10th-gen iPad redesign may keep the home button, lose the headphone jack
Earlier this week, Mark Gurman at Bloomberg reported that iPadOS 16 will be delayed until October, in part due to the launch of new iPads at a mid-fall event. Based on a report by MySmartPrice, a redesigned 10th-generation iPad could be part of the new lineup.
MySmartPrice speculates that a new iPad is coming soon based on its acquisition of CAD renders from a maker of iPad cases. The renders show that the new iPad will have a similar bezel-heavy design as the current 9th generation iPad, but with a wider screen (10.5 inches) on a slimmer device with flat edges. The measurements are 9.8 x 7.1 x 0.27 inches (248.62 x 179.50 x 6.98 millimeters).
The 10th-generation iPad will reportedly have flat edges like the iPad Air.
The front of the iPad will still have a 12MP FaceTime camera and a Touch ID button, according to the report. The back, however, has a change from the current iPad, with a “camera island” as last seen on the iPhone XS and an LED flash accompanying the single lens camera. And according to the renders, it will no longer have a headphone jack. Apple has already removed the 3.5mm port from its other iPads. The Apple logo on the back appears to still be in a vertical position.
The flat sides in the renders are more like the iPad Pro and iPad Air and a change from the rounded edges of the current iPad. The renders, however, do not indicate if the port will be Lightning or USB-C, though rumors have suggested Apple is dumping the Lightning port. Apple has made the switch to USB-C in the iPad Air and the iPad Pro, and a law in the European Union requires USB-C to be used in mobile devices. There’s a very good chance the next iPad makes the switch as well.
Other reports have stated that the next iPad could have an A14 chip that replaces the A13 Bionic that’s in current use. According to Gurman’s report for Bloomberg, the new iPad could be announced along with new iPad Pro models and iPadOS 16 in October. It’s not clear whether Apple will increase the price of the 10th-generation iPad, which starts at $329.
