Need a New iPad?

Are you in need of a new and improved iPad?

Well, even if you aren’t, Apple’s apparently working on one, according to a report from Bloomberg.

The company is said to be working on a redesigned, high-end iPad for as early as 2019 that incorporates some of the nifty new features from the iPhone X, including slimmer edges and facial recognition.

Bloomberg’s story suggests at least one new iPad model with a screen size similar to the 10.5-inch iPad Pro is planned to include Face ID for unlocking the device, making payments, and sending animated emojis.

Because at work, it’s imperative that we be able to send animated facially-driven emojis.

And yes, the “home” button would go away on these new iPads, so you might as well just go ahead and get over it.

The New iOS 11 is Here!

Well, the day has finally arrived. Apple is set to release iOS 11 later today.

I’m reminded of that scene with Steve Martin’s character Navin from that age-old classic film, “The Jerk.”

“The new phonebook’s here, the new phonebook’s here!!!!”

No, I’m not excited because my name’s going to be in the phone book. But I am glad to check out some of the new capabilities of iOS 11.

Like what?

Well, the new Dock for the iPad, for starters. The new Dock will be available from any screen with a quick swipe, and will allow myself, and Navin, to easily add more app shortcuts.

Next, the QuickType keyboard improvements for the iPad, which will allow you to see letters, numbers, symbols, and punctuation all on the same keyboard! What a concept! With the current iteration, you have to switch back and forth between keyboards to use many of those characters.

Third, Drag and Drop for the iPad, which allows you to more easily move text, photos, and files between apps. From what I’ve gathered, generally speaking, if you can see it, you can move it.

Fourth, the new Control Center, which is now customizable and les you set up shortcuts for preferred settings and apps.

And…one more thing…the ability to mark up documents and th elike using Apple Pencil (that includes signing documents!). The Apple Pencil has been a great innovation but has had limited capabilities, in my opinion. Adding the ability to markup documents will greatly expand its utility beyond its existing artistic capabilties.

What I hope all of these features and more add up to is expanding the potential for the iPad to become a desktop and/or laptop replacement.

While that doesn’t mean I’ll stop using my MacBook Pro anytime soon, I do think it could expand the horizons of utility for the iPad, something that’s been now seven years in the making.

The new phone book’s here!

P.S. I just discovered this in-depth Ars Technica review of iOS 11, and the word on the new iPad capabilities seems bullish:

Today, the good news for the iPad continues with the public release of iOS 11. There’s a lot of stuff in this update, and a bunch of it benefits iPhone owners, too. But Apple has put a lot of work into the iPad-related parts of the operating system this year—the tablet still exists somewhere in between the iPhone and the Mac, but the changes to the UI and to the underpinnings of iOS 11 help iPads move further toward the Mac than they’ve ever been before. The upgrade is even more significant for tablets than iOS 9, both because the changes are bigger and because more iPads can actually take advantage of all these fancy productivity features now.
– via Ars Technica