Not gonna happen. iPad Air 3 iPad mini 5 and current iPad 6th gen all use first gen pencil. They are not going to redesign the chassis for pencil 2.
First two can be expected. Last two no. We can dream for USB-C but Apple Pencil 2 ain’t gonna happen.
Dropping the button means going from Touch ID to Face ID for authentication, which means adding in the dot projector, flood illuminator, and infrared camera. On a device they probably want to keep selling at the same price (given it's the entry level model)), while putting in a larger screen. So, removing the button seems a bit unlikely (who knows though, maybe they're doing the Face ID hardware in such volume now that the price has come down).
I expect this 10.2" iPad will have exactly the same form-factor as the 9.7" model, but, yeah, there's been quite a mix of iPad sizes in the last few years.
"+Quad speakers and I'll prob shift from my 10.5 iPP"
What sense does it make to drop the Air? You don’t see any room for something in between a $299 budget model and a spare-no-expense $799 iPad Pro? Interesting.
Apple is widely expected to release a new 10.2-inch iPad later this year as a replacement for its $329 entry-level 9.7-inch iPad, and hit-or-miss Taiwanese industry publication DigiTimes has now added its weight to this rumor, claiming that the tablet will be released in the "late third quarter."
If accurate, that timeframe means the 10.2-inch iPad would be released by the end of September, suggesting that the device might be unveiled alongside new iPhones at Apple's usual September event.
iPad releases in the fall have typically occurred in October, including in 2012 through 2014 and again in 2018. September would not be totally out of the ordinary, however, as Apple unveiled the original iPad Pro and the iPad mini 4 at its September 2015 event without hosting an October event that year.
It's worth noting that DigiTimes has a rather unreliable track record as it relates to the timing of new Apple products. This week alone, for example, the website published one report saying the 16-inch MacBook Pro will be released in September and another saying the notebook will launch in October.
Multiple sources have outlined expectations for a new 10.2-inch iPad, including reputable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and the previously-reliable mystery Twitter account CoinX. Apple has also filed several unreleased iPad models running iPadOS 13 in a Eurasian regulatory database, as legally required.
The 10.2-inch iPad would have a modestly larger display than the 9.7-inch iPad, possibly in tandem with narrower bezels.
A reasonable assumption would be that Apple will unveil new iPhones and Apple Watches in September and save the rumored 16-inch MacBook Pro, 10.2-inch iPad, and iPad Pro refresh for October, but Apple could always break with tradition.
Article Link: 10.2-Inch iPad Said to Launch in the Fall as Successor to 9.7-Inch iPad
It’s a $299 iPad, exactly what kind of “innovation” are you looking for?
As long as a screen size increase is achieved via a reduction in bezel size, it is just a straight-forward improvement like higher pixel density or a faster processor. But I guess bog standard improvements are beneath your consideration.
Feature-wise we already have two lines:
Right, so let’s give Apple a pass (& let them become mediocre) because of yearly price increases which you know are coming anyway.
What yearly price increase? The $2,399 MBP that hasn’t had a price increase in three years? The $1,799 or $1,299 MBP that also haven’t had any increases in three years? Same with iMacs. Maybe you mean the $50 price increase for a much better Mac mini? I guess you’re not talking about the price cuts for the HomePod or MacBook Air.
