iPad 2018 Release Date, Specs Rumors: Next Year's Model to Have Face ID, No Home Button, and No OLED
Apple has just consolidated their iPad lines earlier this March, and reports already coming in about plans to bring the tablet's features on par with the iPhone X. The new, high-end and likely to be very expensive iPad could be coming next year with facial recognition technology, according to sources.
The company looks to be pushing their Face ID technology to more devices, starting with the 2018 iPad or iPad Pro, according to insiders familiar with the matter, via Bloomberg. That also means that the new line of premium tablets will be losing their home button as well.
The circular home button has long been a distinguishing feature of iPhones and iPads until Apple decided to follow Samsung's design that gets rid of dedicated buttons on the front of their Galaxy S8. It's the same home button that also houses the fingerprint scanner since 2014, and that means that users will have to use Face ID to unlock the device or sign for payments.
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Removing the home button also lets Apple go for smaller bezels, a nod to Samsung's Infinity display form factor. This slimmer look looks to be a significant change to the iPad's form factor, which has remained unchanged since the iPad Pro launched in 2015.
The new iPad could have the same screen size as the 10.5-inch iPad Pro when it launches "later next year," according to The Verge. This new iPad model could also come with an updated Apple Pencil, which is expected to launch alongside the new tablets.
Unfortunately for OLED fans, Apple is reportedly sticking with the older LCD tech for their next premium line of tablets. "Technical and financial constraints" are the alleged reasons, as Apple is perhaps looking to turn to cheaper components to build next year's iPads.
Unlike Samsung that already uses ultra high-resolution OLED screens for its Galaxy tablets and Galaxy book, the Cupertino-based company is sticking to IPS LCD, an older technology that was introduced in 1998. Next year's iPad looks to be an interesting mix of old and new technology when it launches later in 2018.
