**The Future of Apple's iPad Air: A Shift to USB-C and Pro Design**

In 2018, when the iPad Pro went USB-C, many wondered if the Lightning port would remain exclusive to mainstream devices like iPhones and non-pro iPads. However, with the recent announcement that the iPad Air will also adopt USB-C, it seems that Apple is expanding its range of USB-C devices. This development raises questions about the future of the iPad Air and whether it will be upgraded to include more Pro features.

**The iPad Air's New Design and Accessories**

One of the notable changes in the new iPad Air design is the addition of a magnetic induction system, similar to that found on the iPad Pro. This feature would allow users to charge their devices quickly and efficiently using modern accessories like the Apple Pencil or smart keyboard. The 3rd generation iPad Air also comes with support for the original smart keyboard, but it's unclear whether future updates will include newer models like the Magic Keyboard.

**Face ID vs. Touch ID: A Rumored Downgrade?**

There's been a rumor circulating that if and when the next iPad Air gets the Pro design, it won't be getting Face ID instead. Instead, it would come with an in-display fingerprint scanner. Given Apple's investment in Face ID technology and its importance for augmented reality and future plans, it seems unlikely that they would abandon the feature completely. However, this rumor raises questions about why Apple might choose to use a less expensive technology like touch ID on the iPad Air.

**Skillshare: Learning and Growing with Michael Phillips**

In addition to discussing the latest rumors and developments in the world of Apple's iPads, our article also takes a break to explore the wonderful world of Skillshare. In this section, we learn about Michael Phillips, director of training at Blue Bottle Coffee, who shows us how to brew an amazing cup of coffee right at home. With Skillshare, you can get access to online learning classes that explore illustration, design, photography, video, freelancing, and more. The platform offers membership with meaning, real projects to create, and support from fellow creatives.

**The Future of Biometric Security**

Finally, our article touches on the importance of biometric security in modern devices like Apple's iPads. With Face ID breaking down if you wear a mask or touch ID breaking down if you wear gloves, we need to move beyond single-point biometrics and towards more advanced technologies that prioritize user convenience and flexibility. In future videos, we'll explore this topic further and examine what it means for the next iPad Air.

