Several 2018 iPad Pro Features Might Have Been Confirmed By Newly Spotted Icon
An icon recently spotted in iOS code might confirm many of the 2018 iPad Pro’s design and technical features, with two days remaining before Apple is expected to unveil the new tablet line at a media event in Brooklyn.
According to 9to5Mac, the recently discovered icon is more detailed than a similar one that was found in the code of iOS 12’s fifth beta version, which was meant to be used in the battery widget and didn’t offer much insight into the tablet’s features. Like the previous icon, the new one suggests that the new iPad Pro will sport rounded corners and will not come with any notch or Home button. However, there were some new details that hint at some of the upcoming device’s basic features.
This year’s iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR come with a side button that replaces the sleep/wake button and allows users to take screenshots, activate Siri, or shut down the phone, among other simple tasks. Website 9to5Mac pointed out that the iPad Pro icon still comes with a sleep/wake button on top, which could suggest one of two things — it could be a “design decision” on Apple’s part to include a sleep/wake button, or Apple might introduce the all-around side button on the new iPad Pro due to the icon representing an “unfinished asset.”
Exclusive: Icon found in iOS shows new iPad Pro with no home button https://t.co/brniW2zRiP by @_inside pic.twitter.com/yAgP7PrT1d
— 9to5Mac (@9to5mac) October 28, 2018
Likewise, 9to5Mac wrote that the iPad Pro icon features bezels that are thicker than those found on this year’s iPhones. The publication theorized that this could be similar to how last year’s iPhone X glyph also had thicker design lines and bezels, in order for the icon to be clearer even at smaller sizes.
The 9to5Mac discovery of the iPad Pro icon represents the latest leak gleaned from iOS code to offer some hints at the new tablet’s design and technical features. According to Cult of Mac, the leaks suggest that there’s a good chance the 2018 iPad Pro will come with a USB-C port instead of the Lightning port included in Apple’s devices from recent years, as the iOS 12.1 beta was found to include support for virtual 4K external displays, thus making the setup a “snap” for gadgets that have USB-C ports. Aside from the possibility of USB-C support, the new iPad Pro is also expected to come with Face ID, as recent analyses of iOS code also revealed that the tablet will support FaceID for both portrait and landscape orientations.
As previously reported by the Inquisitr, other rumored iPad Pro features include a new magnetic connector to replace Apple’s existing Smart Connector and a new version of the Apple Pencil.
