Rumor: Next iPad will have 10.9″ screen in size housing as current iPad

According to a Japanese blog, Apple is preparing to produce an iPad with the same dimensions as the current iPad Air 2, but with a 10.9″ screen instead of a 9.7″ screen. The fingerprint scanner would be in the screen.

With an in-screen fingerprint scanner, not much bezel is needed at the bottom, while there is at the top to keep room for the front camera, MacOtakara writes. That Japanese site was right with earlier rumors about the new MacBooks, iPad Pro and iPhone 5. The new iPad should be released next year.

If so, there’s little bezel left with the new iPad. The current Air 2 measures 24×16.9cm, while a 10.9″ screen with 4:3 ratio measures about 22.1×16.5cm. Users will have to rely a lot on the software to correctly interpret unwanted touches, because it will be difficult to grip the tablet without touching the screen.

There have been rumors for some time that Apple wants to integrate the fingerprint scanner under the glass of the screen in iOS products or even in the display itself. It is still unknown whether that technology already works. The most recent iPad is the Pro 9.7 that came out this spring.