New Apple iPad Pro, Microsoft Surface Pro Likely to Appear in March
ANALYSIS: It appears increasingly likely that updated Apple iPad Pro and Microsoft Surface Pro tablets will compete head to head starting this spring.
There’s been a lot of conflicting information about the new processor in the industry rumor mills, but the areas of agreement are that it will be faster, which is no surprise since that’s been Apple’s practice since the beginning.
Meanwhile, the smaller iPad Pro or perhaps the iPad Air 3, or maybe both of those models will be announced at the same time. There’s significant evidence that Apple will try to break new ground with a tablet with either a very thin bezel or no bezel at all.
This would make the entire front surface part of the tablet’s screen, which would imply the end of the home button. Apple has already eliminated the physical home button from the iPhone 7, but it was replaced with a virtual button area on the screen where the home button used to be.
What’s Apple baking?
If the new iPad eliminates the button to devote the whole area to the screen, then it would be a precursor to what’s expected for the iPhone 8. This would be a good way for Apple to try out the idea of a button free screen in lower numbers than would be the case for a new iPhone 8.
There’s also evidence that Apple is planning a standard 9.7-inch iPad, which might be the smaller iPad Pro or it could be an iPad Air 3. If I had to guess, the idea of an edge-to-edge screen on an iPad would seem to make more sense on the iPad Air 3, since that’s the consumer version where Apple tends to try marketing a new device.
That would mean that the new smaller iPad Pro would look a lot like the last one from a year ago. That also makes sense since the Pro is a business product where a snazzy screen isn’t necessarily a high priority.
The other rumor that’s making the rounds is that Apple will have a new version of the Apple Pencil, which would be a distinct service to users if true. The current Apple Pencil invites damage when it’s being charged and thus sticking out of the bottom of the tablet since there’s no way to secure the Pencil to the iPad or anything else.
If a new design had a way to attach it to the iPad or perhaps a pocket clip, that would be an improvement. Of course, it would also be an improvement if there was more software available that allowed the Pencil to be more useful.
But regardless of the details, one thing is certain and that a battle of the tablets is looming when Microsoft launches a new version of the Surface Pro, also in March.
Originally published on eWeek
