Ahead of the Apple iPad Pro event to be held today at 10 AM ET at Brooklyn, New York, It is expected that Apple Inc will unveil updates comprising facial recognition features to its Mac computers and iPads. This feature had been available in the iPhone lineup at an event in Brooklyn.
Expectations are of a new version of Apple’s iPad Pro, Apple’s higher-end tablet computer complete with thinner bezels and more screen space, and a face unlock system. They also expect updates to the redesigned MacBook Air, Apple’s $999 entry-level laptop.
Moreover, regarding the newer version of the iPad Pro, leaker Evan Blass today had tweeted a render of an iPad Pro
featuring slimmer bezels, no Home button, and possibly an inline TrueDepth camera system that does not have any necessity for a notch. However, the render turned out to be unreliable, a photoshopped image of a UAG case marketing shot.
Analysts expect the new iPads Pros to possibly feature TrueDepth camera system where Touch ID will be replaced by Face ID for biometric authentication purposes. Face ID on the new iPad Pro will reportedly allow users to unlock a device when it is held at a horizontal angle, rather than a vertical orientation. However, initial setup of Face ID is said to be performed in portrait orientation.
The sizes of the new iPad Pro models should be 10.5-inch and 12.9-inch sizes, being powered by Apple’s A12X Bionic processor.
It is also expected that the Lightning port on the devices would be replaced by USB-C, which would allow for faster charging and new functionality not possible via Lightning such as the ability to drive a 4K monitor.
There are additional rumors that Apple might announce a new Apple Pencil 2 with support for tap and swipe gestures, a new design, and a new charging method. It might even charge wirelessly when docked to the iPad Pro.
New Mac mini and a low-cost Retina Notebook can also be expected.
Analysts think that Apple is unlikely to cut corners to drop the price of its entry-level laptops. Carolina Milanesi, an analyst at Creative Strategies, stated that, “With Apple, ‘cheap’ is always more expensive than everybody else,” and that Apple is likely to pick a price where “you don’t feel like you’re breaking the bank, but you don’t feel like you’re compromising your experience.”
