I believe they will. I don't see them selling a legacy iPad or iPhone after October of this year at the latest. Aside from maybe the SE to keep the small phone/home button people happy.
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Do you think Apple will really re-design the iPad this year or next?...
- Thread starter Kal-037
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I don't think Apple has to wait until the 10th anniversary of the ipad in 2020 to give it the "X" treatment. Ipads don't sell as well as iphones, and a radical redesign will definitely help sales. I don't know when it's coming this year, in March, June or the fall, but i believe the rumors that a bezel-less design update using face ID will happen some time in 2018. I don't know what screen sizes Apple will go with however. Will they lose the bezels and keep the current 10.5" & 12.9" screen sizes? Or will they enlarge the screen size to fill in where the current bezels are? - making the screens something like 11.9 & 13.9? I dunno. But Whichever they do, I think Apple will stick with the LCD screens for now. The OLED screens on ipads aren't ready for prime time yet and will probably come in 2019 or later. Thats my guess anyway.
Apple already discontinued most legacy iPad currently. Beside iPad Mini 4, there aren’t any legacy iPad anymore. Unless you count the 9.7 inch iPad as legacy one.
I do believe Apple will keep the 9.7 inch iPad as low cost entry level iPad for masses. Apple will probably refresh this one on March. Probably will put A10 processor and update to 3/4GB RAM. I believe Apple will drop the iPad Mini entirely.
That’s a good point. I forgot about the low cost iPad. By legacy, I meant devices with a home button. You’re right though, some will stick around.
As the 10.5" iPad Pro has only recently had a redesign, I only see internal updates to it. Also I can see it eventually being phased out completely by a new redesigned 12.9" that will probably look more like the iPhone X. I can see the screen size of the larger brother changing from 12.9 to maybe 13.5"? But it will probably have all the bezels trimmed and be much lighter than the current 12.5". I think that would also apple to make only one size of Smart Keyboard than having two.
I see the Apple eventually only selling the one iPad Pro and not two!
So I think
2018 ===> updated 10.5" (internals only + Face ID) + new redesigned 13" iPad Pro (LCD) screen + Face ID
2019 ===> Phase out 10.5" iPad Pro (small internal update + Lower price) == introduced updated 13" iPad Pro (OLED screen + slightly higher price)
I see the Apple eventually only selling the one iPad Pro and not two!
So I think
2018 ===> updated 10.5" (internals only + Face ID) + new redesigned 13" iPad Pro (LCD) screen + Face ID
2019 ===> Phase out 10.5" iPad Pro (small internal update + Lower price) == introduced updated 13" iPad Pro (OLED screen + slightly higher price)
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The 10.5 seems to be more popular though. What if the 10.5 loses bezels and becomes a 11.7? That hits the sweet spot for me.
I disagree - it seems the 12.5" is more popular. I remember when the 10.5" was released and 12.9 updated - there were plenty of 10.5" available to purchase but the 12.9" was out of stock for weeks
Though I don’t like the idea, it was most likely due to Apple making less of the 12.9” this time around.
The 10.5 is popular because 12.9 is so huge. If the physical size were smaller, I'd have bought a 12.9 a long time ago.
I believe Apple will make an iPad X this year, but it will be it’s own model and not replace the current models. It will probably be the same device size as the 9.7” but have a screen filling the front face.
When you guys say Apple will lose the bezels, do you mean that they will elongate the aspect ratio of the screen or chop off the top and bottom bezels shortening the overall device height (portrait orientation)? If the latter, keep in mind the increase in screen size can only be about 10% at most, realistically.
Hope it doesn’t get elongated. 16:9 is a pain to use in tablet mode. My thinkpad yoga is horrible. Everything is simply Too high and squished horizontally.
10% isn’t bad though. The 10.5 goes up to approximately 11.3. My MacBook Air 11” is still my all around favorite portable machine.
The 12.9 is too large and awkward for me, the 10.5 a bit too small. 11.3 - 11.7 hits the sweet spot.
Assuming there is only 1 iPad X and it’s based around the mid-size iPad, there are three options:
- Based on 9.7” iPad case with a full screen
- 10.5” Screen with case adjusted for no bezels
- 10.5” case with a larger screen filling the case size
Disagree with 1. 9.7 case size bezelless gives you a screen size at or about 10.5. No real advantage.