**Stay Up-to-Date with the Latest Rumors and Developments**

As always, our article concludes with a reminder to stay up-to-date with the latest rumors and developments in the world of Apple's iPads. For more information on upcoming features and releases, be sure to check out our rumor analysis playlists here or here. With new content added regularly, you won't want to miss out on the latest news and insights from around the tech world.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en- Sponsored by Skillshare.Roll the dice accurate,Mac Otakara dropped somerumor bombs this weekabout the new 4th generation iPad Air.When you combine themwith the previous rumorsfrom supply chain extractorextraordinaire, Kuo Ming-Chiand the sometimes lucid@l0vetodream Twitter account.Over the last couple of monthsit provides a compelling visionfor what might be thenext generation iPad Airthat puts the tantalizing fantasy.The original iPad Airreleased in October of 2013took the slim down design of the iPad miniand stretched it out around aclassic 9.7 inch iPad displayand for the classic iPad price of $499.The second generation iPad Airreleased in October of 2014laminated that displayto get rid of the air gapthinned it out even moreand added a touch IDfingerprint identitysensor to the home buttonall still at $499 then...Well, then nothing.The iPad Air took a littlebreak, a little pause, a holiday.Well, Apple focused on the iPad Proincluding a 9.7 inch versionintroduced in March of 2016.That was for all intents andpurposes, the iPad Air Projust for a hundred bucks more at $599.In June of 2017, Appletook that 9.7 inch iPad Proto 10.5 inches to betterfit the smart keyboard.And in October of 2018, gave it an all newall retro future redesignwith an 11 inch screen that finallyblew out the top and bottom bezelsand the home button and touchID as well, replacing themwith face ID and a facialgeometry identity scanner.But then, then in March of last yearthe iPad Air made a surprise comeback.Basically taking the 10.5 inch iPad Proand some very Pro parts,specifically the ones that allowedfor smart keyboard andApple pencil supportand reclaiming them atthe $499 price point.No 4 speaker system, nopro-level camera systemno promotion adaptive refresh rateno X class graphics processorbut Apple had evolvedthe current pros enoughthat they were willing and ableto push the old Protechnology down to the Airand fit them into the Air's budgetbecause that's how Apple rolls.They use the higher pricesand profits of the Pro lineto develop new technologiesand then as those technologiesare scaled up and paid down,Apple scales them out and pushesthem down through the stackto the entry-level when they canand to the mid range when they have one.So putting the rumors in context,now that the modern iPadPro design has been outfor over a year and a halfand likely will havebeen out for two years,maybe more by the timeany of this pans out,Apple could well beready to push that designdown to the Air, even ifonly in two speaker form.The rumor surrounding the next generationiPad Air display areeven more interesting.The way Apple pushes technologiesdown is partially dueto how costs reduce overtime, but also partially dueto how differentiation shiftsto new technologies over time.The 2019 iPad Air 3could reclaim the casingof the 2017 iPad Probecause the 2018 iPad Prohad gotten a new casing.When and where costs aren'tsignificantly reducedor new differentiationintroduced, Apple can stillpush some aspects ofpreviously premium featuresdown to the mid range orentry-level, just not all.The 2019 iPad Air 3 gotthe 10.5 inch displayof the 2017 iPad Pro butit didn't get promotion.The 2019 entry-level iPadgot a 10.2 inch displaybut it still didn't even get it laminated.So if you'd asked mebefore, I would have guessedthat if the next iPad Air wasgetting the iPad Pro redesignthe Pro would get something elselike mini LED to keep its premium edge.But the rumor is theAir along with basicallyeverything else in Apple'snon entry-level lineupwill be going mini LEDat the same time as well.Now, mini LED is a technology that takes atraditional backlights usedfor LCD and replaces themwith pixel level backlightsfor better local dimming.Basically it's a way to try and get someof the deeper blacks andhigher contrast of OLEDthough without all thedrawbacks that come with OLED.If these rumors are at all accurate,it sounds like Apple sees mini LEDless as a premium differentiatorand more as a brand differentiator.In other words, something that doesn'tmake the iPad Pro betterbut something that makesApple products betterlike in-plane switching orIPS, which quickly spreadacross most of Apple's displays years agowhere DCI-P3 wide gamut coloror true tone ambient white balancing,which are on all but the fewentry-level products now.Even if the peak brightness ends up beingbetter on the next Prosthan the next Airs,if this rumor proves true,they'll still be premium looking displayswhere Apple might thenkeep some extra levelof differentiation is the size.If the iPad Air simply inheritsthe smaller iPad Pro designthat display size would be 11 incheswhich is exactly whatsome of the rumors say.But other rumors hint that it could be10.8 inches instead,just slightly smaller.If that's not an updated entry-levelor a whole