A new leak has revealed the cases/covers of the upcoming 10.5-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models, expected to break cover at WWDC 2017 in early June. There are some notable differences in hardware as pointed out by 9to5Mac. Most notably, the two microphones have been repositioned on these cases, with one located on the top edge and the other on top of the rear panel.
Interestingly, Apple used the same microphone placement in the recently launched $329 iPad. It is believed that Apple will try to accommodate a 10.5-inch display inside the chassis of the 9.7-inch iPad, thanks to the slightly narrower side bezels. One of the images illustrates this perfectly, as a 9.7-inch iPad Pro is placed inside this new 10.5-inch iPad Pro case, suggesting some clever design changes made by Apple.
This notion hasn’t been confirmed yet, but it seems very likely given Apple’s insistence on cutting down unnecessary bulk from its products. This could also be the perfect precursor for the iPhone 8, which is expected to break cover by October this year amidst great hype.
The leak shows a special wooden case as well, suggesting that Apple might have this as a default accessory option. But with that being said, it’s also likely that this leak is coming from a third party accessories manufacturer, so we’re not jumping to any conclusions just yet.
[Via @venyageskin1, @ShaiMizrachi, 9to5Mac]