It’s hip to be square: New iPad Pro may take design cues from iPhone 5

By Aaron Mamiit Published October 27, 2018

The new iPad Pro, which is expected to be announced at Apple’s October 30 event, will apparently take design cues from past iOS devices such as the iPhone 5.

“It will include more-squared-off sides like the iPhone 5, 5S, and SE from a few years ago,” said Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in a report that lays out expectations for the upcoming event. The iPhone 5 was released in 2012, followed by the iPhone 5S a year later. The iPhone SE, which launched in 2016, is the most recent device among the three.

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The report did not dive into details on why Apple moved forward with this redesign decision. Gurman has a reliable track record on revealing unannounced information on Apple’s products though, so perhaps the explanation will come on October 30.

The claim that the iPad Pro 2018 will drop the curved edges of its predecessors in favor of the squared-off look falls in line with a leaked render from last month. The render, which was reportedly based on a CAD design for the new iPad Pro, showed a nearly bezel-less design that ditches the Home button, similar to what Apple did with the iPhone X.

Without the Home button, unlocking the new iPad Pro will move away from the Touch ID fingerprint system and into the Face ID facial-recognition system. Earlier rumors suggested that Face ID will only work in landscape mode, but the most recent rumors are now claiming that the security feature will also work in portrait mode. There are also reports that the iPad Pro 2018 will come with a new Apple Pencil, which will also likely boast additional features.

Apple is also expected to reveal an updated MacBook Air, a refreshed iPad Mini, new iMac Mini and Mac computers, the AirPods 2, and the AirPower charging mat at October event.

The Apple event will take place in the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York and will be held earlier than usual for an Apple event at 7 a.m. PT. Apple fans looking to catch a glimpse of new the iPad Pro and all the other expected devices may watch the event through a live tream on Apple’s website or Twitter account, or through the Apple Events app on the Apple TV.

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