The new iPad Pro: everything we know until now

The new iPad Pro is official. Apple has just unveiled it on stage during its event in Brooklyn. Details remain to come, but at least some of the rumors are true: the home button seems to have disappeared, replaced by face identification and there is a new way to load it.

Apple hopes that the revamped iPad Pro will be better positioned to compete with contemporary tablets like Microsoft Surface Pro 6starting at $ 899, and Google Pixel Slate, which starts at $ 599. But it's also important for Apple to restore the Pro as a high-end device after adding Pencil holder and a faster processor at his entry-level iPad in March.

Since then, the $ 329 iPad has offered many features that were once exclusive to the considerably more expensive 10.5 inches Pro and 12.9 inches Pro, which started at $ 649 and $ 799, respectively, entering the event today. With the new design and new features announced today, Apple will attempt to restore some of the premium that separates the basic iPad from the Pro lineup.

Apple has also announced a new MacBook Air and one new Mac Mini.

This is a story in development. Follow CNET's live blog for real-time coverage.

The following is our previous story that gathered rumors about the iPad Pro before it was launched.

---

Tuesday, at 10 o'clock, we will finally separate the rumors from the facts. Apple should unveil several new products at his event on October 30 in Brooklyn, including an updated version of its high-end iPad Pro tablet.

Watch: Live blog of the Apple iPad event and livestream

After introducing the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR and the Apple Watch 4 just a month ago, Apple's encore is expected to present a new MacBook Air and other computers in addition to the new iPad Pro. But there are other devices that could also stand out, including a new version of the company. AirPod earphones, the long-awaited wireless battery charger AirPower and a more compact HomePod.

For now, the buzz remains the strongest about the new iPad Pro and its accessories. An article published by 9to5Mac highlights more evidence of the overhaul of the rumor, which would include thinner glasses, rounded corners and repositioned buttons. Previously, the iOS 12.1 beta has been found to include references to several devices "iPad2018Fall" and features such as Face ID support, USB-C connectivity, and output on 4K displays.

These features would help Apple compete with new devices such as Microsoft Surface Pro 6 and Google Pixel Slate. But they would also help restore the Pro as a high-end device after adding Apple Pencil holder and a faster processor at the entry-level iPads in March. Starting at $ 329 (£ 319 or AU $ 469), the basic iPad now offers many of the high-end features that were previously exclusive to much more expensive computers. 10.5 inches Pro and 12.9 inches Pro.

At the moment, Pro models still retain exclusive rights to the Retina top screen and smart connector, allowing you to add a plug-in keyboard.

A group of experts and sources in the supply chain now suggest that Apple will seek to redefine the iPad Pro range – and justify its higher price – with a major update before the end of the year. Although Apple has not officially announced anything, the new Pro models that appeared at the October 30 event are of great interest. Here is what we have heard so far.

Editor's note, October 29: This post was published on March 21st and will continue to be updated with news and rumors regarding the 2018 iPad lineup.

Rumor: The new iPad Pro will arrive on October 30

It's official. After the iPad Pro not shown at the September 12 event organized by AppleWe immediately thought: October. And now, the company has sent an invitation – in fact, several variations of an invitation – at a "special event" on October 30 in Brooklyn, New York.

There is a strong tradition of early October for the new iPads: the iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 were introduced in a combined Mac and iPad event in October 2014.

Rumor: Apple is preparing two new iPad Pro

Bloomberg announced that Apple was preparing two new tablets for late 2018 – one that measures "about 11 inches", which could be the approximate equivalent of the current model of 10.5 inchesand a 12.9-inch model. Previously, the publication indicated that Apple was working on at least one new iPad Pro, the 10.5-inch model.

Rumor: Apple Pencil 2.0

Leaker designer Benjamin Geskin reports Apple has redesigned its Pencil stylus by adding gesture support and other features. As The EMR pen from Wacom – and that of Apple AirPods – The new pencil will automatically detect and pair the new iPad Pro when you are nearby and you can easily switch from one Apple device to another. However, we do not know if the new Pencil will work with the old iPad models or if the old Apple Pencil will work with the new iPad.