different iPad entirely,it could mean Apple is goingto do exactly what they didwith the 2019 iPad nothing.Keep the display just a little bitsmaller to keep the pricetag just a little bit lowerbecause that's how a lot of this works.Apple picks its pricetags, knows its margins,and then tries to cramin everything it canto meet those price tags and margins.How big a troll would it be,how big a troll would it really beif after shipping USB-C on the Mac books,USB-C on the Apple TV, even thoughit's hidden above and behindthe ethernet port now,and USB-C on the iPad Proif Apple's the next USB-C device stillstill wasn't the iPhone but the iPad Air.That's exactly part of the rumor thoughthat with the iPad Pro redesign will comethe iPad Pro interconnectand that kind of further blurs the lines.Back in 2016, it was crystal binary, clearlightning for iOSdevices, USB-C for Mac OS.In 2018 though, whenthe iPad Pro went USB-Cand we all tilted our heads and squintedguessed that lightningwas for mainstream deviceslike iPhones and non-pro iPadsand USB-C was for all the nerdy or nichewhich was traditional Mac computersand newfangled Pro iPads.But if the iPad Air goes USB-C as welldoes that mean Apple's expanding the rangeof USB-C to include the mainstreamor expanding the nicheto include the iPad Air.Because I'd still love the iPhone Proto get expanded into that niche as well.Hit the like button if you agree.Either way, being able towork with USB-C accessorieswhich are essentially computer accessorieswould make the next iPad Air far moreuseful to people who want and need exactlythose kinds of accessories.Speaking of whichwhen it comes to Appleaccessories, the iPad Airgetting the Pro design raisessome other questions as well.For example, the 3rd generation iPad Airgot Apple pencil support for the1st generation Apple pencil.And again, Apple maintaineddifferentiation therebecause the iPad Pro hadgotten a 2nd generationApple pencil just half a year earlier.But if the 4th generation iPad Airgets the iPad Pro treatment,would it also get thatiPad Pro magneticallyinductively charging 2ndgeneration Apple pencil as well?Likewise, the 3rd generation iPad Airgot smart keyboard supportfor the original smart keyboardbecause the iPad Pro hadpreviously gotten supportfor the second generation smart keyboard.So if the next Air goesjust a little more Pro,would it also get support for the modernsmart connector and not justthe current smart keyboardbut the brand new magic keyboard as well?That would certainly be onehell of an upgrade for the Airhint, upsell for the magic keyboard.But what would it mean for the iPad Pro?Well, hit subscribebecause I'll cover thatin a followup video.Now, one of the stranger rumors swirlingaround the next iPad Air is thatif and when it gets the iPad Pro designit won't be getting Face ID along with it.No, instead it will be getting anin display version of touch ID.There's a similar rumorinvolving future iPhones as well.Given everything Apple hasinvested in Face ID thoughand the importance of thetrue depth camera systemand augmented reality ingeneral to Apple's future plansit seems unlikely that they would justditch the technology completely.If this rumor is true andeverything is always an ifup until Apple announcesit, then maybe thein display fingerprint scanneris simply less expensivethan the true depth array.And that helps Apple get thenew Air into the new designwhile keeping it at theclassic $499 price point.But it does raise a wholebunch of other issueslike people who prefer touchID to Face ID in generalwon't see it as a downgrade.They'll see it as an upgrade and no doubt,they'll want it in thehigher end devices as well.So wait, no, I need more bettercoffee to figure this out.Luckily that's where Skillshare comes in.You get Michael Phillips,director of trainingat Blue Bottle showing you it takesto brew an amazing cupof coffee, right at home,right where so many of usare still stuck so right nowand exactly where we needthe best coffee the most.Not Duncan, not Timmy's, not Starbucksbut right here, rightnow. Really, right now.But Skillshare will alsoget you so much more.It's an online learning communitythat offers membership with meaning.With classes that exploreillustration, design, photographyvideo, freelancing, and morewith real projects to createand the support of real fellow creatives.You can learn and grow with short classesthat fit your routine and affordablywith an annual subscriptionthat's less than $10 a month.Join more than 7 million creatorslearning with Skillshare.And the first 1000 ofyou who click the linkin the description will get two monthstwo months of Skillsharepremium absolutely free.Act now and start learning today.Thanks Skillshare.And thanks to all of you for your support.Like I said before, Face IDbreaks down if you wear a mask.Touch ID breaks down if you wear gloves.We need to move beyondsingle point biometricsto something that's less about usworking for the machine and more aboutthe machine working for us.More on that in a future video as well.Meanwhile, hit up thecomments and let me know.What do you want to seein the next iPad Air?Thanks for watching and formore on what Apple's doing next,check out my rumor analysisplaylist here or here.One of those here'sand just click and I'llsee you next video.\n"