Aside from the new iPhones, Apple unveiled only one non-iPhone product last week, the Apple Watch Series 4. While some people wanted Apple to announce the 2018 iPad Pro models and the new MacBooks, we already knew that wouldn’t happen at the Gather Round event, thanks to a massive leak before the event. That doesn’t mean Apple won’t introduce new iPads and MacBooks, and it just so happens that the latest iOS 12 beta contains code that not only confirms new iPad Pros are coming but that they’re getting a brand new design as well.
Earlier iPad Pro leaks said the new tablet will ditch the home button in favor of Face ID authentication, which means the new iPads will have even thinner bezels. We then saw leaked CAD designs for the 2018 iPad Pro that seemed to confirm the rumors.
iOS 12.1 beta, meanwhile, contains code that reveals the tablets will have Face ID support, just as rumors, which should work both in landscape and portrait mode.
Face ID has support for landscape orientation (presumably for iPad only), and iOS 12.1 seems to care a lot more about whether an external display is connected (perhaps due to iPad USB-C rumors; it won't have the Lighting HDMI adapter as an intermediary for video-out)
— Steve Troughton-Smith (@stroughtonsmith) September 18, 2018
However, that doesn’t mean that iPhones that support Face ID will also get support for unlocking the phone in landscape mode, as the feature also requires a realignment of the front-facing sensors:
From what I gather, landscape Face ID would require a realignment of the front-facing sensors, so you won't see it on existing hardware https://t.co/gVyB4Hz3pW
— Steve Troughton-Smith (@stroughtonsmith) September 18, 2018
On top of that, 9to5Mac discovered Memoji syncing support in iOS 12.1, which is a feature that only makes sense if you have multiple devices that support Memoji. Since Memoji requires a TrueDepth camera, this is one other piece of evidence that supports the idea that Face ID is coming to the new iPads.
Furthermore, the code in iOS 12.1 beta includes an identifier for iPad2018Fall devices, which confirms new iPad Pros are on the way. The identifier is found in the Setup.app, which is the app that runs when you set up a new device. That means 2018 iPad Pro buyers will get a new set up screen that will teach them how to operate the tablet without the home button.
Apple is expected to unveil the new iPad Pros and MacBooks in October, although it’s unclear whether Apple will hold a new press event, or launch the new devices quietly. The education iPad got its press event earlier this year, but Apple only issued a press release when it updated the MacBook Pro laptops earlier this summer.
