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Seanm87

macrumors 68020
Oct 10, 2014
2,208
4,407
As others have mentioned there's a reason it only supports the first Apple Pencil. The charging module for the 2nd gen pencil obviously takes up too much space to have a camera as well.
 

scottwiz105

macrumors member
Oct 30, 2018
39
19
As others have mentioned there's a reason it only supports the first Apple Pencil. The charging module for the 2nd gen pencil obviously takes up too much space to have a camera as well.

My guess is when they put the camera in landscape on the IPP in the future, we'll have a pencil that attaches on the side rather than the top. Just swap the camera and magnets/charging locations.
 

scottwiz105

macrumors member
Oct 30, 2018
39
19
How do you do that when the speakers are on the side?
My thoughts are this will be a chassis change, so the speakers will probably change size/location a bit. Or if they keep the pencil magnets/charger on top with the camera, the pencil will be a new version and not reverse compatible.
 

fakestrawberryflavor

macrumors 6502
May 24, 2021
423
569
It was cheaper for them to reuse the same case and display. More margins for them and another reason for people to upgrade next year. These companies always withhold and gate features that are available as long as they can to give more incentive for next year's upgrade. WiFi 6E is a good example of it not being on an iPhone that should have had it last year, none the less this year. One of those marketing strategies that works well, why they keep doing it - even if we all see right through it and hate it.
 

flur

macrumors 68020
Nov 12, 2012
2,391
1,174
How can there be a big redesign for a rectangular slab? All they can do is shift the camera orientation and change internal components.

Maybe they will release the iPad Ultra next year when it comes with an optional touchscreen keyboard accessory, giving it a clamshell design instead of that magic keyboard crap. All for $1999.
This is like asking how they could redesign the iPhone (also a rectangular slab) or a laptop (two rectangular slabs connected by a hinge).
 

flur

macrumors 68020
Nov 12, 2012
2,391
1,174
My guess is when they put the camera in landscape on the IPP in the future, we'll have a pencil that attaches on the side rather than the top. Just swap the camera and magnets/charging locations.
Fully expecting this for the next iteration in 2024, along with updated screen tech and new magic keyboards to fit with everything else they're updating.
 

Kierkegaarden

Cancelled
Dec 13, 2018
2,424
4,137
Note that the iPad 10th gen still doesn't support Apple Pencil 2.

There's no Apple Pencil charging/docking mechanism, etc. that will interfere with the cameras in landscape mode.
This makes sense to me. I’m not sure how much magnetic interference is generated from the Pencil area, but it is probably enough to cause problems with cameras.
 

Xand&Roby

macrumors 6502a
Jun 13, 2020
534
486
Landscape camera it's the tombstone on the very concept of iPad: with this choice Apple kills the tablet to sell a surrogate of a Mac, which is not a Mac, to those who can't afford a Mac.
All the experience of using the tablet needs to be changed horizontally: it needs a keyboard, that is, it becomes a cheap notebook without being one (neither notebook nor cheap), the use itself goes in the opposite direction, which is that of MS (to be ashamed of the case copied from Microsoft products), Samsung and many others.
Apple simply decided that pecunia non olet and sacrificed on the altar of money any semblance of a motivated vision of its product lines, and that's why it fired designers and is clogged with engineers, sells poor, old products, with new packaging, it increases prices disproportionately in proportion to how much its hardware and software worsens.
Apple is the new Microsoft, but not today's Microsoft (which I personally think has done, does and will suck) but that of Vista.

Welcome new users!
 

bniu

macrumors 65816
Mar 21, 2010
1,125
306
10th gen iPad doesn’t have FaceID components and has no pencil charging mechanism on the side, so it’s an easy camera move to Landscape and serves as a cheap A:B test to see how well people take to the landscape camera.

iPad Pro keeps the camera on the side since likely the pencil charging magnets will interfere with the TrueDepth camera and other faceID components. Seems that this upgrade isn’t aimed at 2021 Pro users. Probably aimed at the last group that’s still hanging onto their 2017 A10X based iPad Pros and getting them to move along to M2, or maybe aimed at some of the 2018 iPad Pro users.
 

darngooddesign

macrumors P6
Jul 4, 2007
18,366
10,122
Atlanta, GA
If Apple had given the M2 a landscape camera with the Pencil-2 shifted to the left or right (because there isn't space for it above the physical face-id hardware), everyone who upgraded to the M2 because it has a landscape camera is going to complain that they wish Apple had waited until the M3 redesign. Something something planned-obsolescence.
 

darngooddesign

macrumors P6
Jul 4, 2007
18,366
10,122
Atlanta, GA
Really not sure why they even updated the Pro’s this time. They should be embarassed. Hopefully, just means real update is in Spring like they used to be next year.
They upgraded for the same reason they upgraded to the A12Z in the 2020 Pros.

What a strange world where people complain about something being made faster. If that and the hover feature, which is really nice for illustrators whoa re a big user group, don't appeal to you then just wait a year for the M3 iPads. It's not like Apple made a big production out of the upgrade.

Embarrassed? LOL
 
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slplss

macrumors 6502a
Nov 2, 2011
946
1,010
EU
This makes sense to me. I’m not sure how much magnetic interference is generated from the Pencil area, but it is probably enough to cause problems with cameras.
Still, if USB-C is the future for base iPad, why not give it an USB-C Pencil 1 gen 2? Lighting dongle for USB-C? The most Apple thing ever.
 

