iPad Pro 2 release date, specs rumors: New iPads to ditch headphone jack?

The new Apple iPad Pro is displayed during an Apple media event in San Francisco, California, Sept. 9, 2015. According to rumors, its follow-up will introduce new features, including ditching the standard 3.5-mm audio jack.Reuters/Beck Diefenbach

Apple will supposedly continue with the feature shift that it introduced in the iPhone 7 — featuring its new product lineups sans the standard 3.5-mm audio jack.

According to rumors, the Cupertino-based tech giant is set on having its own audio standard for its devices. This means that aside from the new iPhones, Apple tablet lineups like the upcoming iPad Pro 2 will also ditch the 3.5-mm audio port. This is highly possible, since Apple has already invested in its lightning port upgrades on top of its plans to introduce its new brand of wireless headphones, the AirPods.

Meanwhile, the absence of the 3.5-mm audio port is just one of the improvements for the Apple tablets. Supposedly, Apple will also introduce a near bezel-less display for its slate, at least for one variant of the iPad Pro 2. MacOtakara in Japan reports that as per analysts, the iPad Pro 2 will expand with a new 10.5-inch version. The new variant will still have the same display ratio as the 12.9-inch version, meaning that the new variant will likely launch with a near bezel-less, or at least thinner bezels, than the standard display used in the curren-gen iPad Pro.

In addition, even with the addition of the new 10.5-inch version, it is said that the iPad Pro 2 will also expand, folding into the lineup the much-anticipated iPad Air 3. With its specs and features, speculations suggest that the iPad Air slate will serve as the entry-level tablet to the three, top-tier iPad Pro 2 variants. There are also rumors that there may even be an iPad Pro Mini, supposedly a condensed version of the iPad Pro and taking over the lineup of the anticipated iPad Mini 5.

As for the iPad Pro 2, it is expected that the new slate lineup will continue with its top-tier specs and features upgrades. Aside from a new display, it is said that the new top-tier series will feature a new A11 chipset and at least 3 GB of RAM.