New iPad Pro to mark the end of Touch ID on Apple devices

Apple’s new iPad Pro will debut with larger screens with slimmer bezels. It will also abandon 3.5mm headphone jack and Touch ID.

Apple’s new iPad Pro will get a facelift with a bigger and near bezel-less display and no Home button. (Apple)

Apple last year indicated at moving away from Touch ID with the launch of iPhone X. This year none of its new iPhones, iPhone XR and iPhone XS, have the fingerprint sensor. Instead the new devices come with FaceID that lets unlock the phone by just looking at it. Apple is now going to implement the same design change in its new iPad Pro.

The new iPad Pro is expected to be unveiled at Apple's October 30 event. The iPad Pro will be accompanied by a new Macbook-series as well. Ahead of the launch, 9to5Mac reports that that new iPad Pro will sport slimmer bezels with no Touch ID. The new iPad Pro may also come with a larger screen. Volume buttons will be placed on the right edge whereas the power button will move to the top bar.

This is not the first time Apple is rumoured to be ditching TouchID on its new iPads. Back in August, a leaked iOS 12 icon revealed the important design change in the new iPad. Later, 9to5Mac spotted string "iPad2018fall" in iOS 12.1 beta codes which revealed iPad Pro will come with FaceID. The feature is said to work in both portrait and landscape modes. Interestingly enough, none of the leaks have so far confirmed the existence of the notch where Apple houses its TrueDepth sensor for FaceID on its iPhones.

Apple is also said to remove 3.5mm headphone jack on its new iPad Pro. According to analyst Ming Chi-Kuo, the new tablet will embrace USB Type-C support, making way for more third-party accessories. Apple Pencil is expected to be upgraded as well. The stylus is reportedly going to launch with a new design along with wider support for third-party apps and devices. This will be the first big update to Apple Pencil since its debut in 2015.

The company is expected to upgrade the internal hardware too. The new iPad will be using the latest A12 Bionic chipset.