The new word in town is that Apple is doubling down on Face ID, expanding the iPhone X feature to 2018 iPad Pro models.
Even though the facial recognition technology still hasn't reached the mass consumers, it's not surprising to see that reports and rumors related to it are already making their way online since this is Apple we're talking about, after all.
2018 iPad Pro With Face ID
The news comes from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo (via MacRumors), who is usually reliable when it comes to predictions about Apple products.
According to his note to investors, the Cupertino brand will cram TrueDepth cameras into the 2018 iPad Pro and add Face ID support. Presumably, this is to make the user experience on the iPad Pro align with what the iPhone X can offer.
That said, Kuo believes that this feature won't make it to other iPad models, just the iPad Pro. That's more or less expected, as the iPad Pro is Apple's flagship tablet.
However, it should be noted that nothing's set in stone just yet, so it's recommended to take this with the proverbial grain of salt. Particularly, this is because Face ID still isn't even widely used, and as a result, Apple doesn't have an inkling of how consumers will react to the technology. In other words, the company may have no solid plans regarding this at the moment.
This leads us back to one of Kuo's previous statements (via MacRumors) in which he says that 2018 iPhone and iPad models will have Face ID should iPhone X users receive the feature well.
The Elephant In The Room
Apple ditched the tried-and-tested Touch ID on the iPhone X, opting instead for Face ID. The question is, will it do the same thing to the 2018 iPad Pro, or will it put the two features together?
No one knows just yet, but based on the current iPad Pro lineup, the 2018 model's bezels will likely have enough space to fit a home button since bezel-less tablets might still be too costly to invest into. At that, there's a possibility that Touch ID and Face ID could be on the upcoming iPad Pro.
Android Face ID?
As is the case with the trend of removing headphone jacks that Apple started with the iPhone 7, Kuo expects that Android manufacturers will follow in the company's footsteps again in this aspect with a technology similar to Face ID.
That won't be happening soon, though, as it could take Android companies about two and a half years before they can roll out phones with depth-sensing cameras and facial recognition prowess comparable with Face ID.
