After posting a few images yesterday that claimed to show cases for the upcoming 10.5-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro, Benjamin Geskin has now shared a few CAD images, dummy models, and renderings of the 10.5-inch iPad model. The first set of computer-aided design drawings are based on the model that case manufacturers have received from the factory, which Geskin said is "already in mass production."
The new iPad images align with all of the port cutouts seen in yesterday's wooden accessory case, including a device that has four speakers, a Lightning port, camera with vertically-aligned flash, side volume rockers, and a Smart Connector.
Yesterday's case images also revealed a new microphone slot located at the top rear of the case, similar to where it's located on the current 9.7-inch iPad. The new images confirm that microphone slot on the 10.5-inch iPad, along with two additional microphones sitting atop the device in between the speaker grilles, pointing towards three microphones total for the 10.5-inch iPad Pro.
Last year it was rumored that the new iPad model with smaller bezels -- which fluctuated between 10.1-inch, 10.5-inch, and 10.9-inch display sizes -- could get four microphones.
Geskin has also shared a case manufacturer's dummy mockup of the 10.5-inch iPad Pro, which continues showing the same ports for volume buttons, 3.5mm headphone jack, speaker grilles, Lightning port, SIM card tray, and Smart Connector. All of the images support the rumors that the new iPad will pack in a 10.5-inch display into the same form factor and nearly identical size of the 9.7-inch iPad.
In a series of images shared with iDropNews, Geskin designed a rendering based on the recent rumors to show how the bezels on the new 10.5-inch iPad Pro might look. Since the device will keep roughly the same footprint of the 9.7-inch iPad, the rendering boasts a device with small 7mm bezels on the left and right sides of the device and around 19mm bezels on the top and bottom.
This would make the display space big enough for the new 10.5-inch screen, while allocating enough room for the traditional Home Button, which Apple isn't expected to do away with yet on the upcoming iPad Pro. The 10.5-inch device is also expected to be slightly taller than the current 9.7-inch iPad, while potentially being slightly thicker than the 9.7-inch iPad's 6.1mm thickness.
In regards to a release date, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo recently said that there is a greater than 70 percent chance of Apple debuting the 10.5-inch iPad at WWDC in June. Although WWDC keynotes are traditionally the home of software announcements, even updates to the MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air are rumored to be coming at the event this year.
Top Rated Comments
On the other hand, it doesn't hurt either. But they have to invest the same amount of energy into the software.
Now imagine that razor blade at iPad size. Put a little pressure on the middle of it and watch it bend (easily).
I realize that Apple has done an incredible job of making us think "thinner" = "the future," but there is always a "thinness" limit for the utility of any tool. In other words, there's a point where thinner works increasingly against the tool's owner. While you are not the only person who thinks he/she craves "thinner", it is highly unusual to see any of "us" making comments about how existing iDevices are much too thick.
IMO, "thinner" continues to be one of those solutions in search of a problem (that almost nobody seems to have)... spun such that we are conditioned to imagine that the next generation of anything from Apple must be thinner. For what exactly? What does even "thinner" get us with something like this?