The iPad may undergo a design overhaul next year. Apple is reportedly working on a remodeled version that includes flagship features patrons have first seen in the iPhone X.
Citing sources familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday that the new iPad will sport a nearly bezel-less display, with a screen size similar to the current 10.5-inch iPad. The tech giant will supposedly trim the iPad's bottom bezel closer to the edge, and just as it did in the new iPhones, it is getting rid of the Touch ID home button.
Apple's Face ID will be implemented instead for unlocking the device, authenticating the user's identity for digital payment, and for Animoji. An improved Apple Pencil is also in the works and is expected to launch alongside the 2018 iPad.
The latest report comes after several claims, including that of KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, which said that the Cupertino-based company would embrace the Face ID in the iPad 2018 models.
Meanwhile, the company will likely stick with Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) for the new model rather than Organic Light-emitting Diode (OLED). Technical and financial constraints are apparently preventing the same display technology transition that the iPhone X made this year.
Per Apple Insider, the most expensive component of the handset is the display, and only Samsung is currently in the position to supply enough OLED panels that meet Apple's stringent standards. For now, the iPhone maker is only using OLED for the iPhone, Apple Watch, and MacBook Pro Touch Bar.
Other details about the next-generation iPad are still unclear at this point. Whether or not it will also change its back panel to support wireless charging, or be water resistant remains to be determined. Either way, the iPad will reportedly debut "later next year" or "a little more than a year" after the previous iPad Pro update at the 2017 Worldwide Developer's Conference.
