iPad Pro 2 release date, specs rumors: exterior will be similar as Apple prioritizes improving software

The new Apple iPad Pro is displayed during an Apple media event in San Francisco, California, Sept. 9, 2015.Reuters/Beck Diefenbach

The iPad Pro 2 will not receive a design makeover as Apple is saving up the big aesthetic changes in the 2018 version of the tablet.

According to reputable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the iPad Pro 2 will not look all that different from its predecessor from last year as the "revolutionary" designs won't come until 2018.

Kuo expects "radical changes" on various aspects of the iPad Pro — from the form factor design and the use of a flexible AMOLED display.

"If Apple can truly tap the potential of a flexible AMOLED panel, we believe the new iPad model will offer new selling points through radical form factor design and user behavior changes, which could benefit shipments," Kuo stated in his research notes.

That being said, the improvements on the iPad Pro 2 will come in the form of the hardware and software. Bloomberg has reported that Apple has its focus on improving the Apple Pencil.

The Cupertino-based company is no longer restricting the stylus from annotating only specifically designed apps for the feature. Annotating objects might be doable across the board in the iPad Pro 2.

This means that users can annotate objects on many applications such as the Mail, Safari browser, iMessage, and basically all the apps that has a need for it.

Apple also relies much on the software enhancement. Bloomberg said that Apple will add specific features catering to the iPad Pro 2 either on the iOS or the next major software update from Apple.

The iPad Pro 2 is expected to come with a 12.9-inch display, the same size as that of last year. A smaller version with a 10.5-inch screen will be released alongside it.

A "low-cost" iPad with a 9.7-inch display, which is the same size as that of the iPad Air models, will accompany these two tablets for release early next year.