Apple designer suggests a major iPad change could come in the future

Is this the beginning of the end for the MacBook?

iPad Pro 2024
(Image credit: Future)
Quick Summary

An Apple product designer has suggested that future iPads could get a significant design change.

That suits modern use cases for the model, but also raises questions over other devices from the brand.

Earlier this month, a new range of iPads were unveiled by Apple. The Cupertino-based brand has become synonymous with the tablet market, with the range offering a sleek design and great usability.

The latest models – the iPad Pro M4 and the iPad Air M2 – both earned five-star reviews when T3's team of top testers got their hands on them. Now, in an interview with a French outlet called Numerama, an Apple product designer has hinted at a big design change for future models.

When questioned on the orientation of the Apple logo on the rear of the device, product designer, Molly Anderson, suggested that it could be set to move 90°. She said, "I think it could change, I don’t think it’s set in stone. We are thinking about it. The iPad has long been a product that is used in portrait mode, but we are using it more and more in landscape mode."

That could prove to be a more significant change than it seems on the face of it. For many years now, the iPad appears to have been edging into territory which had previously been occupied by their MacBook range.

With devices like the Magic Keyboard, many users have migrated over to using the iPad as a laptop replacement. That's a large part of the reason why discussions around the logo orientation even came about.

As the iPad range continues to grow in this direction, it raises one question – is the end of the MacBook near? It's certainly an interesting thing to ponder. The continued growth of both the iPad range and the high end Apple desktop computing products like the Mac Mini and the Mac Studio certainly suggest their laptops could lose ground.

Still, it's hard to say with any certainty. All we know for now is that there's a chance the Apple logo could turn to suit the more common landscape orientation in the future – and that certainly makes sense.

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Sam Cross
Staff Writer

Online news writer at T3.com, Sam has five years of experience in online and print journalism, with work featured in publications like Metro and Last Word on Sports. After years writing about music and football, Sam now turns his hand to bringing you news about new phones, smart home products, smart watches, laptops and TVs. Sam is a longtime fan and user of Apple products, including iPhones, MacBooks and Apple Watches.He’s also T3’s resident football expert, bringing you everything you need to know about the big games, including how to watch them. In his spare time, Sam is a keen guitarist, watch lover and (very) amateur golfer.