Apple is expected to introduce a new iPad Air and iPad Pro in the coming weeks. While the OLED iPad Pro has been heavily rumored over the past year, there are also a few leaks regarding the upcoming iPad Air. Now, it looks like one of the design changes expected for the new iPad Pro might also land on this future Air model – and I hope it’s true.
According to Weibo leaker Instant Digital (via MacRumors), Apple achieved an important design change with the M2 iPad Air, and it will feature a landscape FaceTime camera. If this leak turns out to be accurate, Apple has received good feedback from the iPad 10, which also features a landscape FaceTime camera.
This was one of iPad customers’ most frequent complaints, as many users participate in FaceTime calls with the tablet in landscape mode. With the current models, FaceTime callers aren’t looking at the camera, and there’s a weird viewing angle for those talking to them on a Mac, for example.
iPad 10 has a feature that new iPad Air and iPad Pro models could have: A landscape camera Image source: Apple Inc.
Apple even tried to fix this by adding a software tweak that makes users feel like they’re looking at the webcam, but it’s not enough. With this design change, the iPad Air would be a must-have upgrade for users who spend a lot of time on Zoom calls, web meetings, and more.
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What corroborates this leak is that recently, 9to5Mac‘s Filipe Espósito found references on iOS 17.4 beta code saying Apple is preparing a landscape FaceTime camera for the iPad Pro, as the company has added a string that says: “During Face ID setup, iPad needs to be in the landscape with the camera at the top of the screen.”
New iPad Air has even more features despite this leak
Besides this design change, the new iPad Air is expected to get a bigger version with a 12.9-inch display, the M2 chip, and even benefit from possible new Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil accessories coming with the OLED iPad Pro.
Although a better display technology isn’t expected before 2026, this iPad will have several other changes that might make it a must-have for users – especially with the iPad Pro expecting a price hike.
BGR will keep following the latest news on the upcoming iPad models, and we’ll let you know once Apple releases them.