iOS 11.3 Firmware Subtly Hints at iPad With Face IDApple is planning to release a
next-generation iPad Pro this year with slim bezels and Face ID, like the iPhone X, according to Mark Gurman at
Bloomberg News, and evidence of the tablet may have been uncovered in iOS 11.3.
<img src="
" alt="" width="600" height="600" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-616964" /><center>
iPad Pro with Face ID mockup by Carlos Guerra</center>
iHelpBR editor Filipe Espósito has discovered strings in the
first iOS 11.3 beta that refer to a "modern iPad," which is notable since Apple's software engineers referred to the iPhone X as the "modern iPhone" in older firmware, according to both Espósito and developer Guilherme Rambo.
<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Yep, there’s definitely some references to a “Modern iPad” inside iOS 11.3.
pic.twitter.com/JHHone2R1D</p>— Filipe Espósito (@filipekids)
January 25, 2018<script async src="
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>
While the "modern iPad" strings could be placeholders, as commonly found in Apple's code, the discovery lends credence to rumors of an iPad Pro with Face ID, which would certainly be a logical next step in Apple's product roadmap.
<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">"Modern iPhone" meant iPhone X. "Modern iPad" is probably an iPad with Face ID
https://t.co/pbMAMj3QCe</p>— Guilherme Rambo (@_inside)
January 25, 2018<script async src="
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo
also expects Apple to release a new iPad Pro with Face ID this year, so there is a good chance the rumor is true. Like the iPhone X, the tablet reportedly lacks a Home button, although it will likely still have an LCD instead of OLED display due to supply, cost, and technological constraints.
It's unclear if the iPad Pro will have a notch for the TrueDepth system, as illustrated in the first mockup above, or if the device will have uniformly slim bezels on all four sides with enough room for the Face ID sensors.
<img src="
" alt="" width="800" height="576" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-602894" /><center>
iPad Pro with slim bezels rendered by Benjamin Geskin</center>
Face ID is also expected to be featured on a second-generation 5.8-inch iPhone X, a
larger 6.5-inch version dubbed iPhone X Plus, and a
new, cheaper 6.1-inch model with an LCD, aluminum frame, and no 3D Touch.
<div class="linkback">Related Roundups:
iPad Pro,
iOS 11</div><div class="linkback">Tag:
Face ID</div><div class="linkback">Buyer's Guide:
10.5" iPad Pro (Neutral),
12.9" iPad Pro (Neutral)</div>
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iOS 11.3 Firmware Subtly Hints at iPad With Face ID