What you need to know about Apple's iPad and MacBook event

First Apple axed the home button on the iPhone. Now it's coming for the iPad.

In New York on Tuesday, the tech giant is expected to unveil new versions of its iPad Pro tablet and entry-level MacBook Air laptop. I'll be there with news and hands-on impressions from Apple's event starting at 10 a.m. Check back here for updates throughout the day.

Apple, which introduced new iPhones and a fourth-generation Apple Watch in September, has officially only said this event at the Brooklyn Academy of Music is about "making." It sent journalists invitations featuring personalized Apple logos; my invite for The Washington Post was blue with geometric toggles and buttons.

Product leaks reported by Bloomberg News and others point to a redesign of the high-end iPad that takes cues from Apple's latest iPhones. That includes replacing the home button and fingerprint reader with Face ID, Apple's facial-recognition technology. Apple could also shrink the margins around the edges of the iPad to fill it with more functional screen.

Apple last updated its entry-level iPad in March, with a faster processor and support for its Pencil stylus - but kept the overall design and $330 price the same.

Apple generates plenty of interest (and sales) anytime it changes the design of one of its products. IPads now outsell Mac computers, though the overall tablet market is shrinking. The iPad's advantage is that it packs a slender form with a big touch screen, not available on any Macs.

But I'm skeptical how much an iPhone X-style makeover alone will matter for people considering the iPad Pro as a laptop replacement. The Pro works with a keyboard case and stylus that appeal to road warriors and artists, but it isn't as functional as Macs and PCs - or as useful for precision work traditionally completed with a mouse or trackpad.

Analysts also expect Apple to unveil an overdue refresh of its entry-level MacBook Air, currently priced $1,000 and up. Now a decade old, the Air redefined laptop design and became the go-to computer for college students with its thin form and long battery life.

But the Air's 13-inch screen hasn't kept up with Microsoft Windows laptops and Chromebooks with higher-resolution screens and thinner borders. Apple could have a winner on its hands if it keeps the Air's price under a grand while modernizing the screen and keeping the most widely used plugs and ports.