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I will be so annoyed if the refreshed Pro's get the camera move and the new Air's don't.
Depends if the new Airs use the rumored updated Apple Pencil. The charging coils and the space they take up are why the current iPads that support the Gen 2 Pencil don't have landscape oriented cameras (there's no room for them) but a redesigned charging layout for a Gen 3 Pencil would alleviate that.

If the new Pencil is exclusive to the Pro then the Air keeps the portrait camera.
 
It's pointless when iPhone's FaceID works in landscape without any issues. Nothing new.
 
I always use my iPad in landscape because most of time landscape show more than portrait, portrait settings/details is hidden away in menus etc and landscape show them instead hidden away. Video obviously use landscape. I very rarely use portrait. My friends are same. My parents only ones I know use portrait.
 
I will be so annoyed if the refreshed Pro's get the camera move and the new Air's don't.
Considering that the last big iPad Pro design overhaul happened in 2018, and the last big design overhaul for iPads Air is only some 3-ish years ago (October 2020), it would seem more likely that the 2024 "iPad spotlight" is reserved for all-new M3 iPads Pro.

My prediction for iPads Air is only spec bumps and the addition of a 12.9" model in 2024.

Moving the front facing camera's position while also retaining the magnetic pairing and charging would require a budget for r&d that I only see Apple spending when it's time for a complete iPad Air overhaul.

I see this happening no earlier than 2025.
 
I can’t say I’ve met anyone who regularly uses an ipad in landscape mode. ive always thought of them as primarily portrait devices with the ability to switch to landscape for watching videos slightly larger.
I use my 12.9 primarily in portrait unless in the Magic Keyboard or watching media.
 
How does placing the front camera in the landscape position make the iPad into a Mac?
People are used to landscape PC screens. Placing the camera in portrait position remarks the fact that the iPad is a versatile device (ideally it should be both, but that doesn’t make sense from technical perspective).
 
"During Face ID setup, iPad needs to be in landscape with the camera at the top of the screen," reads the code.

This could also mean that the camera is in a corner. ;)
 
I think most of us like the iPad as a laptop replacement precisely because it’s not a Mac, and we don’t want it to become a traditional computer.
I'm on the other side of that fence. I would love a touchscreen mac and I don't see a reason why the ipad pro can't be that. I just got an old Surface Book to mess with and it kind of makes a lot of sense to me except for the whole Windows thing. And it's heavy. But the big tablet screen is nice and it's a full OS.

I like my current iPad Pro (2018) but it's going to get left behind soon and now that they're putting M2s in iPads, why can't they run the MacOS?
 
Then you've never met anyone that uses the keyboard that Apple made for the iPad which is to be used in landscape mode.
Even if you use it primarily in portrait orientation, you might still use it in landscape orientation whenever you use the camera. Almost all my camera use is for video conferencing, where landscape is standard because most people use laptops and also share their screen that way.
 
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Moving the front facing camera's position while also retaining the magnetic pairing and charging would require a budget for r&d that I only see Apple spending when it's time for a complete iPad Air overhaul.
Apple is the king of incremental updates, so I don’t quite see that argument.
 
People are used to landscape PC screens. Placing the camera in portrait position remarks the fact that the iPad is a versatile device (ideally it should be both, but that doesn’t make sense from technical perspective).
I don’t see any technical problem. They just don’t want to spend the money on two (or four) cameras.
 
iPad Pro or any iPad for that matter cannot replace a Mac till it runs OSX. It’s a shame to waste all that hardware too.
 
A bit sad. The great thing about the iPad is its versatility, I think “forcing it” into a traditional laptop format is a bad move.

I think most of us like the iPad as a laptop replacement precisely because it’s not a Mac, and we don’t want it to become a traditional computer.
I agree that forcing it to do this that or the other is a bad thing for everyone who doesn’t want the version they chose to go with. I want an iPad that can be booted up in IOS or OSX on a whim.
 
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I'm on the other side of that fence. I would love a touchscreen mac and I don't see a reason why the ipad pro can't be that. I just got an old Surface Book to mess with and it kind of makes a lot of sense to me except for the whole Windows thing. And it's heavy. But the big tablet screen is nice and it's a full OS.

I like my current iPad Pro (2018) but it's going to get left behind soon and now that they're putting M2s in iPads, why can't they run the MacOS?
I doesn't matter because Apple isn't doing MacOS on iPads. Never ever.

Well, if they ever do then pricing will be, at the very least, starting at $2000 for the smallest base configuration model.

Why? Because an iPad running MacOS would instantly cannibalize most MacBook Air, iPad, iPad Air, and iPad Pro sales.

Only MacBooks Pro and desktop Macs could maybe survive a "do-it-all" iPad/MacBook combo device.

It's the same reason why Apple won't put health sensors in AirPods, make Watch independent from iPhone, Apple Pencil work on Macs, touch displays on Macs, let iPads make cell phone calls without owning an iPhone, etc., etc.

All technically possible. But "do-it-all" devices don't fit into Apple's business model.

Also, absolutely no way Apple puts r&d into making iPad versions of Logic and Final Cut only to let you run the subscription-free, perpetual license versions a few years later.

Not happening.
 
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How does placing the front camera in the landscape position make the iPad into a Mac?
There isn’t a Mac made that the screen orientation is in portrait mode.
That said, I think OSX on an iPad would be the far bigger reason to call it a Mac replacement. Can’t replace it if it can’t even do the same things.
 
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This is very bad. Camera in landscape orientation is very boring. Give the non-Pro iPad users landscape cameras for iPads.

I typically hold my iPad in portrait orientation. It is more comfortable to hold the iPad in portrait orientation.
 
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There is a part of me that thinks this will be exclusive to the 12.9” devices - both IPP and the new Air.

I think this will be used as a “selling feature” to get buyers to move from the 10.x” Air to the 12.x” Air.

The school of thought might be customer feedback indicates users prefer larger tablets in landscape mode using their iPads as a laptop replacement. Whereas users with smaller tablets prefer to use them in portrait.
If there were a division between iPad orientation, it would be between Air and Pro, not by size.

The Mini makes sense to keep in portrait Mode. Most others should probably default to landscape.
 
I have a folio case on my iPad Pro which props it up for viewing so I use it in landscape mode all the time. Landscape camera on the front would be nice for people that do live meetings, etc
 
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