iOS 12 code hints at iPad with Face ID

Apple's iOS 12 has hinted from the outset that an iPad with a notched display was in the works (the status bar conspicuously made room for it). If you were wondering whether or not that meant an iPhone X-style TrueDepth camera and Face ID, though, you can rest assured after today. Developer Steve Troughton-Smith has discovered that AvatarKit, the framework behind Animoji and Memoji, now supports the iPad. Given that you need a TrueDepth camera for these face-tracking personas to work, and the iPad Pro hasn't been updated in over a year... well, you do the math.

It also doesn't take much divination to predict when a TrueDepth-equipped iPad might launch. As the tablet-friendly AvatarKit is tied to iOS 12, it won't be surprising if the new hardware launches soon after iOS 12 arrives in the fall. This doesn't absolutely guarantee a September debut (Apple has occasionally saved hardware news for later), but that seems the most likely answer knowing Apple's recent tendency to pack lots of announcements into its end-of-summer events.