References are found in iOS 12.2 to four new iPad models without FaceID, two of which are WiFi-only, and a new iPod Touch without FaceID or TouchID
Earlier today, registration info for seven new iPad models was discovered in the Eurasian Economic Commission Database …
Context & Ripple Effects
This leak completes a picture the fall coverage started: [[a:933648|code in the iOS 12.1 beta pointed to a premium iPad Pro with Face ID and an edge-to-edge display]], and an icon in the iOS 12 beta showed a bezel-less iPad with no Home button. Today's iOS 12.2 references describe the other half of the lineup — four new iPads that keep the older design language, two of them WiFi-only, plus a new iPod Touch with no biometrics at all.
The Eurasian Economic Commission registration entries for seven iPad models matter because they are regulatory filings Apple must make before sale, so they corroborate the software references and suggest the hardware is close to announcement rather than exploratory.
First-order effects
- Buyers of entry-level hardware get a refresh that skips Face ID entirely — the new iPads retain the existing authentication path, and the iPod Touch ships with neither Face ID nor Touch ID, keeping it the last biometric-free device in the line.
- Apple's own beta code and the Eurasian Economic Commission Database have now effectively confirmed seven upcoming iPad variants before any official word, narrowing what remains for Apple to announce.
Second-order effects
- The lineup splits into two clear tracks — the Face ID, edge-to-edge tier flagged in earlier iOS 12.1 beta code versus these non-Face ID models — which forces Apple to defend a wider price ladder within a single iPad family rather than one flagship narrative.
- A new iPod Touch with no biometric unlock at all signals Apple is still investing in its legacy media-device line, competing on price against its own discounted iPhones for the same entry-level buyer.
Third-order effects
- If the pattern holds, Apple institutionalizes a permanent two-tier biometric strategy: Face ID as the premium differentiator while Touch ID and no-authentication tiers persist below it, extending the life of older industrial designs for cost-sensitive segments.
- Pre-sale regulatory databases like the Eurasian Economic Commission's become a standing leak channel that partially strips control of Apple's announcement timing, since filings must precede sales regardless of marketing plans.
The trend: Apple's product roadmap is increasingly exposed through its own software betas and mandatory regulatory filings, revealing full product tiers — not just flagships — before launch.