Apple is expected to unveil a redesigned iPad Pro with Face ID and no home button, alongside new Mac computers, at an event in New York on Tuesday afternoon.
The long-rumoured iPad Pro redesign will be the first significant change to Apple’s iOS-based tablet since the release of the 12.9in iPad Pro in 2015.
According to an icon found within the latest version of Apple’s iOS software, the new iPad will have an all-screen design with slimmer bezels around all sides. It will still have a power button and volume buttons, but will lack a home button, instead relying on facial recognition for unlocking the device. It will not have a notch into the screen like Apple’s new iPhones, however.
The new tablet is also expected to embrace the USB-C connector, replacing the long-standing Lightning connector that has been used in the iPhone and iPad since 2012.
All of Apple’s Mac computers released since April 2015 have shipped with at least one USB-C port, with the MacBook and MacBook Pro shunning all other ports for the multipurpose connector.
The new iPad is also expected have a new version of Apple’s A12 Bionic processor, as found in the 2018 iPhones, and may have a new graphics chip.
Apple will hope the that refreshed iPad Pro with greater PC-like capabilities, including the versatility of the USB-C connector, will boost sales of the tablet against growing competition from Windows 10 2-in-1 hybrids such as Microsoft’s Surface Pro and Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 tablet that aim to perform both tablet and laptop duties.
New MacBook Air?
Apple is also expected to update its Mac computer line with new processors and some updated designs. Despite its popularity, the MacBook Air was last updated in early 2015 with fifth-generation Intel Core chips with 8GB of RAM made standard in 2017, and is still on sale with those old components.
Ever since the introduction of the new 12in MacBook in 2015, Apple has been expected to either drop the MacBook Air from sale or update it.
Rumours predict that the MacBook Air will see a redesign with an improved screen and newer seventh or eighth-generation Intel Core chips bringing it into line with Apple’s other computers.
Apple’s smallest desktop computer, the Mac Mini, has not seen an update since 2014 and is still sold with fourth-generation Intel Core chips. The Mac Mini is expected to either be dropped from sale or updated with new chips similar to the MacBook Air.
The iMac, MacBook and MacBook Pro without Touch Bar are currently sold with seventh-generation Intel Core chips, and are anticipated to see updates to the newer eighth-generation components at some point in the near future.
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