Apple iPad Pro 2018 to get Face ID, gesture-based UI, lose 3.5mm audio jack

The next-generation iPad Pro models are also reported to have trimmed-down dimensions when compared with the current generation models, according to a report on Japanese technology portal Macotakara

US-based technology giant Apple is working on the iPad Pro 2018, which is reported to get some of its features from the iPhone X. These include the advanced facial recognition and gesture-controlled user interface. The next-generation iPad Pro models are also reported to have trimmed-down dimensions when compared with the current-generation models, according to a report on the Japanese technology portal Macotakara.The iPad Pro 2018 models are reported to come in 10.5-inch and 12.9-inch screen formats with edge-to-edge screen. Both the models would feature Apple’s advanced facial recognition biometric set-up, which uses an infrared camera, dot projector, flood illuminator, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor and front camera to 3D-map the user's face. In terms of dimensions, the iPad Pro 2018 with a 10.5-inch screen is reported to have a compact profile with dimensions measuring 247.5 x 178.7 x 6 mm, compared with 250.6 x 174.1 x 6.1mm for the current-generation model. Similarly, the 12.9-inch model would also have a trimmed dimension of 280 x 215 x 6.4mm, compared with 305.7 x 220.6 x 6.9mm in the current model.

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The iPad Pro 2018 models are also reported to lose the 3.5mm headphone jack, which has been missing in the iPhone models of the past few generations.The recent information around the upcoming Apple iPad Pro 2018 stands in line with the predictions of Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst at TF International Securities who has seldom been wrong. The analyst had earlier predicted that there would be two new iPad Pro models, the 11-inch model to replace the 10.5-inch model and a 12.9-inch model. Though the report on the Japanese technology portal still bets on a 10.5-inch screen, there are chances that we see an 11-inch model eventually.

Kuo also predicted that the new iPad Pro models would have Face ID, which has been reaffirmed in the recent report. The all-screen display with gesture-based navigation also hints at no Home Button on the front and iPhone X-like user interface, which was also predicted by Kuo earlier.

Apple unveils affordable iPad: 9.7-inch display, 8MP camera with Pencil

Apple executives said the company will release a iPad model that works with its Apple Pencil accessory and features an upgraded A10 Fusion chip, the same CPU that powers the iPhone 7

Apple Inc on Tuesday kicked off an event in Chicago where it announced a new Apple iPad that would work with its Apple Pencil accessory aimed at helping it grab more of the U.S. education market.

The tablet will have a starting price of $299 for students and $329 for consumers. Tech companies are battling for dominance in US schools with inexpensive devices and laptops that are geared towards classroom use and seen as a way to hook young consumers.

Education-geared laptops running operating systems by Alphabet Inc's Google or Microsoft Corp can be had for less than $200.

Apple hit hard on the education theme on Tuesday, with school bells and announcements over a public address system directing press and teachers into an auditorium at Lane Tech College Prep High School. Apple board member and former US Vice President Al Gore mingled with the crowd.

Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook opened the keynote with a nod to politics, saying "we are deeply inspired by the courage of the students who walked out" and marched on Washington, advocating for stricter gun control laws following a school shooting in Florida. The line elicited loud cheers from students seated at the rear of the auditorium.

The Chicago event comes during a spring buying season when many schools are making purchasing decisions for the upcoming school year.

Apple executives said the company will release a iPad model that works with its Apple Pencil accessory and features an upgraded A10 Fusion chip, the same CPU that powers the iPhone 7. The company also released a new version of its word processing apps for the iPad designed to work with the pencil and allow students to take handwritten notes more easily.

Apple made up just 17 percent of the K-12 U.S. educational market in the third quarter, according to data from Futuresource Consulting. Meanwhile 60 percent of mobile computing shipments to schools ran Google's Chrome operating system, and 22 percent had Windows.

Chromebooks sold by Dell Technologies Inc can be had for as little as $189. Microsoft last year introduced an education-focused laptop from partner Lenovo Group Ltd running Window 10 S.

Apple in recent years made changes to its operating system so that more than one student can log into an iPad, and to its software to let teachers better manage groups of students. (more)