Sources: 2018 iPad Pro models to sport thin bezels with no notch, will support Face ID in both portrait and landscape; new Pencil will have proximity pairing
Apple is widely expected to hold an event this month to introduce new 2018 iPad Pro models, new Macs, and more.
Context & Ripple Effects
This October 2018 report is the last pre-launch checkpoint in a redesign Apple had been sourcing out for nearly a year: Bloomberg first reported in November 2017 that Apple was building a high-end iPad with Face ID, slimmer bezels, and no home button, and an iOS 12 beta icon in August surfaced the same thin-bezel, notch-free silhouette. What's new here is the detail that Face ID works in both portrait and landscape — a meaningful difference from the iPhone implementation — plus a Pencil that pairs by proximity rather than a plug-in ritual.
The rumor landed three weeks before Apple's October 30 event, where Bloomberg previewed nearly edge-to-edge screens and a USB-C port, and where the company went on to confirm the redesign outright with the A12X-powered iPad Pro launch. The through-line matters because this generation set the template the line still follows — Apple's 2024 roadmap extends it with OLED displays for the next iPad Pro generation.
First-order effects
- If the sources are right, iPad Pro buyers get a device whose Face ID unlocks in any orientation — removing the portrait-only constraint iPhone X owners live with — and a new Pencil that pairs automatically when brought near, eliminating the Lightning pairing step.
- Apple's premium iPad tier moves decisively off the home-button design language, aligning the iPad Pro with the bezel-less identity Apple established on the iPhone side.
Second-order effects
- Accessory makers building keyboards, cases, and docks for the current iPad Pro face a forced redesign cycle, since a thinner, home-button-free chassis invalidates existing form-fit accessories.
- A proximity-pairing Pencil lowers the setup friction that has kept casual iPad buyers from adopting stylus workflows, widening the addressable base for drawing and note-taking apps sold through Apple's store.
Third-order effects
- With the home button gone and Face ID orientation-agnostic, the iPad Pro's remaining hardware distinctions from a MacBook narrow to software — positioning the line as a genuine laptop alternative rather than a companion device.
- The pattern holds six years on: each iPad Pro generation since has pushed display and input technology further upmarket (OLED per the 2024 plans), suggesting Apple treats the Pro tier as its tablet-line testbed before features cascade down.
The trend: Apple is converging the iPad Pro on the iPhone's bezel-less, Face ID design language while pushing the Pro tier steadily toward laptop-class hardware.