after Apple revealed the 10.5″ iPad Pro. Although, besides the screen, the 10.5″ iPad Pro wasn’t a groundbreaking update. Perhaps it wasn’t as costly for Apple as it might seem?

Face ID

Twisting my neck to unlock my iPhone X wasn’t the best idea.

If the iPad Pro gets Face ID, Apple is going to have to change Face ID. One of the most annoying faults of Face ID is that you must hold your iPhone in portrait orientation. It’s already been an annoyance on the iPhone, but it would be far worse on the iPad. The iPad can be used in any orientation, even upside down, and is often used in landscape orientation. Apple’s own Smart Keyboard forces users to hold their iPad this way. Therefore, if Apple adds Face ID to the iPad, they’re going to have to make it work in landscape orientation. That could mean two sets of sensors to get the 3D imaging right, or a new algorithm that can scan your face in any orientation. If Apple needs multiple sensors, we can be sure that they won’t add two notches to the iPad. However, if they can do it with just one sensor, we may see an iPad with a notch. Do we really want Apple products to be known for “The Notch” though?

If True…

Apple’s iPad with Face ID likely wouldn’t share the iPhone X OLED display. Apple’s LED displays are incredible, with a wide P3 color gamut, 264 pixels per inch resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate (double that of the iPad that came before it), and energy saving technology that only updates areas of the screen that need to be updated. On top of that, while Apple’s OLED display is one of the best ever created, it does have some issues with discoloration at extended viewing angles, which could happen on Apple’s 12.9″ display more easily, due to its size in relation to your field of view. The biggest reason to go with an OLED display is battery saving technology, something the iPhone still desperately needs, but the iPad doesn’t struggle with as much. On top of all of that, OLED displays made the iPhone X more expensive, and Apple has had difficulty supplying them. Therefore, we’ll likely see Apple’s first nearly bezel-free LED displays on the iPad Pro this spring.

Face ID is still slower than Touch ID, but Apple wants to push for the technology that appears to “just work” (usually), and is supposedly more secure (unless you’re a child or have a twin). It’s clear that any version they’d implement in the iPad would have to be an upgrade over our current implementation, and, seeing as this is the iPad, Apple could speed up the processor and therefore possibly the recognition programs. We haven’t yet seen leaks of this new iPad, which means it could still be a few months away. Are we ready for Face ID and smaller bezels to hold the iPad though?

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