The iPhone X may have really caused a stir upon its launch as it is rumored that the 2018 version of the iPad will borrow the defining features of Apple's latest flagship handset. For one, the Cupertino-based tech giant's next premium tablet is expected to lose the home button and the Touch ID feature in exchange for the new Face ID system.
As reported by Bloomberg, one of the iPad models to be released in 2018 is expected to sport a similar size with the 10.5-inch iPad Pro device released earlier this year. However, the major change coming to the iPad will be the absence of the home button, as well as the bezels getting further reduced. These changes will be done to give way for an immersive viewing experience on the iPad 2018.
With Apple reportedly getting rid of the home button in iPad 2018, it is now unlikely that users will get to see the Touch ID again. With this, the new biometric feature of the premium tablet will be the iPhone X's 3D facial recognition scanner. Some people welcomed this change as the Face ID system will be an easier method to unlock the iPad, as well as to authenticate money transactions and sending animated emojis. To recall, the home button with embedded Touch ID feature has been on the iPad device since 2014.
The Verge reported that the home button of the current iPads have not been updated for years. The tablets still used the clicking, physical button unlike the newer iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 devices that made the switch to non-movable home buttons. The latest Apple handsets have the home button that stimulates touch using vibration. However, with the trend now shifting to a widescreen display, the iPad 2018 may proceed without any home buttons.
Meanwhile, it is not yet expected that Apple will make the jump to OLED screens for the iPad 2018 display. The tablets are likely to keep the LCD display, as the shift to OLED would be more expensive and challenging. As for the release date, Bloomberg stated that the iPad 2018 will be available "later next year," possibly by the fall. It is also rumored that the redesigned iPad device will come with an all-new Apple Pencil.
