There’s been quite a bit of talk about the next update to the iPad Pro. The most prevalent rumor is that a 10.5-inch screen will be put in the smaller model (replacing its 9.7" screen) without increasing the device size by much. Dan Provost of Studio Neat explained how this size would be perfect for an iPad with the pixel count of the 12.9" iPad Pro but the pixel size (pixels-per-inch, aka ppi) of the iPad mini (and iPhone).
I believe that along with this 10.5-inch iPad Pro, Apple would probably revise the 12.9-inch model. In addition to the obvious changes, such as bringing the high-dynamic-range True Tone display over from the 9.7 and increasing its processor speed, I think they’d also bring the thinner bezels of the 10.5 to the 12.9. In the latter case, instead of providing for a larger screen in a similar overall size, it would allow for a somewhat smaller device with the same size screen as the first generation.
However, while I’m looking forward to these new iPads (especially as the developer of Linea, an iPad sketching app which is particuarly good on the iPad Pro), I’m even more interested in what Apple might do with their accessories.
To that end, John Gruber gives a good case for how and why Apple could add a trackpad to the Smart Keyboard (an idea that isn’t as crazy as you might think). I’m not convinced we’ll see that soon, but it could happen.
The other accessory to consider is the Apple Pencil, which is the best writing instrument I’ve used on a tablet screen. The responsiveness and tilt support are only matched by how simple it is to pair and use with an iPad Pro.
Apple Pencil does have a couple shortcomings, however. The way you charge it (usually) by plugging it into the iPad’s lightning port is handy, but less than elegant. The cap has to be taken off and might get misplaced, and it sticks out in a precarious way. If you aren’t using the Pencil daily, you can find that the battery is low or depleted when you go to use it. Also, there’s no good way to attach the pencil to the iPad for transport (while it will stick to the top of an iPad Smart Cover with some magnetic attraction, it’s not strong enough for more than casual use).
To fix these problems, what if Apple took a page from the design of their AirPods? Rather than using the Lightning port, the Apple Pencil 2 could be designed to charge either capacitively or via contact with a charging surface (with which it would magnetically align). A revised version of the Smart Cover and Smart Keyboard could be designed to hold a Pencil, which would be powered by the iPad’s battery via the Smart Connector. This would mean that just by closing up the iPad for transport, the Pencil would be in a place where it would get charged as you go, much like how the AirPods charge when put in their case in your pocket.
Such an Apple Pencil 2 would likely also be shipped with a USB cable with a magnetic end that could also be used to charge it without requiring the Smart Cover/Keyboard. Or it could be even more AirPod-like by including a charging case that encloses the Pencil and recharges its battery during transport.
Now that the top end of the pencil doesn’t have to be removed for charging, Apple should make it work as a pressure-sensitive (and tilt aware, naturally) “eraser”. Applications would be told which end of the pencil was being used, and could change the tool they were applying based on this (much like Linea’s Touch Eraser automatically swaps to the eraser tool when you use your finger to draw on the screen instead of your Apple Pencil).
For bonus points, it would be nice if you could pair more than one Apple Pencil with a single iPad Pro. I could see some apps making good use of this by allowing users to assign a different pair of tools to the ends of each of the pencils, thus bringing another element of the analog world to digital sketching: using a different tool/color/effect depending on which physical object you use to draw. At that point, it probably also would behoove Apple to release the Apple Pencil in a variety of colors (or at least a couple more beyond its traditional white, like black and Product Red for example).
All of this is just speculation (and a bit of wishful thinking) about how today’s already very good Apple Pencil could be improved in future updates. I haven’t seen rumors that these changes are coming, but I’d love it if one or more of these ideas were included in the next generation.
