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The 12.9-inch iPad Pro 2020 with the Smart Keyboard and Magic Trackpad peripherals.
Samuel Axon
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The camera and sensor array on the iPad Pro 2020 includes two lenses and a lidar sensor.
Samuel Axon
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It’s still as thin as before, but that camera bump is a change.
Samuel Axon
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The iPad Pro has USB-C instead of Lightning as its only port.
Samuel Axon
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The design hasn’t changed except for that camera bump.
Samuel Axon
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Here’s the back.
Samuel Axon
According to sources cited by Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, who has accurately predicted several Apple product launches in recent years, Apple plans to launch a new iPad Pro model soon — perhaps as early as next month.
The report claims that the new iPad Pros will come in the same 11-inch and 12.9-inch sizes in which they are currently offered and that they will also look the same as the current models. However, they will have better cameras, faster processors, a new port and – at least in the 12.9-inch model – new screen technology.
The biggest surprise in this article is that the new port would be the same as in Apple’s laptops: Thunderbolt. Bloomberg sources say Apple has been testing versions of the iPad Pro that can connect to more external monitors and other types of peripherals due to the addition of a Thunderbolt port.
However, they give no clue as to whether external monitor support will be improved over the basic mirroring implementation we’re seeing on the iPad now.
The new iPad Pros will have a new, faster chip that is more similar in performance to the M1 found in the MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro introduced last year. And in any case, the larger of the two iPad Pro models is said to have a new Mini LED screen, reflecting a trend in that direction among many electronics manufacturers looking to make cheaper, more resilient LCD screens that compete with OLED.
The report does not comment on the upcoming camera changes, but only says that they will be better than the cameras in the current models.
Bloomberg concludes with a reminder that its sources have previously told that Apple is planning “major updates” to the iMac and MacBook Pro, as well as AirTags, the company’s long-delayed Tile competitor with augmented reality features.
Apple was rumored to hold an event next week to announce new iPads and perhaps other products, but the window in which invitations to such an event would normally be sent out has now passed, suggesting it won’t happen after all.
However, Apple announced an iPad Pro refresh around this time last year, so Bloomberg’s claim that another update will come as soon as April seems plausible.
List image by Samuel Axon