New iPad Pro 2018: All the rumors on specs, price, Apple Pencil and Oct. 30 debut – CNET

There was a persistent rumor that Apple would host a "special event" in October. That rumor turned out to be accurate. And at 10 a.m. ET on Oct. 30, we'll find out which of the other numerous rumors were accurate, too — including all of the ones about a new iPad Pro.

After introducing the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR and the Apple Watch 4 just a month ago, Apple has now invited the media to a special event on Oct. 30. Of course, the company has hosted follow-on events in October before — most recently, in 2016, when it announced three new MacBook Pros and the TV app.

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This time, the rumors are loudest about new iPad Pros — though there's also buzz about a new MacBook Air, higher-end AirPods and a smaller HomePod as well as refreshes of other aging Apple products.

The recent release of the iOS 12.1 beta reportedly included references to eight "iPad2018Fall" devices — two Wi-Fi models and two LTE models in each size — according to 9to5Mac, as well as evidence of a new version of Face ID, USB-C connectivity and output support for 4K displays. Those kinds of features would help Apple compete with newer devices such as Microsoft's Surface Pro 6 and Google's Pixel Slate.

They would also help reestablish the Pro as a higher-end device after Apple added Pencil support and a faster processor to the entry-level iPads back in March. Starting at $329 (£319 or AU$469), the base iPad now offers many of the premium features that were previously exclusive to the considerably more expensive 10.5-inch Pro and 12.9-inch Pro.

For the moment, the Pro models still retain exclusive rights to the superior Retina display and Smart Connector, which lets you add a snap-on keyboard.

A chorus of pundits and supply chain sources now suggest that Apple will look to redefine the iPad Pro line — and justify its higher price — with a big-time update before the end of the year. Though Apple hasn't announced anything officially, there's a huge amount of buzz about new Pro models surfacing at the Oct. 30 event. Here's what we've heard so far.

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Editors' note, Oct. 18: This post was originally published on March 21, and will continue to be updated with news and rumors on the 2018 iPad lineup.

Rumor: New iPad Pros coming on Oct. 30

It's official. After the iPad Pro no-showed at Apple's Sept. 12 event, we immediately thought: October. And now the company has sent out an invitation — in fact, several variations of an invitation — to a "special event" on Oct. 30 in Brooklyn, New York.

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

Rumor: Apple preparing two new iPad Pros

Bloomberg reports that Apple is prepping two new tablets for late 2018 — one that measures "around 11 inches," which could be the rough equivalent of the current 10.5-inch model, and a 12.9-inch model. Previously, the publication had reported that Apple was working on at least one new iPad Pro, the 10.5-inch model.

Rumor: Apple Pencil 2.0

Apple has developed a new version of its Pencil stylus, according to 9to5Mac. Like Wacom's EMR stylus — and Apple's own AirPods — the new Pencil will automatically detect and pair with the new iPad Pro when nearby, and you'll be able to transition easily between supported Apple devices. We don't know, however, whether the new Pencil will work with older iPad models or whether the older Apple Pencil will work with the new iPads.

Rumor: USB-C onboard

Microsoft disappointed some when it released a new version of the Surface Pro without a USB-C connection earlier this month. But Apple is reported to have added the popular connection to the new iPad Pro, according to 9to5Mac. In addition to providing power to some accessories, the USB-C port will allow the new iPad Pros to output video to 4K external displays.

Rumor: Taking design cues from the iPhone X

Mac Otakara and 9to5Mac report that the forthcoming iPad Pros will benefit from a major redesign and integrate several new features that first appeared on the first-gen iPhone X last year. An iPad battery usage icon found in Apple's iOS 12 beta suggests that the upcoming models will look quite a bit different — with no Home button, slimmer bezels, rounded corners and a bigger display. And the iPhone X's rounded corners may also find their way onto the next iPad Pro, according to 9to5Mac.com.

Rumor: Face ID goes horizontal

There's no notch on those icons but the rumors suggest that the new models' bezels are able to accommodate Face ID without a notch. Developer Steve Troughton-Smith, who has discovered many Apple products and features before they were officially announced, says that the iOS 12 beta shows that future iPads will have Face ID — and that it will also be able to unlock the device even in landscape mode, something that even the new 2018 iPhones can't do today. (Bloomberg has also reported on this.)

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Rumor: Faster charging

Troughton-Smith has also found evidence that suggests that the new iPad may have a USB-C connection. This bolsters an earlier prediction by Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo that Apple will shift to an 18-watt USB-C power adaptor as well as previous reporting by DigiTimes.

The current-generation Pro models currently support the 18-watt spec, which can reduce charging time by 50 percent, but Apple ships them today with a 10-12-watt adapter. If true, this would mark a dramatic shift for Apple, which has used the Lightning connector broadly across its hardware lineup since its introduction in 2012.

Don't expect iPhone-style wireless charging, though. No one seriously expects the metallic rear panel in the iPad to go away, and that more or less prevents inductive charging.

Rumor: 3.5mm headphone jack going away

Mac Otakara reports that the forthcoming iPad Pro — at least the 10.5-inch model — will dispense with the traditional headphone jack in favor of Apple's own Lightning Connector. And there's plenty 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 last iPhones to come with a headphone jack are gone.

Likely: Performance bumps

The new entry-level iPad is powered by the 2016-era A10 processor, putting it just a half-step behind the iPad Pros, which run the A10X. But considering that the 2017 iPhones run the A11 and the new trio of 2018 iPhones use the A12 Bionic, it only makes sense that newer iPad Pros would have an A11 or A11X — at the very least. Bloomberg suggested back in November that the next iPads would have faster processors and GPUs, which have become a key component of almost every upgrade cycle.

Rumor: Probably no OLED display

One iPhone X feature that is unlikely to pop up in an iPad anytime in 2018 is an OLED display, according to Bloomberg. Not because Apple wouldn't like to use them. It's that suppliers simply don't yet have the bandwidth to produce them at the size and cost in the numbers required to address Apple's massive market. (That's the same reason the laptops with OLED screens are still few and far between.)

Rumor: Peace out, iPad Mini

Speaking of iPhones: With September's iPhone line introducing the 6.5-inch iPhone XS Max, it feels like the iPad Mini line just isn't long for this world. Bloomberg reports that the Mini will not be refreshed this year — and we have to wonder whether it will ever come.

Apart from a minor storage capacity upgrade in June 2017, the current Mini 4, with its 7.9-inch screen, hasn't been updated since its introduction in 2015. But it's more expensive than the 9.7-inch iPad because Apple sells only a 128GB version. Given that the new 9.7-incher delivers considerably more — a bigger screen, Pencil support and better performance — at a lower price, it's hard to envision that much demand remains for the Mini.

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