iPad Pro with new magnetic connection and new Apple Pencil

New details of the upcoming iPad Pro Digital Technology have appeared. According to the latest rumors, the iPad Pro gets a new magnetic connection for accessories. In addition, a new Apple Pencil appears that makes it easier to connect, just like the AirPods and HomePo.

This month we finally expect to hear more from the new iPad Pro . During the expected October 2018 event , Apple is likely to announce the new iPad Pro , along with new Macs including a Mac mini . 

In recent months, some details about this iPad Pro have been leaked and today 9to5Mac reports more new details. Sources in the development of this model reveal details about a new magnetic connection, a new Apple Pencil, the use of Face ID and much more.

'iPad Pro Magnetic Connector'

The most striking detail is the new Magnetic Connector, or a magnetic connection. The current iPad Pro has had the so-called Smart Connector since the first model . This is on the side and works with, among other things, Apple's own Smart Keyboard . The new magnetic connection, possibly with the name Magnetic Connector, is located at the back of the iPad and works with all kinds of accessories. 

One of the suitable accessories is a new version of the aforementioned Smart Keyboard, but other accessory makers can also use this. At the Smart Connector this was not a great success, because in the past few years few accessories appeared that made use of this. Whether this is different with the new Magnetic Connector remains to be seen.



The connection has surfaced more often in recent times in schematic drawings of the iPad Pro . We then saw that the connection is at the bottom of the back. Earlier sources suggested that you use the iPad Pro primarily in portrait mode, but that seems unlikely. According to the sources of 9to5Mac, Face ID on the iPad Pro also works just horizontally.

That means you do not necessarily have to keep the iPad Pro vertical to unlock it. The iPad Pro gets the same Face ID components as the iPhone XS , but has no notch. There is enough space in the screen edge to process the sensors, so that a notch is not necessary. 

The setting of Face ID must be vertical, but after that you can also use it in landscape mode. It is not yet clear whether the horizontal Face ID requires special hardware or whether it can be added to the current iPhones via a software update .

'New Apple Pencil with AirPods-like clutch'

The Apple Pencil was released in 2015 together with the first iPad Pro . To connect the Pencil, you had to plug it into the Lightning input of the iPad Pro , but according to the sources this is no longer necessary with the new version. You pair the Apple Pencil in the same way as the AirPods and the HomePod , by keeping it close to the iPad . 

You can therefore easily switch between devices because you do not have to stop the Pencil each time. Whether there are more innovations in the new Apple Pencil and whether the current model is also compatible with the new iPad Pro is not yet known.



Finally, the iPad Pro works according to sources with 4K HDR for external screens, thanks to the available USB-C connection. Via the Settings app it is possible to set the resolution, HDR, brightness and more. 

The iPad Pro thus becomes more like a laptop that you can easily connect to an external screen. 9to5Mac also gave away the model codes, namely iPad8.1, iPad8.2, iPad8.5 and iPad8.6 for the Wi-Fi models and iPad8.3, iPad8.4, iPad8.7 and iPad8.8 for the 4G models. 

The iPad Pro comes in two sizes (12.9-inch and 11-inch) and probably in two storage capacities. Which ones are not known, but 256GB and 512GB seems a logical choice given the current options.

You can read more of the expectations of the iPad Pro 2018 in our separate article. In our special about the October 2018 event you will find more expectations about other announcements, including the Mac mini and MacBook Air .