iOS 17.4 beta code reveals new iPad Pro and Apple Pencil

Code sleuths have discovered files in iOS 17.4 that suggest an iPad Pro will have a landscape Face ID sensor and an Apple Pencil 3 works with Find My.

Apple released iOS 17.4 beta 1 on Thursday for developer testing. It is meant to contain the changes brought about by EU regulation, but also includes some hints at future products.

Code sleuths at 9to5Mac report that code references an iPad model with a TrueDepth camera used for Face ID placed on the landscape side. Another reference calls out an Apple Pencil 3 codenamed B482 that works with the Find My app.

New iPad Pro models with an OLED display are expected sometime in 2024. Repositioning the TrueDepth camera system to the landscape side of the iPad Pro follows what Apple did with the 10.9-inch iPad.

The Apple Pencil 3 rumor fits what Apple has done with other products, like AirPods, joining the Find My network. Rumors suggest a new Apple Pencil and accessories are due to launch alongside the revamped iPad lineup in 2024.

Apple didn't release any iPad hardware in 2023, so the entire lineup is due for updates. Rumors haven't landed on a release window yet, but new devices could be announced as soon as March.

3 Comments

beowulfschmidt 2348 comments · 12 Years

About 9 months ago

So is that fact that my iPad Pro currently recognizes my face in either landscape or portrait mode some kind of anomaly? Or are they just going to add another one, or replace the current one?

retrogusto 1138 comments · 16 Years

beowulfschmidt said:

So is that fact that my iPad Pro currently recognizes my face in either landscape or portrait mode some kind of anomaly? Or are they just going to add another one, or replace the current one?

I think the issue here is a hardware change, reflecting the realization that iPads, unlike phones, are more often used in landscape orientation. As the article notes, the camera position on the 10.9” iPad has already been updated to a landscape front-facing camera, so it follows that the iPad Pro would get the same treatment.

netrox 1501 comments · 12 Years

beowulfschmidt said:

So is that fact that my iPad Pro currently recognizes my face in either landscape or portrait mode some kind of anomaly? Or are they just going to add another one, or replace the current one?

That was my reaction as well but I think what they meant was they will move the camera to the side, rather to the top since many use the iPad as a landscape orientation, especially for videos. If you use the iPad as a landscape mode, sometimes the camera is covered by your hand holding them but again, I don't know. Or they could have two sensors to avoid that convenience but I imagine it would add a signficant cost.

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