Apple released the iOS 17.4 beta yesterday, which will not only bring alternative App Stores to the EU soon but hints towards a new iPad Pro that has its Face ID camera moved from the top of the tablet to the side.
According to Steve Moser on X, code in the newest update shows a bunch of messages that allude to the iPad’s camera being in a different place to its usual portrait-oriented position. Lines such as “During Face ID setup, iPad needs to be in landscape with the camera at the top of the screen," are included in 17.4. With the iPad Pro being the only tablet with a Face ID camera, it’s not a stretch to assume that this message is meant for an upcoming, unannounced model, with a camera positioning shift.
The 10th-generation iPad was the first to introduce this camera change back in October 2022, which made it easier for users to be centered when on a FaceTime call — and because many users keep their iPad in landscape mode for use with keyboard accessories, it makes sense to see the camera move to the side.
The next iPad Pro is also rumored to have an OLED 13-inch display, which will result in a brighter screen compared to the MicroLED technology that’s in the current 12.9-inch iPad Pro. This new model is expected to be coming in March, so we might not have long to wait to see if this new tablet has its camera in a different place.
These improvements mean nothing without a major update to iPadOS — iMore’s take
It’s great that the iPad line will finally get some love in 2024 if these rumors come true. If you’ve been waiting with bated breath to see the iPad Pro’s camera move from one place to another, this could be the tablet for you.
Yet I will still keep shouting the following narrative from the green hills, as I have been for the past year at iMore — let’s see some big improvements in iPadOS 18 instead. The software that powers the iPad pales in comparison to what you can do in macOS. Granted, Stage Manager saw some welcome improvements in iPadOS 17 — but, say if I want to record an episode of The iMore Show with an iPad, it’s impossible. I can’t record my side of the audio and record a call with my co-host at the same time. It’s a basic feature that can’t be done on an iPad.
But it doesn’t stop there. The Files app is a cheap imitation of Finder on macOS — let’s see it be the center of iPadOS, letting me can share files and media more easily.
Control Center is still, bizarrely, in its own area, and you can barely customize it. Let’s see it be part of the multitasking tray when you swipe up, and have some quick-access widgets there too.
I could go on, but a camera in a different place and a new display are in no way appealing to users who have owned an iPad Pro for the past several years. The priority needs to be a major iPadOS overhaul, in my opinion.
More from iMore
