Apple is thought to be working on a new iPad Pro, or maybe updating its iPad range for early next year, and a new report has indicated the new tablet will ditch the Home button.

Ah, that old rumour. It seems like for the last couple years we have heard every few months or so that Apple is considering removing its Home button from various devices. But now Japanese site Makotakara, which is often reliable, has claimed that a new 10.9-inch iPad is coming in early 2017, and it will have the same footprint as the current 9.7-inch iPad Pro but will lack the Home Button.

Remember, Apple is rumoured to be drastically overhauling the next iPhone, likely called iPhone 8, with a Home button that'll be embedded in the display, which may or may not be OLED and possibly curved. You can read our rumour round-up on that device here. As for the new iPad, it's supposed to have reduced bezels, with the top bezel containing a FaceTime camera. And it'll be thicker.

The thickness of the new model will be increased to 7.5mm, which is the same thickness as the iPad Air. If you're doubting the legitimacy of these rumours, keep in mind we first heard in August from KGI that a 10.5-inch iPad was coming, and then again from Digitimes last week, which said Apple is preparing an all-new 10.5-inch size for its iPad Pro line for the first quarter of 2017.

That means both a 10.9-inch screen and a 10.5-inch screen have been previously rumored. At present, Apple has the 7.9-inch iPad Mini 4, plus 9.7- and 12.9-inch iPad Pro tablets. The 9.7-inch iPad Air 2 is also still sold.

A 10.5-inch model, whether it's a Pro or standard iPad, would bridge the size gap. And if it ditches the Home button, it might attract new customers to Apple. But that's a whole lot of ifs and mights and unknowns.