I say 3, 10.5 case size bigger screen. Accessories all still stay the same.
OR 12.9 bezelless. Smaller case. New accessories. And we all know how Apple likes to milk the accessory market.
eV
I think you mean #1 and #3 are possible based on the iPhone X, right? They would, like the X, get new aspect ratios?
I think with the 10.5' size iPad Apple has struck gold !! It is just the right size not compromising too much on weight and bulk and size, anything else, otherwise the real fun and essence of a handy tablet would have been gone. People who want something bigger can always opt for the 12.9" iPad Pro. But with reduced bezels for the 10.5" iPad Pro, no home button, Face Id and had it been OLED Display and also some mechanism by which if Apple can help this thing to not to get as much finger prints as it gets now. This thing would be like a device created by gods for the gods ! 
I think with the 10.5' size iPad Apple has struck gold !! It is just the right size not compromising too much on weight and bulk and size, anything else, otherwise the real fun and essence of a handy tablet would have been gone. People who want something bigger can always opt for the 12.9" iPad Pro. But with reduced bezels for the 10.5" iPad Pro, no home button, Face Id and had it been OLED Display and also some mechanism by which if Apple can help this thing to not to get as much finger prints as it gets now. This thing would be like a device created by gods for the gods !
I'm with you all the way on this except for the reduced bezels part. The physical size is really perfect. Doesn't need to go smaller. Extend the screen all the way to the edges (someone in another thread ran the numbers and it gives us a 11.7" screen) and NOW it's perfect.
I’d say an 11.7” and 13.9” iPad line-up for real professional use would be awesome. But I think I’d be more happy with the 12.9” to stay the same screen size but reduced iPhone X style bezels.
Decrease the weight to about 1.29 pounds and have 6.1-6.9mm bezels, Face ID, improved cameras, and wammo, you have THE perfect iPad.
Kallum.
For me the perfect iPad would be the Mini, maybe increase the screen size but keep the same physical devices dimensions the same. Add pencil support. The thing is basically the same size as a Molskine notebook and the perfect accompaniment to my 13 inch MBP.
People have made a wish list here rather than discussing a more practical possibility that Apple would come out with. People are talking haywire stuff I mean 11.7", iPad Mini ? which is a dead product, 13" iPad Pro ? and what not ? That's bizzare and unheard of !!
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I think Apple will introduce a new “iPad” with a slimmer bezels and FaceID. I think it will only be one size, probably close to a 9.7”. I actually think Apple will keep the current iPad Pros for another year as is.
9.7? Why would they go smaller? I'm also interested in Samsung. If they came out with a much improved Tab S4 I'd like that.
Play a game. Let’s call the 9.7 iPad the iPhone SE. 10.5 is the old 4.7 inch iPhone and the 12.9 is the 7+
People wanted a larger screen in a smaller body with good tech and double cameras.
My guess is that the current crop just gets internal updates and color changes (like the recent iPhone launch ) for legacy users. A whole new category comes out. iPad X. Body of the 10.5. Perhaps a few millimeters higher to preserve screen ratio. Edge to edge screen. This would be the new model. A 11.7 inch screen marginally bigger than the old 10.5
It’ll mirror the iPhone launch and rollout. 2019 we will see the others in the range updated. Maybe the 12.9 gets the iPad X+ treatment and the 9.7 stays budget but goes edge to edge.
Mimi is the wildcard. I want an update but think it’s dead so no guesses. Time will tell
People wanted a larger screen in a smaller body with good tech and double cameras.
My guess is that the current crop just gets internal updates and color changes (like the recent iPhone launch ) for legacy users. A whole new category comes out. iPad X. Body of the 10.5. Perhaps a few millimeters higher to preserve screen ratio. Edge to edge screen. This would be the new model. A 11.7 inch screen marginally bigger than the old 10.5
It’ll mirror the iPhone launch and rollout. 2019 we will see the others in the range updated. Maybe the 12.9 gets the iPad X+ treatment and the 9.7 stays budget but goes edge to edge.
Mimi is the wildcard. I want an update but think it’s dead so no guesses. Time will tell