Science

Apple iOS 12.1 Beta Hints at iPad Pro With Face ID and More

It's good news for people waiting to upgrade.

by Mike Brown
Unsplash / Suganth šŸ‡®šŸ‡³šŸ‡øšŸ‡¬

Apple released a beta version of iOS 12.1 to developers on Tuesday, and itā€™s already led to some big revelations about the companyā€™s plans. The software update contains references to a fall 2018 iPad, suggesting a version with face recognition is on the way, as well as iCloud syncing for Memojis and group FaceTime support.m

The discovery, from 9to5Mac, shows assets inside the ā€œSetupā€ app used by this yearā€™s iPhones also references a new unreleased iPad. The software also appears to run a background process that syncs Memojis, user-created animated emojis that use the TrueDepth front-facing sensor system on the iPhone X and later to produce fun animations controlled with facial expressions. The process suggests users will be able to upload their Memoji to iCloud for use on other devices, a feature that only makes sense with the rollout of Memoji onto devices other than iPhones.

Developer Steve Troughton-Smith has also discovered references to other under-the-hood changes. The software suggests Apple may include support for clickable thumbsticks in its ā€œMade for iPhoneā€ video game controller specification, a feature also found on PS4 and Xbox One controllers. The software also hints at support for face recognition in landscape orientation, a key feature for holding an iPad in multiple directions. The update also has a lot more references to whether an external display is connected, which Troughton-Smith speculates is ā€œperhaps due to iPad USB-C rumors; it wonā€™t have the Lighting HDMI adapter as an intermediary for video-out.ā€

The update follows from previous reports that Apple plans to introduce two new iPads with a similar design to the iPhone X. A September report from Steve Hemmerstoffer claimed Apple would release a 12.9-inch iPad Pro with dimensions of 280.6mm by 215mm by 5.85mm, a depth that extends to 7.77mm with the new camera bump. The device may also offer an A12X system-on-a-chip. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo also claimed the new iPad would switch from the Lightning charger found on iPhones to USB-C found on MacBooks and Android devices.

While Appleā€™s iPhone event was only last Wednesday, the company has held follow-up events in previous years. More information about Appleā€™s new iPad lineup could come sooner than expected.