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Alleged Leaked Image of Case for Redesigned iPad Pro Shows Mysterious Rear Cutout Above Lightning Connector

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Alleged leaked images of a case for one of the upcoming redesigned iPad Pro models were shared by Slashleaks today showing a mysterious new cutout on the back.

Reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has said Apple is working on two new iPad Pro models, to measure 11 and 12.9-inches. These images are said to be for the "10.5-inch" model - likely a reference to the new 11-inch device with slimmer bezels and a corresponding larger display - and reveal a pill-shaped hollow on the rear of the case that is horizontally aligned with the Lightning connector.

ipad-pro-2018-case-2-800x600.jpg

The case images hark back to a July Mac Otakara report suggesting Apple has relocated the Smart Connector on its upcoming redesigned iPad Pro models from the side to the bottom near the Lightning port.

Shortly after the Mac Otakara report emerged, an alleged CAD image shared by mobile leaker Steve Hemmerstoffer appeared to depict the Smart Connector gone from its usual place and a new oblong indentation near the Lightning port.

The cutout in today's alleged iPad case leak looks just like the indentation in the CAD render, however unlike the render this case still has a horizontal cutout similar to where a Smart Connector resides on the current crop of iPad Pro models, albeit on the opposite side of the device alongside the volume buttons.

The image throws up a number of questions. Not least of those is how a proposed Smart Connector on the bottom of an iPad Pro would work with Apple's Smart Keyboard accessory.

The relocated connector would require a new vertically oriented Smart Keyboard, but a keyboard in that orientation would presumably be unstable, especially for the larger iPad Pro, plus it would likely be unsuitable for Office-style productivity work.

slashleaks-ipad-pro-2018-cad-smart-connector-800x294.jpeg
Alleged CAD image of new iPad Pro via @OnLeaks​

Mac Otakara has suggested that Apple is making the change because Face ID will work only when the iPad Pro is in a vertical orientation. However, previous information from Mac Otakara suggested Apple was working on horizontal Face ID in iOS 12 for the new iPad Pro models, which are expected to incorporate Apple's TrueDepth Camera system first introduced on the iPhone X.

Commenting on the Mac Otakara report, well-connected Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman also said the horizontal Face ID support is designed for the upcoming iPad Pro models, expected to be announced in September.

But what if the new pill-shaped hollow in the alleged case images is actually for something other than a new Smart Connector, as suggested by the continuing existence of a horizontal cutout?

Is it a magnetic alignment for another type of keyboard or accessory? A wireless charging contact? USB-C? The (highly unlikely) relocation of Touch ID in lieu of support for horizontal Face ID? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Article Link: Alleged Leaked Image of Case for Redesigned iPad Pro Shows Mysterious Rear Cutout Above Lightning Connector
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2018/08/24/alleged-ipad-pro-case-smart-connector/
I’m still waiting on part leaks to come out of the factory.

But maybe the screen is so big, it’s tough to sneak out a full size screen without a home button but with a notch.

That’s really what we are all waiting for I would imagine.
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huschpuscheli said:
ah, the new location of the touch id sensor.
Click to expand...

I doubt it. Apple has said repeatedly Face ID is the future.

I bet in two years or less even Macs will ditch Touch ID and incorporate Face ID. Makes even more sense on computers.
 
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I’d love it to be a way to inductively charge the next generation Apple Pencil.

I’d love a keyboard with a slot for the pencil which kept it charged. No idea how this oval divet would do that, but I’m dreaming.
 
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The weird thing about that case is that the cut-out for the smart connector is on the opposite side of where it currently is and there's a small hole on that side now (maybe for a microphone?). That would make using the volume controls very fiddly when docked with a keyboard, so I'm hoping that whole case is wrong!
 
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Last leaks were talking about the smart connector being located there. Why referring to it as 10.5 though? Thought it was 11 now.
 
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I originally wanted to say that it’s probably a wireless charging contact point, but it’s way smaller than the ones in the iPhone 8 and iPhone X, so I doubt it’s that. I’m now more inclined to suspect that it’s something like a smart connector for some type of accessory, like some incredibly overpriced iPad dock-type keyboard (~$299 range) to allow it to be used in portrait mode without sacrificing the stuff mentioned in the article.
 
I would have thought a second camera module. The one on the top left looks suitable only for one lens and flash, whereas the new hold is more like the iPhone X module.
 
Judging by looking at my Nintendo Switch (which uses a Tegra processor), I think that IF the new iPad Pro will get some drastic increase in performance, this thing might be related to cooling.
 
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Personally, I think this case is just some BS leaked to throw us all off. Nothing makes sense... smart connector in portrait mode? Existing smart connector relocated to where the volume buttons are is clumsy. The potential microphone hole where the smart connector was. All totally bizarre
 
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zombierunner said:
fingerprint sensor on the back would make so much sense especially if its towards to bottom of the ipad as this image suggests. No face id required just pure screen.
Click to expand...

No, it wouldn’t. Can you imagine trying to hold an 11 inch or 12.9 inch iPad with a fingerprint reader on the back trying to unlock it? That would be uncomfortable and unwieldy. Face ID would be way more practical in terms of having the iPad in a stationary position or holding it to unlcock with your face without having to manipulate your hand to the back of the iPad.
 
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How in world can this be a Face ID sensor, it's in the fricking back of the iPad... And although Apple has said several times that they're not going back to Touch ID, they have recently patented a sensor under the display, for an iPhone to be exact. But who knows if they're going to actually implement it in the future, they could use it in other products.

The other possibility is that the case and CAD are completely fake. Just like we had similar ones for the iPhone who was thought to come with a smart connector but it didn't. Y'all remember?
 
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Second FaceID camera? I'll go with that, it's the only way they would be able to have it work in landscape.

Edit: Didn’t read the article if I’m honest. If it’s on the back of the iPad then I’m not sure what it could be.
 
i think its a fake image...the more reliable sources says that will come in 11" and not the same 10.5"
 
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