Apple Pencil 2018:

– The design is even more minimalist, the silver rail is now gone.
– Tap and drag the gestures along the pencil.
– Magnetically attachable to the new iPad.
– New loading method. pic.twitter.com/tS1ptCWgnh

– Ben Geskin (@ VenyaGeskin1) October 29, 2018

Rumor: USB-C on board

Microsoft has disappointed some released a new version of the Surface Pro without USB-C connection earlier this month. But Apple would have added the popular connection to the new iPad Pro, according to 9to5Mac. In addition to powering certain accessories, the USB-C port will allow the new iPad Pro to transmit videos on 4K external displays.

Rumor: take design landmarks from the iPhone X

Mac Otakara and 9to5Mac report that the upcoming iPad Pro will benefit from a major redesign and will incorporate several new features that have appeared on the first generation of the iPhone X, last year. An iPad battery usage icon found in Apple iOS 12 beta suggests that future models will look a little different – without a Home button, thinner glasses, rounded corners and a larger screen. And the rounded corners of the iPhone X could also end up on the next iPad Pro, according to 9to5Mac.com.

Rumor: the face becomes horizontal

There is no notch on these icons, but rumors suggest that the glasses of the new models are able to adapt Face ID without notching. Developer Steve Troughton-Smith, who discovered many Apple products and features before their official announcement, claims that the 12 beta version of iOS indicates that future iPads will have a face ID – and that it will be also able to unlock the device even in landscape mode, something that even the new 2018 iPhones can not do today. (Bloomberg also reported on this.)

Rumor: faster charge

Troughton-Smith also found evidence that suggests the new iPad could have a USB-C connection. This reinforces an earlier prediction from the Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo that Apple will change to an 18-watt USB-C AC adapter as well as previous DigiTimes reports.

Pro models of the current generation currently support the 18-watt specification, which can reduce load time by 50%, but Apple today provides them with a 10-12 watt adapter. If that's true, it would mark a radical change for Apple, which has been using the Lightning connector in its hardware lineup since its introduction in 2012.

Do not expect an iPhone style wireless charging, though. Nobody seriously expects the metal back panel of the iPad to disappear, which more or less prevents induction charging.

Rumor: 3.5mm headphone jack that goes away

Mac Otakara reports that the future iPad Pro – at least the 10.5-inch model – will dispense with the traditional headphone jack in favor of the connector Lightning Apple. And there is a lot of momentum in this direction: when Apple announced the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR it also stopped selling the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, iPhone 6S and 6S Plus and iPhone SE – meaning that the latest iPhones to come with a headphone jack have disappeared.

Probably: performance bumps

the new entry-level iPad is powered by the A10 processor of the 2016 era, which places it at a half step from the iPad Pro, which runs the A10X. However, since the 2017 iPhones are using A11 and the new 2018 iPhone trio is using A12 Bionic, it makes sense that the new iPad Pro have an A11 or A11X – at all. less. In November, Bloomberg had suggested that the next iPads would have faster processors and graphics processors, which have become a key part of almost every upgrade cycle.

Rumor: probably not OLED display

According to Bloomberg, one of the features of the iPhone X that it is unlikely to appear in an iPad at any time in 2018 is an OLED display. Not because Apple would not like to use them. It is that the providers simply do not yet have the bandwidth needed to produce them at the size and cost corresponding to the number required to meet the colossal market of Apple. (This is the same reason why laptops with OLED displays are still rare.)

Rumor: Peace, iPad Mini

Speaking of iPhone: with the September iPhone range that introduces the iPhone XS Max, we have the impression that the iPad Mini range is not long for this world. Bloomberg reports that the Mini will not be refreshed this year – and we need to ask if this will ever happen.

Aside from a minor upgrade in storage capacity in June 2017, the current Mini 4 with its 7.9-inch display has not been updated since its introduction in 2015. But Is more expensive than the 9.7-inch iPad because Apple only sells 128GB version. Given that the new 9.7 inches provides a lot more – a bigger screen, a pencil support and better performance – at a lower price, it's hard to imagine that there's still a big demand for the Mini.

5 upcoming features on the iPad under iOS 12: Apple has not forgotten the iPad with iOS 12.

The best tablets you can buy now: hand-picked by CNET experts.