Even as you read this, Apple is still working on the iPhone 13 In fact, if you've been paying attention to the rumors about the new phone coming out this fall, it would seem that most of the major changes in the iPhone 13 Pro model, including a smaller notch and faster refresh display, are already in the works

Most of them But not all

There is still a chance that between now and September, other iPhone 13 features, features and enhancements that we have yet to actually hear about will be introduced And if you're still trying to find that special finishing touch that Apple will add to the iPhone 13, you don't have to look far for inspiration The just-announced iPad Pro 2021 gives Apple plenty of hints to follow with its smartphone

Indeed, many of the major features of the iPad Pro 2021 are going to remain only as part of Apple's tablet Apple is not going to start putting the M1 chip inside the iPhone 13; the mini LED technology designed to make the iPad Pro's screen brighter will also not be on the iPhone, and long before any of Apple's phones add a USB-C port, the rumored We will see an iPhone 13 without the rumored port (There are, however, a few key software features that the iPhone 13 may adopt from the iPad Pro Some of these changes we may even hear about at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference next month There, we will get our first close look at iOS 15, the software that powers this fall's iPhone (and all iPhones of the past five years)

It would not be unheard of for Apple to incorporate iPad features into the iPhone Last year's iPad Pro introduced a LiDAR sensor in the rear camera array, and it is no coincidence that the iPhone 12 Pro model has also added LiDAR The flat edges of the iPad Pro 2020 also heralded the new look of the iPhone 12 months ago On the software side, the iPad supported picture-in-picture long before iOS 14 brought the picture-in-picture feature to the iPhone

So here's a wish list of iPad Pro 2020 features (and a few other Apple tablet features) that would be perfect for the iPhone 13

Just because a feature is obvious to copy doesn't make it any less of a good idea And Center Stage, introduced as part of the iPad Pro 2021 rollout last month, would be a very nice addition to the next iPhone

Center Stage allows the iPad Pro's front camera to track you as you move around and keep you in the frame as much as possible In the unlikely event that someone else enters the picture, Center Stage can track them as well

Apple touts Center Stage as a must-have for video calls This feature will definitely work not only with FaceTime, but also with other video chat apps installed on the tablet And in this day and age when more and more people are making video calls, this is a welcome addition

Now, iPhones also have front-facing cameras, and they, too, could benefit from video calls while keeping you in the frame; imagine being able to rest your tired arms by propping up your iPhone 13 Center stage does all the hard work of tracking you as you move around You might not be afraid of video calls anymore

The iPad Pro 2021 offers 128GB of storage in the base model; the iPad Pro 2020 had the same basic configuration However, this would be a fairly new development for the iPhone 13, at least with respect to non-Pro models

The iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max will offer 128 GB of storage in their least expensive versions But the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini force you to cram all your music, photos, and files into a 64GB device, as if you were living in pioneer times Or pay for the privilege of having the same storage as on other flagship models

Enough said Apple should follow the standard set by the iPad Pro and make 128GB the base level of storage for all models And if they want the iPhone 13 Pro to stand out from the regular iPhone 13, they should take another cue from the iPad Pro 2021 and offer a 1TB configuration

I am old enough to remember Steve Jobs dismissing the idea that smartphones needed a stylus As Jobs would say, "God gave us ten styluses" And he's right, in most cases, one or two fingers are enough to control the iPhone and its apps

But since Jobs was thumbing his nose at styluses, iPhone screens have gotten bigger and iOS apps more sophisticated, and there's a reason the Apple Pencil is a popular add-on for Apple's tablets, especially the iPad Pro It allows for more precise drawing, and Apple has included a number of nifty touches, such as launching the Notes app with the Pencil when the iPad Pro is launched

The Apple Pencil has been scaled down to a size that is easy to use on the iPhone and named the Apple Pencil Mini, an accessory for iPhone 13 users for whom a finger alone is not enough

Adding Picture-in-Picture to the iPhone with last fall's iOS 14 update was a good start, and we hope Apple continues what it started with the next iPhone, incorporating as many of the iPad's multitasking features as possible, split screen seems obvious It seems like a no-brainer, but I'd like to see that enabled on the iPhone 13

Yes, tablets are better at multitasking than phones However, there are times when you want to run two apps side by side so you don't have to go back and forth between your most recently used apps with the exception of the iPhone 12 mini, all of Apple's phones have at least a 61-inch screen, and the iPhone 13 series is rumored to bring back this size Rumor has it that the iPhone 13 series will bring back this size It is a practical size when multitasking is needed

Now, this is not an iPad Pro feature at all Instead, it is on the iPad Air 4, and we had hoped to see it on the iPhone 12 last fall However, that does not mean that there is no need for Touch ID in future iPhones

Face ID is a great way to unlock Apple phones At least when most of us are not wearing masks during the coronavirus pandemic That's when we need a feature like Touch ID that allows us to use our fingerprints as another way to unlock our iPhones and make secure mobile payments

Apple could do this by adding an in-display fingerprint sensor like the Galaxy S21 and OnePlus 9 offer Alternatively, it could take advantage of the few remaining buttons on the iPhone to assume a dual role: the iPad Air 4 already has a fingerprint sensor elegantly integrated into the power button on the side of the tablet Indeed, Apple could do that in future phones as well

Adopting any of these iPad-inspired features would make the iPhone 13 a more attractive device Hopefully, WWDC in June will bring some hints about future changes If not, we will have to wait a little longer between now and the iPhone 13 launch this fall