Arran

macrumors 601
Mar 7, 2008
4,928
3,935
Atlanta, USA
I think Covid, work from home, supply chain issues, etc is having a bigger impact on products than you would think. Many of the product releases the past couple of years have had very odd feature decisions.
I’m going with supply chain. Particularly if Apple’s planning to put two front cameras on the new Pros (one landscape, one portrait). They’d need twice as many camera components for every iPad shipped. Which means they could only ship half as many pros next year. The street wouldn’t like that.
 

slplss

macrumors 6502a
Nov 2, 2011
946
1,010
EU
If Apple had given the M2 a landscape camera with the Pencil-2 shifted to the left or right (because there isn't space for it above the physical face-id hardware), everyone who upgraded to the M2 because it has a landscape camera is going to complain that they wish Apple had waited until the M3 redesign. Something something planned-obsolescence.
No problem with incremental internal upgrades. Problem is basic iPad got a better camera treatment, arguably better keyboard than the latest Pros. Just swapping M3 over M2 would cause a little uproar, unlike for M2 line not adding two elementary features of this year’s base iPad.
 
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darngooddesign

macrumors P6
Jul 4, 2007
18,366
10,122
Atlanta, GA
No problem with incremental internal upgrades. Problem is basic iPad got a better camera treatment, arguably better keyboard than the latest Pros. Just swapping M3 over M2 would cause a little uproar, unlike for M2 line not adding two elementary features of this year’s base iPad.
Keyboard is debatable, certainly not elementary, I dislike that style of kickstand keyboard case, the whole thing is stretched out occupying more desk space than the other iPad keyboards. I've tried both and I find them more unstable on your lap as well. That still case is worse if you travel in economy class and like to use the iPad and keyboard on the tray.

So the iPad 10 has a landscape camera, but a worse pencil.

None of these features is objectively better or worse, just buy what you use the most. And if the iPad you want doesn't have them yet, wait until it does or buy a different iPad. Or buy a different iPad case. For example, for as infrequently as I video chat the camera location is a less important feature to me, certainly less important than Pencil-2 support.
 
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Abazigal

Contributor
Jul 18, 2011
20,392
23,893
Singapore
My guess is when they put the camera in landscape on the IPP in the future, we'll have a pencil that attaches on the side rather than the top. Just swap the camera and magnets/charging locations.
A few issues I have with that.

1) Where would they put the charging port?

2) This also means that people have to hold the iPad in landscape mode with the Apple Pencil in the way. When I use the iPad in the classroom, the pencil is attached to the top, and out of the way. I might find it annoying to have to grip the pencil as well, were it to move to the side.

3) That's also where the power button is, unless they move it to the top as well. I am probably one of those who uses the iPad in portrait mode as much as in landscape mode, if not more (not really a fan of Safari in landscape mode), and I am more comfortable with the current layout.
 

darngooddesign

macrumors P6
Jul 4, 2007
18,366
10,122
Atlanta, GA
A few issues I have with that.

1) Where would they put the charging port?

2) This also means that people have to hold the iPad in landscape mode with the Apple Pencil in the way. When I use the iPad in the classroom, the pencil is attached to the top, and out of the way. I might find it annoying to have to grip the pencil as well, were it to move to the side.

3) That's also where the power button is, unless they move it to the top as well. I am probably one of those who uses the iPad in portrait mode as much as in landscape mode, if not more (not really a fan of Safari in landscape mode), and I am more comfortable with the current layout.
Yeah, there's no space for the pencil on the short end due to the speakers so I think it will remain on the longer side. I think they will either put a charger on one side of the Face ID array and redesign the pencil so that part is located on one end internally, or have two smaller chargers on either side of the array. Both solutions require a Pencil 3.
 

Abazigal

Contributor
Jul 18, 2011
20,392
23,893
Singapore
I think they will either put a charger on one side of the Face ID array and redesign the pencil so that part is located on one end internally, or have two smaller chargers on either side of the array. Both solutions require a Pencil 3.
I can't imagine Apple having the pencil be on just one side of the iPad, knowing their preference for symmetrical designs.

I also don't see Apple doing away with the charging port altogether and going MagSafe (they could do a google and combine a msgsafe charging stand with an always-on display), given how usb-c support has become integral to so many workflows (namely plugging in external storage).

No one likes being told that they can't have it all, and I think this just goes to show that engineering is ultimately about managing constraints and making the right call on what compromises to make in a product. The 10th gen iPad shows that there are merits in the current iPad Pro design with Face ID on the side and the charging mechanism on the top, and barring some breakthrough where the two are able to co-exist in the same space, there really doesn't seem to be a "best of both worlds" scenario here. Just a matter of who wins or loses more.
 
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Proteinaceous

macrumors regular
Dec 4, 2004
198
215
Apple already has a potential solution to having the pencil charger and the camera system on the same landscape side…look at the iPhone 14 pros…dynamic island. Lowering the camera system behind the screen potentially frees up space for the charger to remain in the bezel.
 

darngooddesign

macrumors P6
Jul 4, 2007
18,366
10,122
Atlanta, GA
Apple already has a potential solution to having the pencil charger and the camera system on the same landscape side…look at the iPhone 14 pros…dynamic island. Lowering the camera system behind the screen potentially frees up space for the charger to remain in the bezel.
How will the landscape dynamic island work in portrait? Maybe we can have four of them.
 

Rogifan

macrumors Penryn
Nov 14, 2011
24,734
32,198
My thoughts are this will be a chassis change, so the speakers will probably change size/location a bit. Or if they keep the pencil magnets/charger on top with the camera, the pencil will be a new version and not reverse compatible.
You‘re probably right. I’m curious what they do with the Magic Keyboard. The new keyboard has a function row but the way the Magic Keyboard is currently designed there isn’t room for another row of keys. But I love the design because the screen feels so close to the keys; you don’t ever feel like you’re really having to reach to touch the screen. And I like that it’s usable on a lap. I would hate if the iPP became more like a Surface or if the Magic Keyboard became more like this new keyboard.
 
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