2019 iPad: Redesigned like iPad Pro with thin bezels, symmetry, and Face ID?

[Icaras]

I really love the look of the new iPad Pro. It perfectly matches the uniform aesthetic of Apple’s current iPhone X branded lineup with thin black bezels, buttonless full screen display, and Face ID.

Does anyone think Apple will translate the iPad Pro design language onto the consumer level iPad next year with a smaller form factor (9.7” —> ???)? I want the look and feel of the iPad Pro but don’t need all the bells and whistles that warrants it’s $799 price tag. If Apple came out with a similarly designed consumer iPad and brought the cost up to $399 -$499, I would be fine with that (I mean that’s how much we used to pay before). Also, throwing in XR colors would be icing on the cake.

Let the speculation commence.

 

[bwApple! fwApple!]

Eventually, yes. In 2019, no.

 

[profets]

I don’t think it’ll happen anytime soon. Definitely in the future, but probably a few years away. Heck, the current iPad even reverted to a non-laminated display. Given it’s price, they’re going to likely be slow to add more to it as to keep the margins where they want.

 

[rui no onna]

Highly doubt it'll have Face ID. Now that the 9.7" iPad has Pencil support, they might even skip next year and release basic iPads every 2 years like they did with iPod touch.

I do hope the rumors about an upgraded iPad mini pan out, though.

 

[Amazing Ox Space Monkey]

I want the look and feel of the iPad Pro but don’t need all the bells and whistles that warrants it’s $799 price tag.

What are actually the bells and whistles that warrant the $799 price tag?
/s

Unless they introduce a cheaper 12.9”, they’d look all the same to me. I would not care about thinner bezels, colours, faster processor. Where is the software that utilizes the faster processor? My Air2 is plenty fast and will continue to be until they introduce a much more elaborate OS which may tax the processor.

I may be enticed by more storage options (256GB). 128GB would do for now and the next 1-2 years but I am not a person who upgrades his iPads every other year.

So, I’d welcome more storage options.

 

[MF878]

There’s definitely a gap between the $329 iPad and $799 iPad Pro that could be filled with something that doesn’t have all of the shortcomings of the former (eg. no laminated display). Apple knows this which is why they’ve kept the previous 10.5” iPad Pro around at $649. However, I think a new standard “iPad” in the $500-600 range that favours the new design language and Face ID over “Pro” features like the X chipsets and ProMotion would be more compelling for this type of customer. It would also be an easier upsell from the $329 iPad (which could be redubbed “iPad SE” due to its classic design perhaps?). If you’re looking for Face ID under $500 though, you’ll be waiting a while.

 

[UltimateSyn]

They need to keep lots of selling points for the profit-hungry Pros. I don’t think the iPad will get the new design language and FaceID until ~2020.

 

[sonicrobby]

I think 2019 would just be a spec bump. If we are lucky, USB C and pencil 2 support. I would guess it might adopt the new design in 2020+ once the parts become cheaper to produce.

 

[tipoo]

I'd be happy if they even managed A11/3GB and adding back the antireflective coating for the same 329. Would buy right away.

The laminated display would be great too but that seems like more of a tooling change. Not expecting anything like the Pro redesign from the 10.5 let alone the 11, and certainly not FaceID.